Panel Report 3

Data Visualization and Device Prototyping

Information that is presented visually gives another level of understanding and can display elements that you may not have noticed in a raw form. One aspect of the Stanford project that stood out to me was when he displayed the first visualization that the team came up with and how it changed drastically when each layer of the data was being peeled off. It goes to show that errors and mis-representations of data can happen and reveal misleading trends. It is important to realize that and understand the data that you are working with.

EMAR is a project that Kristine took on that is exploring the idea of having a robot be able to collect real-time data on mental health. Working with a team that includes researchers and a clinical psychologist, she’s figuring out a way to incorporate EMAR into the everyday lives of a student. What stood out to me was the version 1 prototype of the robot. It’s made out of a couple snack boxes with a display and some lights, however it is still able to convey the concept of the project. It amazes me that as simple as the prototype is, EMAR has big potential to help in an area that needs it.

With data visualization, I feel the Stanford project led me to be aware of errors that can happen. With this in mind, spending some more time on the data that I am working with will help me truly understand it and potentially realize that the visualization could show significant changes on a different layer. With EMAR, it showed me that the initial prototype could be extremely messy, but getting the idea and concept in the form of a physical or visible object can help me collect data on what needs to be improved and what is working.