Interaction Design
Data Visualization
Visual Design
Illustrator
Figma
Unity 3D
Meta Quest 3S
Blender
Primary Data:
A pie chart represents the percentage of each patient's primary reason for visiting the ED. E.g., stomach and abdominal pain, cramps, and spasms account for 8.9%, corresponding to 12,441 visits out of a total of 139,786 visits.
Secondary Data:
A tripod spider diagram represents demographic data divided by age groups and is shaded based on gender distribution (retrieved from raw data).
Main:
The interactive human model serves as the main navigation. When users click on a specific body part, it simultaneously displays both patient perception and diagnostic data. To explore data related to the entire body, users can click the full-figure icon.
Sub–Patient Data:
Each body part may be associated with multiple patient complaints. The icons under the patient data panel allow users to switch between different complaints related to that specific body part.
Based on the patient’s primary reason, diagnoses are identified to address their chief complaints. The number of visits for each diagnosis is represented as a pie chart within the total visits, e.g., disease of the digestive system account for 6.04%, corresponding to 8,447 visits out of a total of 139,786 visits.
From the raw data, I focused on the top 10 reasons patients visited the ED. I then analyzed the data based on the demographic distribution of those patients. Through extensive symptom research, I identified corresponding diagnoses from the diagnosis data that might apply to each complaint.
View raw data from CDC
In my initial interaction design, I visualized patient perception data and medical diagnosis data using different shapes on a human figure. However, this approach created visual confusion for users. To simplify the interaction, I made the human figure model a clickable trigger: when users click on a specific part of the model, both patient perception and diagnosis data are displayed simultaneously.
To incorporate secondary information—patient perception data based on demographics—I sketched an idea using shape distribution to show the number of ED visits for each age group, with colors differentiating gender.
Based on my data, I sketched out icons that represent the top 10 reasons patients visit the ED and searched for stock icons that accurately represent organs and body systems.
When I applied my data to the demographic data sketch (a circular design with shape distribution), I realized that the shape lacked a structure to effectively display the data. Therefore, I refined my sketch and designed a tripod spidergram to represent the three age groups. I then applied each age group’s data, creating triangular shapes to display data distribution, and used colors to differentiate gender.
Following Ben Shneiderman's "Visual Information Seeking Mantra"—overview first, zoom and filter, then details-on-demand—I refined the interaction design of the VR experience by adding an introductory start page and data overview. This helps users quickly understand the data source and grasp the top 10 reasons for ED visits in 2021.
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