Graduate Research Project Animation
Chicago, IL, 2024
Audience
Nurses and Healthcare Professionals
My Role
Animator, Modeler, Researcher, Pre-Production, Post-Production Video Editing, Script Writer, Storyboarder
Timeline
13 weeks in Spring 2024
Tools
Procreate, Materialise Mimics, Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D
Description
The presence of post-operative metoidioplasty anatomy with urethral lengthening in transgender patients may be a visual challenge in healthcare settings that necessitate urinary catheterization. No readily accessible resources exist that aim to instruct or inform health care professionals about the appearance and treatment of such anatomy. A 3D animation video was created to accurately show a nursing audience the comparative anatomy with labelled features. Evaluation of the animation provided valuable feedback of what elements of the video facilitated successful learning. Implications for this project involve intersectional applications in both the healthcare field as well as LGBTQ+ advocacy.
The Process
The Problem
Health care professionals are not routinely instructed on urinary catheterization of transgender patients who may have anatomy that does not conform to cis-gender anatomy. This poses a significant barrier to care.
Design Goals
Create a didactic animation to visualize the unfamiliar anatomy and supplement a gender-diverse task trainer.
Have theory-based instructional design principles inform video making decisions to enhance learning outcomes and decrease cognitive overload.
Information was delivered via animation because literary research suggested that cognitive channels for visual and verbal processing are best activated in the brain, which can be beneficial in professional learning.
Above: Research materials and early sketches for the model and task trainer.
Research
My research partner and I worked closely with a UI Health surgeon to record patient accurate measurements and CT scan data so that we could produce accurate 3D models.
Research on animations used in teaching settings helped inform the project.
Learning goals were established for the animation deliverable.
Be able to label all anatomical structures.
Be able to trace the route of the neo-urethra and compare it to pre-operative structures.
Pre-Production
Storyboards and scripts were created in Procreate and sent to committee members for feedback and revisions.
The greatest challenge in script writing was defining which anatomical terms I should use. Medical terminology for LGBTQ+ health is not standardized across academic or healthcare settings.
A small style guide was established for colors used in the models and a sleek, clinical aesthetic was chosen for textures and environment.
Storyboard and color palette for animation.
Production
Modeling: C4D was used for staging 3D assets, materials, and environment.
Animation:
C4D was used for all camera shots and movements.
Video compositing, music, and scene stitching was done in Adobe After Effects.
ElevenLabs was an AI voice generator used in the narration of the video.
Youtube was used to produce captions that aligned with narration. The file was imported into Adobe Premiere Pro for subtitles.
Left: Video editing in Adobe After Effects.
Right: Modeling a uterus in C4D.
Result
The result was a two-minute long video that visualizes and compares pre-operative clitoral anatomy to metoidioplasty anatomy with urethral lengthening.
Feedback
Committee members evaluated how well the video followed multimedia design principles, which included factors such as text clarity, visual aesthetic, and accessibility.
Feedback was given for improvement of language, design choices, and further development and testing of the deliverable.
