Browsing by Author "He, Helen"

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    Brain World
    (2021-04-30) Shevchenko, Natasha Anya; Jacob, Christian; Gadbois, Denis; He, Helen; Leblanc, Jean-René
    The human brain is an immensely complex organ that has continuously fascinated humankind with its intricacies, nuances, and inner workings. In our quest to better understand the brain and ourselves, we look for information through scientific studies as well as ways to make scientific findings more accessible. Newly-accessible game development engines and software allow people from a variety of backgrounds, not just those with coding experience, to create beautiful and immersive game worlds that other users can easily explore. While the average person does not have access to dissection laboratories or an extensive collection of medical papers, many people do have access to a computer, smart phone, or game console, and thus can be leveraged as a learning tool in a unique way. My resulting creation is Brain World - an interactive and immersive virtual experience in which users can explore a human brain, built using a video game engine and developed utilizing more traditional artistic techniques and principles. Brain World is unique in that it is not just a 3D model of a human brain, but also an architectural space that visitors can enter and navigate throughout. Various parts of the brain environment contain stylized representations of particular functions within specific regions of the brain. All the models have been developed using data, information, and picture references from the medical field. The resulting elements including colouring and textures are intended to have a realistic appearance while presented in a larger-than-life setting. It is through this brain exploration that I intend to have users reflect on how their own brain works, and to gain a deeper understanding of the functions and complexity of the human brain. Furthermore, the way Brain World is built allows for further expansion, such as representations of medical conditions and added layers of detail for different audiences and various levels of teaching.
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    We are the Data: Challenges and Opportunities for Creating Demographically Diverse Anthropographics
    (ACM, 2023-02) Dhawka, Priya; He, Helen; Willett, Wesley
    Anthropographics are human-shaped visualizations that aim to emphasize the human importance of datasets and the people behind them. However, current anthropographics tend to employ homogeneous human shapes to encode data about diverse demographic groups. Such anthropographics can obscure important differences between groups and contemporary designs exemplify the lack of inclusive approaches for representing human diversity in visualizations. In response, we explore the creation of demographically diverse anthropographics that communicate the visible diversity of demographically distinct populations. Building on previous anthropographics research, we explore strategies for visualizing datasets about people in ways that explicitly encode diversity—illustrating these approaches with examples in a variety of visual styles. We also critically reflect on strategies for creating diverse anthropographics, identifying social and technical challenges that can result in harmful representations. Finally, we highlight a set of forward-looking research opportunities for advancing the design and understanding of diverse anthropographics.