Humanizing data : a digital art & humanities exploration of empathy, biometrics, and immersive technologies

Humanizing Data explores how mixed-reality (MR) systems can convert living biometric data into multisensory artworks that foster empathy. Grounded in the author’s lived experience of mirror-touch synesthesia, the thesis fuses research-creation with somaesthetic and NeuroDesign principles to develop a seven-point “Synthesizing Framework.” Through a series of practice-based projects, VR and MR scenarios, projection-mapped wedding cakes and live theatre performances, the work continually integrates visual, haptic, auditory, and some olfactory cues. The thesis makes two main contributions: (1) a multidisciplinary design framework that combines HCI usability heuristics with artistic‑HCI, somaesthetic, and neuro‑adaptive principles; and (2) an indication showing that, when properly designed, multisensory mixed reality experiences provide a more authentic sense of “felt” fidelity than MR‑only environments for empathy‑centred experiences. By demonstrating how data can be experienced as felt rather than just seen, Humanizing Data offers a pathway for artists, designers, and professionals aiming to foster deeper, body‑to‑body understanding through immersive technology.