Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-142).

Introduction : Research problem and purpose ; Research area and approach ; Research phases ; Target audience, structure -- The challenge: project portfolio decisions : PPM context and its challenges ; Structural complexity ; Emergent complexity ; Socio-political complexity -- The opportunity: visuals : Portfolio decision as a sensemaking process ; The power of visuals ; Visuals: friends or foes? ; Research focus -- Tapping into the potential: visual literacy : Visual literacy ; Design ; Use ; User ; Relationship between visual literacy areas ; Guiding principles for visual design ; Concluding notes -- Research design : Methodological challenges ; Experimental rational ; The decision task ; Key variables and introduction to the dashboards ; Subjects ; Location and workflow of the experiment ; Validity and reliability -- Data analysis : Research questions and propositions ; Demographics ; Proposition 1. Impact of visual design on cognition and confidence ; Proposition 2. Impact of visual use on cognition and confidence ; Proposition 3. Impact of familiarity on cognition of data and confidence ; Proposition 4. Relationship between visual design, use, and user ; How do different users react to different visuals? Exploring visual preferences and adoption ; How do people use visuals? Useful visual skills ; Summary, discussion and implications of key findings -- Summary, conclusions, and recommendations : Implications for practitioners ; Implications for teaching and learning ; Implications for research ; Toward a mindful use of visuals -- Appendices : Historical overview and current trends in the literature ; Validation of relevant perspectives for portfolios ; Survey.