Visualization tool

Challenge and selection

There are several ways how people can perceive information: by listening, reading,

sensing, smelling. Each person has their own main communication channel that works best for  them. Reading for most people takes the major role in information perception and expression.  However, plain text is very difficult to be understood, and here the visualization tool comes to  the place.

I am working at the biomedical research laboratory as a junior research fellow, and

besides doing science, I have always dreamed to popularize science to other people especially  youth, because youth are more creative and progressive that older people, which are merged  into daily work routines and are more rigid to the changes. Therefore, together with colleagues,  we decided to apply for the government grant to hold the festival for youth for popularizing the  biomedical sciences. To receive this grant, we had to develop new and interesting festival  formats, which will make our festival unique and will increase our chances to receive the grant.  The solution for our task lied in the visualization tool which helped us a lot to elaborate new  and creative ways to hold the biomedical festival.    Application

First, our team started from the graphical representation of the traditional scientific

festival formats like poster session, speech session, etc. We listed the pros and cons of such  approaches, listed groups of people who participate in them from both sides, such as listeners  (professionals, students, pupils) and speakers (academia, NGOs, business firms) and  determined their motives to participate in such events. Next, we brainstormed the possible  barriers for each group to participate in the traditional festival formats and tried to be creative  in the improvement of the formats to make the “wow” effect for both participant sides.

The longer we discussed the possible improvements of the traditional festival formats,

the more we introduced new and details into them which were borrowed from other exhibition  events: for example, the format of the strict scientific poster session was transformed into the  format of « living canvases» that you could probably see in the museums or exhibition. Living  canvases is a format when the graphics is projected on large screens that are located along all  the walls of the room, and the visitor has the feeling of being completely immersed in the work  being presented, because it surrounds them from all sides 360 degrees, while audio soundtrack  explains the essence of the picture and is also played in the 3D volume of the room.

Further, we transformed the conventional format of the speech session into the event

where the listeners sit on ottomans, and the speaker with a microphone walks between them  and can personally communicate with the audience during his presentation, which makes the  report less formal and more comfortable to listen to, especially for those who are just about to  start their journey in science. Here visualization tool assisted us in determining the distribution  of people, as well as the speaker's routes through the hall so that their presentation was always  visible to the viewer, and each listener of the lecture can interact with the lecturer.    When other new and exclusive festival formats were developed using visualization tool

(like science speed dating, tik tok battle, etc.) we started to build the logistics of the festival to  organize people flows so that all festival grounds were easily accessible and intuitively sweaty.  Graphical support helped us to effectively use all the area which we rented so that we could  hold maximum number of the events while avoiding people “traffic jams”.    Insight & Approach

What I learned from doing this exercise is that the development of the new things in a

group of people is very difficult without visualization. Each person has their own imagination of  the ideal realization of each thing and representation of these “ideals” to other team members  is practically impossible without drawing. Moreover, the words after being said just disappear,  while if you fix them with the picture, they stay on the whiteboard for the whole period of the  discussion. Anyone at any time moment can add something new to your idea, improve it,  criticize it, and this process can be called “incremental innovation”.     Regarding our case, not all people from our team were good at drawing, but in such a

case the quality of the picture practically does not matter. The main idea of the visualization is  that you express your reflection and you show it in the way accessible to others. Furthermore,  by visualizing your ideas, not only others better understand you, but the things become clearer  for yourself.    If you are interested in the success of our festival, I should tell you that it really was

something new in our city and university. Many mass media, newspapers and TV channels  made the report about our festival; the participants were delighted by our formats, the  speakers told us that it was really new experience for them to communicate with the auditory  and they asked to invite them for the festival in the next year. The festival succeeded 100% and  even more.    What we will apply next year for the development of our festival formats? I think, mind

mapping tool. Even we developed many new interesting formats for our festival, we have a  feeling that now all our ideas were implemented into real life. Some of them could be missed,  and therefore, mindmapping tool is needed. It will allow us for deeper analysis of our  perception of “ideal science popularizing event” especially with the consideration of the  experience we got during this festival, and I am sure next year festival well receive even more  attention and visitors due to the applied design thinking tools.


Visualization tool Challenge and selection There are several ways how people can perceive information : by listening , reading , sensing , smelling . Each person has their own main communication channel that works best for them . Reading for most people takes the major role in information perception and expression . However , plain text is very difficult to be understood , and here the visualization tool comes to the place . I am working at the biomedical research laboratory as a junior research fellow , and besides doing science , I have always dreamed to popularize science to other people especially youth , because youth are more creative and progressive that older people , which are merged into daily work routines and are more rigid to the changes . Therefore , together with colleagues , we decided to apply for the government grant to hold the festival for youth for popularizing the biomedical sciences . To receive this grant , we had to develop new and interesting festival formats , which will make our festival unique and will increase our chances to receive the grant . The solution for our task lied in the visualization tool which helped us a lot to elaborate new and creative ways to hold the biomedical festival . Application First , our team started from the graphical representation of the traditional scientific festival formats like poster session , speech session , etc . We listed the pros and cons of such approaches , listed groups of people who participate in them from both sides , such as listeners ( professionals , students , pupils ) and speakers ( academia , NGOs , business firms ) and determined their motives to participate in such events . Next , we brainstormed the possible barriers for each group to participate in the traditional festival formats and tried to be creative in the improvement of the formats to make the “ wow ” effect for both participant sides . The longer we discussed the possible improvements of the traditional festival formats , the more we introduced new and details into them which were borrowed from other exhibition events : for example , the format of the strict scientific poster session was transformed into the format of « living canvases » that you could probably see in the museums or exhibition . Living canvases is a format when the graphics is projected on large screens that are located along all the walls of the room , and the visitor has the feeling of being completely immersed in the work being presented , because it surrounds them from all sides 360 degrees , while audio soundtrack explains the essence of the picture and is also played in the 3D volume of the room . Further , we transformed the conventional format of the speech session into the event where the listeners sit on ottomans , and the speaker with a microphone walks between them and can personally communicate with the audience during his presentation , which makes the report less formal and more comfortable to listen to , especially for those who are just about to start their journey in science . Here visualization tool assisted us in determining the distribution of people , as well as the speaker 's routes through the hall so that their presentation was always visible to the viewer , and each listener of the lecture can interact with the lecturer . When other new and exclusive festival formats were developed using visualization tool ( like science speed dating , tik tok battle , etc . ) we started to build the logistics of the festival to organize people flows so that all festival grounds were easily accessible and intuitively sweaty . Graphical support helped us to effectively use all the area which we rented so that we could hold maximum number of the events while avoiding people “ traffic jams ” . Insight & Approach What I learned from doing this exercise is that the development of the new things in a group of people is very difficult without visualization . Each person has their own imagination of the ideal realization of each thing and representation of these “ ideals ” to other team members is practically impossible without drawing . Moreover , the words after being said just disappear , while if you fix them with the picture , they stay on the whiteboard for the whole period of the discussion . Anyone at any time moment can add something new to your idea , improve it , criticize it , and this process can be called “ incremental innovation ” . Regarding our case , not all people from our team were good at drawing , but in such a case the quality of the picture practically does not matter . The main idea of the visualization is that you express your reflection and you show it in the way accessible to others . Furthermore , by visualizing your ideas , not only others better understand you , but the things become clearer for yourself . If you are interested in the success of our festival , I should tell you that it really was something new in our city and university . Many mass media , newspapers and TV channels made the report about our festival ; the participants were delighted by our formats , the speakers told us that it was really new experience for them to communicate with the auditory and they asked to invite them for the festival in the next year . The festival succeeded 100 % and even more . What we will apply next year for the development of our festival formats ? I think , mind mapping tool . Even we developed many new interesting formats for our festival , we have a feeling that now all our ideas were implemented into real life . Some of them could be missed , and therefore , mindmapping tool is needed . It will allow us for deeper analysis of our perception of “ ideal science popularizing event ” especially with the consideration of the experience we got during this festival , and I am sure next year festival well receive even more attention and visitors due to the applied design thinking tools .