Sandra Bae
Pushing Visualizations Beyond the Desktop with Everyday Devices and Novel Interfaces
Research Abstract:
Visualizations play a critical societal role ranging from uncovering scientific insights to being a core part of analytical decision-making. However, most visualizations are siloed, desktop applications, which limits the iterative, collaborative nature of data analysis. Sensemaking happens in the head as well as in the physical world: we think with objects, with our bodies, with marks on papers, and with other people in a distributed, socially-situated manner. Additionally, the desktop’s 2D graphical nature limits analyzing datasets with inherent spatial, multidimensional structures that would otherwise benefit from 3D physical representations. How can we bridge both the digital and physical worlds for data visualization? My research aims to reduce this gap by drawing an interdisciplinary approach using human-computer interaction, visualization, and digital fabrication. Specifically, I envision an ecosystem of networked devices that can make data analysis a richer and more natural experience by leveraging the affordances of both the digital and physical worlds. My research demonstrates how beyond-the-desktop platforms offer new opportunities for (1) scientific insight, (2) to broaden participation (e.g., education and accessibility), and (3) even reveal more insights about the users themselves.
Bio:
Sandra Bae is a Ph.D. student at CU Boulder, focusing on how to push data beyond the flat screen. Bae’s research goal focuses on understanding the contexts of when data should be presented as 2D versus 3D and similarly digitally versus physically. Her interdisciplinary research combines techniques from human-computer interaction (HCI), data visualization, and digital fabrication. Her work has been presented at top HCI and visualization research venues, including ACM CHI and IEEE VIS, and has been awarded Best Paper Honorable Mention (VIS 2023). In addition, Bae’s research has been recognized with NSF PEGS21 Fellowship (2018), NASA JPL Master's Thesis Educational Fellowship (2019), Achievement Reward for College Scientists (2021, 2022, 2023), and as a Rising Star in EECS (2023).