Overview
Humanities + Design is a research lab at Stanford University that develops innovative software tools for humanities research through the intersection of design thinking and scholarly inquiry.
- Institution: Stanford University
- Location: Stanford, California, USA
- Type: Research lab
- Focus: Design-driven digital humanities
Website
Mission
The lab creates visualization and analysis tools that help humanities scholars explore complex historical data through intuitive, design-centered interfaces that reveal patterns and relationships in ways traditional methods cannot.
Notable Projects
Palladio
Web-based platform for visualizing complex historical data combining maps, timelines, network graphs, and tables for multi-dimensional analysis.
Breve
Data cleaning and visualization tool providing a “bird’s eye view” of tabular data to identify errors and patterns in historical datasets.
Data Pen
Linked data platform connecting scholarly resources with major authorities like VIAF, Library of Congress, and Wikidata for enriched research.
Kindred Britain
Network visualization exploring familial connections among British elites across centuries.
Research Philosophy
Design Thinking
- User-centered tool development
- Iterative prototyping
- Visual problem-solving
- Intuitive interfaces
Scholarly Rigor
- Historical accuracy
- Data integrity
- Methodological transparency
- Reproducible research
Core Activities
Tool Development
- Open source software
- Web-based platforms
- Visualization frameworks
- Data processing pipelines
Research Support
- Project collaboration
- Custom tool development
- Data consultation
- Method innovation
Education
- Graduate student training
- Workshop offerings
- Design methodology courses
- Technical tutorials
Interdisciplinary Approach
Combines expertise from:
- History
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Design
- Information Science
- Statistics
Key Innovations
- Network visualization for humanities
- Multi-dimensional data exploration
- Linked data integration
- Visual data cleaning
- Collaborative analysis platforms
Partnerships
Stanford Collaborations
- Stanford Libraries
- CESTA (Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis)
- Computer Science Department
- Design School (d.school)
International
- University of Helsinki
- Aalto University
- University of Technology Sydney
- Global DH community
Impact Areas
Academic Research
- Historical network analysis
- Prosopographical studies
- Cultural heritage visualization
- Literary geography
Tool Ecosystem
- Open source contributions
- Reusable components
- Method documentation
- Best practices
Team Composition
- Faculty directors
- Research developers
- Design specialists
- Graduate researchers
- International collaborators
Funding & Support
- NEH grants
- ACLS funding
- Stanford support
- Foundation grants
Philosophy of Access
- Open source commitment
- Free web tools
- Public documentation
- Community engagement