Will Stahl-Timmins—Outlier 2022 Lightning Talk—Visualising COVID-19 Transmission

About the talk: As the covid-19 pandemic progressed, there were confusing and conflicting messages about how to reduce transmission. Should we wash our hands? Wear a mask, and/or a visor? What if we were outside? Talking loudly? Singing? We wanted to make an interactive visual tool that would give people immediate feedback on the impact of protective measures they can take. However, we faced several challenges. This talk will explain how we dealt with lack of evidence, presenting uncertainty, and managing the relationship between designers, researchers, and journal editors. We describe a new working model that will be explored further in future. About the speaker: Will designs infographics and data visualisations for The BMJ (British Medical Journal). His work focusses on turning complex research and educational content into engaging visual stories, so that the information can immediately be put to use by busy health professionals. Will's background is in graphic design. He holds a PhD in the use of information graphics in health technology assessment from Exeter Medical School.