Luke Woods

Diabetes Management - When given the chance to work on an audience specific interface, I recalled an article by Dr. Helen Klein about the ineffectiveness of most medical instructions. I contacted her and learned about medical instructions, diabetes patients, and their difficulty understanding the complex interaction of variables that affect their blood glucose level. I began to sketch a tool to improve patient's mental model by allowing them to play with hypothetical scenarios that affect their blood-sugar level. By testing variables, it is easy to see their interplay over time and learn how to more effectively maintain equilibrium.

Alzheimer's Visualization - In this collaborative project, Dr. Keith Crutcher provided background about his difficulties searching the PubMed database for papers that support or refute propositions related to his Alzheimer's disease research. He wanted a better way to view query results, see the relationships between objects, and transition between searches. My team broke a set of research propositions into components and established an icon vocabulary. We used value to distinguish biological levels, shape to clarify processes vs objects and animations to show relationships. Talking to Dr. Crutcher helped us identify a typical flow to serve as the basis for our prototype. We utilized a fisheye technique to show the center of a query, semantic depth of field to focus results, and an understated navigation that recedes into the background.

Point of View Animation - In this lyric animation, I utilized type made up of small points and created a sense of spatial depth. The narrative progression is slow and the visual intensity builds toward the song's ending. The repetitive lyric sequences are divided into scenes based on timing shifts or transition points in the song and choreographed in different ways.

XYT Poster - The dimensions of time based media, XYT, served as the title for a hypothetical exhibition in Basel, Switzerland. I experimented with the forms of the X, Y, and T to simulate dimensions and gradients seen as light. The scale of the title commands the Swiss poster format and encourages viewers to come closer to discover the details.

DAAP Wayfinding - Peter Eisenman's Arnoff building wraps along the side of three previously existing buildings on UC's campus to form a single DAAP building. It is notoriously difficult for visitors to find their way with broad ramps between that blur the boundaries between floors and quirks resulting from the layouts of encompassed buildings. To more effectively show the ramps between floors, I developed a 3D diagram of the building and complemented it with first person views to provide landmarks. An animated character leads the way to one's destination and photographs show corresponding views. Situated at each entrance, such displays would greet visitors and help them find their destinations.