Seatle vs. Purvis
Medical Legal Visualization
Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Illustrator
How can a Canadian jury best understand the complex sequence of events that led to shoulder dystocia prior to the delivery of baby Connor Seatle?
Research
Our group was given a court document describing the case of Seatle et al v. Purvis et al. After familiarizing ourselves with the case, we did our own research on obstetric procedures and terminology, such as: fundal height, fetal stations, presence of caput, mityvac application, and shoulder dystocia. There were no radiographic images or visuals accompanying this case. Therefore, we based all of our visualizations on expert witness testimonies from the case file and our own research.
Co-Design
Our group reviewed the case file multiple times to identify the most important events that would need to be communicated on the timeline. Four events were selected which we felt needed to be emphasized and further described through visual storytelling. We developed a style sheet outlining the design plan, and we then experimented with multiple revisions of the layout. We frequently met with our client for feedback throughout the entire duration of the assignment. The final layout turned out to be 30" x 80".
Problem Solving
As a group, we decided that I would do the sketches for event A and B, Amy Cao would do the sketches for event C, and Tracy Xang would do the sketches for event D. Initially, this plan helped us figure out how we wanted to position the baby relative to the mother's body, but the problem was our different drawing styles. Thinking about how to standardize the design of the baby, the mother, and to create a more efficient workflow, we came up with the following plan:
Workflow
New Sketches: While using all of our sketches as references, Amy Cao created a new set of sketches for stages A, B, C and D.
Colouring Blocking: I then colour-blocked the different sections of the images according to the style sheet, and put them onto separate layers in photoshop.
Rendering: Tracy Xang then worked on the photoshop files to add light, shadow and colour variation to the images.
Adjustments: Amy Cao then made adjustments to the rendered images to ensure the proportions of each element looked realistic.
Final Rendering: I added fine detail to the rendered images to add more shape and three-dimensional quality to the individual elements.
Touch-Ups: We reviewed each image both as a group and individually, making any final adjustments we felt were necessary.
A = Amy Cao C = Contessa Giontsis T = Tracy Xang