Visualizing Chronic Health Conditions

#sxsw #HealthViz

Current figures from the American Diabetes Association show that 8% of the U.S. population, or 25.8 million people, have diabetes. This is a large percentage of the populace that needs to manage a chronic health issue.

Data visualization is a powerful tool for explaining complex systems. So why is it absent in doctor-patient conversations on chronic health management? This talk will center around the speaker’s own personal experience using off-the-shelf activity trackers combined with continuous blood sugar monitoring to better understand his blood sugar management regimen. Join the speaker as he discusses his three-day trek on the Appalachian Trail and the surprising insights he gained into his own condition when he used data visualization to analyze his journey.
This session will also expand on the insights gained by exploring how data visualization, combined with continuous tracking, could be used in patient education for chronic health management.

Presenters

Brian Sherwell

Creative Dir, UX

Sparks Grove

Brian has been working in the field of Human Computer Interaction for over 10 years, where he is known as a passionate believer in Human Centered Design. He has overseen work for clients such as Verizon, Cox Communications, AT&T, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, Pennington and L’Oreal; delivering awesome experiences for desktop, mobile, tablet, Xbox, and developing technologies. Before joining Sparks Grove, Brian was the Director of User Experience at Moxie. He has also conducted research at the Centers for Disease Control and worked at the National Science Foundation where he led a multi-year ethnographic study used in developing AI programs to mimic human intelligence. Brian currently lives in a converted telephone factory loft in the Old Forth Ward area of Atlanta with his dog Loki.