Health data visualizations often flatten lived experience to dry metrics. In this two half-day, in-person co-design course, we’ll combine biosignals, self-reports, and personal narratives to craft visual stories that foster empathy, actionability, and shared resilience.
Mental health concerns are rising globally, and yet our tools still reduce complex human experiences to isolated numbers. Self-tracking devices flood us with biosignals – heart rates, sleep scores, step counts – without the context or narrative that makes them meaningful.
Collaborative sensemaking reframes data interpretation as a social, creative act. By bringing together diverse voices – clinicians, researchers, designers, lived experience advocates – we can surface hidden biases, stitch metrics to stories, and build visualizations that invite empathy and action.
In this course, we’ll explore how to humanize health data by weaving biosignals and quantified metrics into community-driven narratives. Through participatory co-design and reflective dialogue, we’ll prototype emotionally resonant visualizations that balance quantitative precision with empathetic storytelling.
How to Enroll
Who Can Apply
This course is open to postgraduate students (Master’s and PhD), researchers, artists, designers, and professionals in data visualization, digital design, visual arts, multimedia, communication design and equipment, as well as fine arts (painting, sculpture, photography, and intermedia practices). It is especially suited to those interested in exploring collaborative sense-making processes through visual, participatory, and human-centred approaches.
How to Submit Your Application
Applications are submitted exclusively online via the Fénix platform.
How to Register Online
Registration is conducted exclusively online through the Fenix/Edu system. Before applying, please read the instructions carefully. If you have any questions, contact us at sec.presidente@belasartes.ulisboa.pt or by phone at +351 213 252 109.
Goals & Research Questions
- Explore Collaborative Sensemaking: Transform abstract health data into collectively interpreted insights.
- Design Emotionally Resonant Visuals: Integrate personal narratives and metrics into cohesive prototypes.
- Define Inclusive Guidelines: Co-author practical principles that balance quantitative precision with empathetic storytelling.
Key Research Questions
- How can collaborative sensemaking enhance the connection between health data and actionable well-being strategies?
- Which visualization guidelines support emotional resonance in academic and clinical environments?
- How might digital tools capture the interplay of systemic factors and individual health experiences?
Structure & Schedule
1. Pre Course Engagement
- Ice breaker & Orientation (via Discord & Miro)
- Welcome email with agenda, readings, and introductory tutorial on sensemaking & co-design.
- Reflective prompts and sample visualizations to kickstart personal critique.
- Formation of diverse 3–4 person teams.
2. Day 1 (Half Day): Reflection → Co Design
- Welcome & Overview (30 min): Goals, datasets, and guiding principles
- Individual Critique (1 h): Rate existing health charts on clarity, empathy, actionability; annotate gaps
- Collaborative Redesign (1.5 h): Teams prototype new visuals in Miro + physical sketches
3. Day 2 (Half Day): Validation → Synthesis
- Peer Review (45 min): Swap and re-rate prototypes to surface strengths & blind spots
- Group Presentations (1.5 h): Share design evolution and key decisions
- Meta Reflection (45 min): Document final design principles
4. Post Course Continuity
All artifacts are published on our shared platform for ongoing collaboration.
Organizers & Partners
Beatriz Severes, ITI/LARSyS, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Marta Ferreira, ITI/LARSyS, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Pedro Duarte Almeida, Faculdade de Belas-Artes da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de
Investigação e de Estudos em Belas-Artes (CIEBA), Portugal
Augusto Esteves, ITI/LARSyS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
This course is part of the research project “From the Individual Sphere to the
Community: Collaborative Sensemaking with Data Visualization,” funded by the Foundation for
Science and Technology (FCT) under grant 2023.05034.BD (B.S.). All course participants will be
regarded as project collaborators and will be acknowledged as such both within the project
itself and in any resulting academic publications.