DocuViz

Visualize the evolution of authors' contributions in a Google Doc
What is DocuViz?
DocuViz is a Chrome extension developed by Hana Research Lab at UC Irvine, designed to provide a comprehensive visualization of the revision history in Google Docs. It color codes each author's edits and displays the timeline of edits from left to right, giving an in-depth insight into the collaboration pattern and document evolution. The extension enhances the existing Revision-History feature in Google Docs by presenting a complete historyflow view, instead of just one revision at a time.

Extension stats

Users: 3,000+
Rating: 4.87 (15)
Version: 3.8 (Last updated: 2020-07-03)
Creation date: 2020-07-02
Risk impact: Moderate risk impact
Risk likelihood: Low risk likelihood
Manifest version: 2
Permissions:
  • activeTab
  • *://docs.google.com/*
Size: 238.59K

Other platforms

Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge
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Extension summary

DocuViz is developed by Hana Research Lab at the University of California, Irvine. It generates the history revision Visualization in a co-authored document on Google Docs. It color codes who edited what, when and where. Time goes from left to right. The darker color columns represent revision content; and the lighter color columns represent the links between columns. Extending the existing Revision-History feature within Google Docs, DocuViz shows the entire history in a historyflow view rather than the one-revision-at-a-time view. It can reveal the evolution of the document and the collaboration patters of co-authors.

Dakuo Wang and Jingwen Zhang developed the first version, and Kenny Pham is the primary developer for this plugin. HistoryFlow visualization is invented by Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg. We also thank James Somers for his advice on getting the accurate data from Google Docs without using the Google API.

You can contact Dakuo Wang ([email protected]) for further questions.

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Chrome Web Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Works perfectly on smaller documents
  • Helpful for accountability and workflow insights
  • Easy to use and well thought out for Google Chrome
Cons
  • Struggles with large documents, often getting stuck in loading mode
  • Does not work on Microsoft Edge
  • The DocuViz button often displays 'loading' without results
Most mentioned
  • Issues with loading on large documents
  • Positive feedback regarding its functionality on smaller documents
  • User interest in expanding functionality to bulk operations and slides
Recent reviews
by Benjamin Breslov, 2024-10-13

Really cool extension, works perfectly
by Rune, 2024-02-14

The idea is amazing, I tried it on a doc with fewer revisions (1700) and it worked, but on a bigger one (81969 changes) it seems to be stuck on loading mode. Does it actually word on big docs? Any alternative should that be the case? Thank you very much and congrats on this API!
by Judith A, 2023-06-01
View all user reviews

Extension safety

Risk impact

DocuViz requires a few sensitive permissions. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

DocuViz has earned a fairly good reputation and likely can be trusted.

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Promo images

DocuViz small promo image
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