How Anxiety Looks
How Anxiety Looks
How Anxiety Looks is an interactive visualisation project that transforms lived experiences of anxiety into expressive digital forms. Built with creative coding in p5.js, it explores how anxiety appears, where it manifests in the body, and how people cope—turning invisible feelings into visible, shareable experiences.
INTERACTION DESIGN · MENTAL HEALTH
Research & Insights
Research & Insights
Using the Double Diamond process, I combined desk research with quick probes and diaries to capture personal perspectives: 40+ expressive drawings and 11 diary studies revealed patterns in triggers, effects, and 6+ coping themes; 90% reported feeling anxiety often, with social judgement and performance standing out. These artefacts—especially responses to “What does anxiety look like to you?”—became the foundation for visualisation.
Using the Double Diamond process, I combined desk research with quick probes and diaries to capture personal perspectives: 40+ expressive drawings and 11 diary studies revealed patterns in triggers, effects, and 6+ coping themes; 90% reported feeling anxiety often, with social judgement and performance standing out. These artefacts—especially responses to “What does anxiety look like to you?”—became the foundation for visualisation.
Research & Insights
Using the Double Diamond process, I combined desk research with quick probes and diaries to capture personal perspectives: 40+ expressive drawings and 11 diary studies revealed patterns in triggers, effects, and 6+ coping themes; 90% reported feeling anxiety often, with social judgement and performance standing out. These artefacts—especially responses to “What does anxiety look like to you?”—became the foundation for visualisation.
Design & Interaction
Design & Interaction
Early multi-layered sketches were simplified after testing to reduce noise and improve clarity. The final outcome is two linked pieces:
• Wall of Anxiety—a growing grid of participant drawings, colour-coded by coping strategy, with a cursor-following light that focuses attention. Try it: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/FV1-UcrI3
• Physical Symptoms—an interactive body map showing where anxiety manifests; click a body part to reveal symptoms. Explore: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/Ah3OjQp8p.
Early multi-layered sketches were simplified after testing to reduce noise and improve clarity. The final outcome is two linked pieces:
• Wall of Anxiety—a growing grid of participant drawings, colour-coded by coping strategy, with a cursor-following light that focuses attention. Try it: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/FV1-UcrI3
• Physical Symptoms—an interactive body map showing where anxiety manifests; click a body part to reveal symptoms. Explore: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/Ah3OjQp8p.
Design & Interaction
Early multi-layered sketches were simplified after testing to reduce noise and improve clarity. The final outcome is two linked pieces:
• Wall of Anxiety—a growing grid of participant drawings, colour-coded by coping strategy, with a cursor-following light that focuses attention. Try it: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/FV1-UcrI3
• Physical Symptoms—an interactive body map showing where anxiety manifests; click a body part to reveal symptoms. Explore: https://editor.p5js.org/ShreyanshSharma/full/Ah3OjQp8p.
Outcome & Next
Outcome & Next
Professors described it as “one of the best visualisations of the year,” noting its potential to normalise conversations around mental health. If revisiting the project, I would refine the p5.js architecture, expand user testing, and integrate automatic data input so the visualisation can continue to grow—evolving into a living, collective map of anxiety.
Professors described it as “one of the best visualisations of the year,” noting its potential to normalise conversations around mental health. If revisiting the project, I would refine the p5.js architecture, expand user testing, and integrate automatic data input so the visualisation can continue to grow—evolving into a living, collective map of anxiety.
Outcome & Next
Professors described it as “one of the best visualisations of the year,” noting its potential to normalise conversations around mental health. If revisiting the project, I would refine the p5.js architecture, expand user testing, and integrate automatic data input so the visualisation can continue to grow—evolving into a living, collective map of anxiety.
More Works More Works
More Works More Works
shreyansh
shreyansh
shreyansh
shreyansh
©2024 (MAA, I DID IT)🥹
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©2024 (MAA, I DID IT)🥹
Go Back To Top
©2024 (MAA, I DID IT)🥹
Go Back To Top
©2024 (MAA, I DID IT)🥹
Go Back To Top