Visualizing the Life Cycle of Stars

By Nikki Rademaker, and Levi Peeters

Overview

This project was created for the course Human-Computer Interaction & Information Visualization. The goal of the HCI&IV course is to design, build, and test an interactive information visualization system. Students learn the full process from research question to prototype and evaluation. The focus is on usability, user-centered design, and innovative interaction. Together with Levi Peeters, I built an interactive program to help astronomy students better understand how stars evolve over time. For the both of us, it was the first time working with Unity.

The Idea

We designed a visualization that shows both the outside appearance of a star and the fusion layers inside. Users can start and pause the animation of the star’s life cycle. A color-coded timeline shows each phase, and users can switch between different stellar masses to see how evolution depends on mass.

When users hover over the star, they can see information about each fusion layer. Scale indicators like Earth and Jupiter help to make the size more relatable. A diagram on the side explains what happens at every life stage.

Study and Results

We conducted two rounds of user testing. The first round was with astronomy students, and the second with non-experts. We asked participants to complete tasks and fill in questionnaires.

Feedback led us to simplify the side diagram and improve the timeline. Users found the program engaging and helpful. The final version achieved a System Usability Score of 88.5, well above the average benchmark. Students reported that the visualization helped them better grasp the size, time scale, and structure of star evolution.

Technical Development

The visualization was built in Unity version 2020.3.18f1. It uses simple animations to show the star changing over time. Diagrams and visuals were designed to match astronomy textbooks. Interactive elements were added to make the experience more engaging and educational.

Click here to see the program. Furthermore, You can download our relevant reports here: Design Document, User Evaluation 1, User Evaluation 2, Final Paper