How to Abstractly Depict People in Research Videos: Complete Guide for Scientists

Scientific videos and animations frequently need to show people, yet realistic portrayals bring privacy risks, pull viewer attention away from the science, and demand strong artistic skills most researchers simply do not have. Abstract human figures solve all three problems at once, letting you convey complex ideas clearly without any of the downsides that come with realistic illustration.

The Case for Depicting Humans Abstractly

Choosing an abstract approach is not a compromise: it is a deliberate communication strategy with measurable benefits.

Keeping Identities Private

Case studies, patient records, and participant data must be handled with care. Schematic figures let you present real human stories while shielding individual identity, satisfying ethics board requirements without removing the human element from your narrative.

Building Inclusive Visuals

Generic stylized forms carry no ethnicity, age, or cultural marker by default. That neutrality makes your content feel relevant to broader audiences rather than unconsciously excluding anyone who does not see themselves in a realistic illustration.

Directing Attention Where It Belongs

Viewers are naturally curious about faces, outfits, and personal details. Stripping those away removes the distraction, so every second of attention goes to the science you are trying to explain.

Saving Production Time

A well-drawn realistic figure can take hours. A clean geometric shape or silhouette takes minutes, lowering the barrier for researchers who produce video content without a dedicated design team.

Keeping Your Visual Language Consistent

A single abstract style threads through an entire video without stylistic breaks, reinforcing a professional, unified look that viewers associate with your research brand.

A Taxonomy of Abstract Human Styles

Abstraction is a spectrum. Choosing the right point on that spectrum depends on your audience and your message.

Stick Figures

Lines for limbs, a circle for a head: the oldest and most universally recognised shorthand for a human being. Stick figures suit:

• Process flows that need to show motion or sequencing
• Whiteboard-style explainer animations
• Informal teaching content
• Any setting where speed of production matters more than visual polish

Strengths: Instantly readable, quick to draw, essentially zero cognitive overhead

Weaknesses: Limited expressiveness, can feel too informal for peer-reviewed contexts

Geometric Assemblages

Circles, rectangles, and cylinders arranged into a human silhouette produce a clean, modern look. Variants include circle-head-rectangle-torso combinations, triangular body shapes, and fully abstract geometric compositions.

Strengths: Professional, easy to scale and animate, strong visual coherence

Weaknesses: Requires more deliberate design thinking to avoid looking mechanical

Solid Silhouettes

A filled outline of a human form gives instant recognition with zero internal detail. Silhouettes are especially effective for:

• Population or demographic comparisons
• Activity and role illustrations
• Presentations where elegance matters

Strengths: Immediate recognition, visually striking, extremely versatile

Weaknesses: Cannot convey facial expression or fine gesture

Simplified Anatomical Forms

These sit between full cartoon and pure geometry: rounded proportions that read as human without the detail of a realistic illustration. They may include small dot eyes or a simple curved mouth, suggested clothing, and a slightly cartoon-like feel that never crosses into full realism.

Strengths: Emotionally expressive, broadly relatable, appropriate for diverse contexts

Weaknesses: Takes more artistic care to execute consistently, and there is a risk of unintended character associations

Standardised Icon Figures

Design systems such as those used in infographics and data dashboards rely on repeatable human icons drawn to a consistent grid. This approach suits:

• Statistical visualisations representing sample counts
• User-flow diagrams
• Any content that appears alongside other icon-driven design elements

Strengths: Polished, consistent, widely compatible with established design systems

Weaknesses: Less distinctive, and the standardised look can feel impersonal in storytelling contexts

Core Design Principles for Abstract Figures

Good abstract figures follow the same underlying rules as all effective visual design.

In medical research contexts, schematic figures keep the focus on physiological or procedural concepts rather than individual patients

Getting Proportions Right

Even highly simplified figures benefit from believable proportions. For adult figures, the head typically spans roughly one-seventh to one-eighth of total standing height. Children read younger when given a proportionally larger head (closer to one-fourth or one-fifth). Balanced limb lengths prevent a figure from looking accidental rather than designed. If you want a pleasing aesthetic baseline without detailed measurement, the golden ratio provides a reliable starting point.

Using Posture to Carry Meaning

Body language communicates without a single facial detail. An upright stance reads as confidence or alertness. Leaning forward suggests engagement or forward motion. Raised arms convey excitement or emphasis. A seated posture implies rest, concentration, or study. Plan poses before drawing; the posture should do most of the storytelling on its own.

Animating with Natural Motion

Movement transforms a static figure into a character. Follow well-established principles: anticipate a major action with a slight preparatory movement beforehand, and let the motion follow through rather than cutting off abruptly. Add subtle secondary movement (slight torso sway, arm swing) for figures that need to feel alive. Use easing curves on transitions so figures accelerate and decelerate naturally rather than moving at a constant mechanical speed.

Applying Colour Strategically

Neutral tones like grey or muted blue work for figures that should recede into the background. Brighter or more saturated colours draw the eye to specific individuals or groups that matter to your narrative. If you are using colour to code categories (treatment vs. control, age group A vs. group B), verify that the palette remains distinguishable under common forms of colour blindness. Tools like Coblis or Viz Palette can test this in seconds.

Maintaining a Consistent Visual Language

Every figure in a single video should look as though it came from the same design system. Commit to one style, one set of proportions, one line weight, and one colour palette before you start producing assets. For projects spanning multiple videos or presentations, write a brief visual style guide so collaborators can match your system exactly.

Matching Style to Research Context

The right abstraction choice also depends on the subject matter and setting.

Medical and Health Research

When showing patients, clinicians, or procedures:

• Lean toward neutral, dignified representations that do not trivialise illness or vulnerability
• Use simple accessories such as a stylised stethoscope or clipboard to signal professional roles rather than realistic attire
• Apply colour to track changes in health status across a timeline rather than to differentiate individuals by appearance
• Keep all figures gender-neutral unless the research specifically pertains to sex or gender differences

A practical approach: clean silhouettes with minimal role-indicating accessories, colour-coded to show how patient status evolves through a treatment protocol.

Social Science Research

For studies of behaviour, interaction, and demographics:

• Vary body proportions slightly to suggest diversity within a population
• Use spatial arrangement and proximity to show social hierarchies or relational networks
• Simple speech or thought bubbles add a narrative layer without requiring detailed faces
• Posture and gesture carry emotional content without any facial detail at all

A practical approach: rounded geometric figures in several sizes and muted tones, arranged in clusters or pairs to reflect the social dynamics central to your research question.

Educational Content

When explaining concepts or procedures to a student audience:

• Prioritise clarity over visual sophistication every time
• Commit to one recurring character design so learners build familiarity across lessons
• Add props or tools to indicate context (a pipette for a lab scene, a laptop for a survey step)
• Keep animations simple enough that the motion itself does not become the focus

A practical approach: friendly simplified forms with consistent colour assignments per character, appearing across related lessons in the same course.

Experimental Procedures

When walking viewers through a protocol or methodology:

• Centre the depiction on actions and spatial relationships rather than appearance
• Use numbered positions or sequential arrows to establish order
• Keep figures minimal enough that technical labels and measurements can share the frame without crowding
• Avoid detail that would vary between experimental runs

A practical approach: monochrome silhouettes or simple geometric figures with overlaid directional arrows and numbered steps, scaled to show equipment relationships accurately.

Data Visualisation

When representing population-level statistics:

• Choose a single standardised icon and use it consistently across the whole visualisation
• Keep size uniform so each figure represents the same quantity
• Use partial figures or fill levels to represent fractional values
• Arrange figures in grids or rows so viewers can count or compare at a glance

A practical approach: a consistent icon grid where colour or shading alone encodes category membership, ensuring the data pattern is visible without counting individual figures.

Software and Tools for Abstract Human Figures

The right tool depends on your skill level, budget, and whether you need static or animated figures.

Professional diagramming tools allow researchers to embed human figures alongside technically precise scientific components

Entry-Level Options

Good starting points with minimal learning curve:

• PowerPoint and Keynote: Shape libraries and built-in icons cover basic figure needs
• Google Slides: Free, shareable, and adequate for simple schematic figures
• Canva: Pre-built human figure elements and drag-and-drop templates
• Noun Project: A broad catalogue of human icon designs in consistent styles
• Flaticon: Large free-and-premium icon library including human figure sets

Animation Platforms

For figures that move:

• Vyond: Character animation software aimed at business and educational content
• Powtoon: Slide-based animated presentations with built-in character libraries
• Animaker: Drag-and-drop interface with a range of animated human styles
• Doodly: Whiteboard-style animation including stick figure variants
• VideoScribe: Hand-drawn animation aesthetic with figure support

Professional Design Environments

For full creative control:

• Adobe Illustrator: Scalable vector drawing for figures that look sharp at any size
• Adobe After Effects: Industry-standard motion graphics and character animation
• Blender: Free and open-source 3D modelling, rigging, and animation
• Procreate: Expressive digital illustration on iPad
• Affinity Designer: Cost-effective vector design alternative to Illustrator

Research-Focused Tools

Built with scientists in mind:

• BioRender: Stylised human anatomy figures alongside scientific icons
• Figviz tools: AI-assisted scientific diagram and animation generation
• Explain Everything: Interactive whiteboard with freehand drawing support
• Prezi Video: Presentation environment with built-in human figure assets

Programmatic Approaches

For those comfortable with code:

• Python with Matplotlib or Manim: Programmatic figure drawing suitable for reproducible scientific animation
• Processing: Creative coding environment well suited to custom animated figures
• D3.js: Web-based data visualisation with fully customisable human icons
• R with ggplot2 and waffle: Statistical charts using person-icon arrays for population data

Building Abstract Figures: A Practical Workflow

A structured process produces better results than improvising as you go.

Step 1: Define the Role Each Figure Must Play

Before drawing anything, answer these questions: What does this figure need to communicate? What actions or states must it show? Who will watch, and what visual register do they expect? What level of formality suits this research context?

Step 2: Pick an Abstraction Level

Select a style that balances your audience's expectations with the complexity of what the figure needs to express. If in doubt, simpler is usually safer: it is easier to add a detail than to strip one out after you have built an animation around it.

Step 3: Rough Out the Basic Form

Sketch quickly with basic shapes before committing to any tool. Try several proportions and poses. Explore two or three abstraction levels side by side before settling on one.

Step 4: Clean and Refine

Move your chosen sketch into your production tool. Establish consistent proportions, clean up lines and curves, add only the minimal detail your message requires, and check that the figure reads clearly at the sizes it will appear on screen.

Step 5: Build a Small Figure Library

A research video typically needs more than one pose. Develop a set that covers your most common needs: standing neutral, seated, gesturing, and a view from behind or side if your content requires it. Include body type variation if your research population warrants it.

Step 6: Test with Fresh Eyes

Show your figures to at least two colleagues who have not seen them before. Ask what the figures communicate without any additional context. Check colour contrast with an accessibility tool. Refine based on what you learn.

Step 7: Document Your Choices

Record the proportions, colours, line weights, and animation timings you settled on. A one-page style reference saves enormous time when you return to the project months later or hand it off to a collaborator.

Animation Fundamentals for Abstract Figures

Static figures are useful. Animated ones are far more powerful for explaining processes, sequences, and change over time.

Keyframe Timing

Set a pose at the start of a movement and another at the end, then let your software interpolate. The quality of the animation depends heavily on the timing gap between keyframes and the easing function applied. Ease-in-out curves (slow start, fast middle, slow finish) produce the most natural-feeling motion for most research contexts.

Skeletal Rigging

For figures that need to perform repeated or complex movement, define a skeleton with joints at shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Inverse kinematics rigs allow you to move an endpoint (a hand, for instance) and let the software calculate how all connected joints should respond. Once built, a rig saves hours on every subsequent animation.

Following a Path

Guide a figure along a defined trajectory to show movement through space: a participant walking through a study environment, a molecule entering a cell, a patient moving through a clinical pathway. Adjust speed along the path to show acceleration or hesitation, and rotate the figure to face the direction of travel.

Shape Morphing

Gradually transform one shape into another to show a state change: a figure going from healthy to unwell, a group splitting into subgroups, or a posture shifting from tense to relaxed. Keep the transition slow enough for viewers to register what changed.

Particle and Trail Effects

Use sparingly to add emphasis: a trail behind a rapidly moving figure, a radial burst when a figure completes an action, or environmental particles (dust, liquid droplets) to ground a figure in a specific setting. Overusing these effects shifts viewer attention from your science to the animation itself.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Effective research communication reaches everyone in your audience.

Contrast and Visibility

Ensure figures have sufficient contrast against their backgrounds. The WCAG 2.1 standard recommends a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for informational content. Run your colour choices through a contrast checker before finalising. Never use colour as the only way to distinguish between figure types; add shape, pattern, or label differences so the information survives printing in greyscale or viewing with colour-deficient vision.

Cultural Awareness

Body language carries different meanings across cultures. A gesture that reads as agreement in one region may carry a negative connotation elsewhere. Research your target audience's cultural context before finalising poses. Opt for neutral, low-risk gestures when your video will reach a global audience.

Cognitive Load

Keep your visual language simple and consistent. Rapid or complex animations are harder to process, particularly for viewers with attention-related differences. Build in deliberate pauses after key information is introduced. Use captions to describe what figures are doing, so viewers who miss a visual detail can still follow the logic.

Mistakes Worth Avoiding

Knowing what goes wrong saves time spent fixing it later.

Over-Detailing

Every detail you add is a distraction from your scientific message. The moment you catch yourself adding a detail because it looks interesting rather than because it communicates something, remove it.

Mixing Styles

Using stick figures in one scene and rendered geometric figures in the next signals to viewers that the production is inconsistent. Pick a style before you start and enforce it throughout.

Wrong Level of Formality

Casual whiteboard figures in a presentation to a clinical review board undermine credibility. Conversely, overly polished animated characters in a quick lab explainer waste production effort. Match the style to the venue and audience.

Ignoring Animation Principles

Figures that pop instantly between positions rather than moving through them look unfinished. Even a simple fade or slide transition produces a more watchable result than a hard cut between poses.

Defaulting to Stereotypes

Body type, colour, and accessory choices can inadvertently encode stereotypes. Review all figures specifically for this before finalising. Ask colleagues from different backgrounds whether anything reads as unintentionally biased.

Insufficient Background Contrast

A figure that blends into the background is worse than no figure at all, because it creates visual noise without delivering information. Always check figures against their intended backgrounds at the actual playback size.

Field Examples: Abstract Figures Done Well

Public Health Outreach

A vaccination video used simple circular heads on rectangular bodies, colour-coded by age group. Short animations showed the injection process in three steps. The style travelled well across cultures and demographics, and the colour coding let viewers instantly identify which part of the population each segment of the video addressed.

Takeaway: Colour as a categorical tool works when kept to a small palette and paired with clear labelling.

Behavioural Psychology Study

Rounded, low-detail figures with minimal facial dots were positioned in various spatial arrangements to show social dynamics between study participants. The lack of facial detail meant viewers interpreted emotions through posture alone, which kept the focus on the behaviour patterns rather than on individual reactions.

Takeaway: Posture and proximity carry substantial narrative weight when facial features are absent.

Surgical Education Module

Silhouettes wearing simple suggestive accessories (a surgical cap outline, a mask shape) represented operating-room roles without revealing any identifying information. Colour shifts across the timeline marked different phases of the procedure. Patients were shown with dignity at every stage.

Takeaway: Minimal accessories plus colour coding can distinguish multiple roles in a scene without adding visual complexity.

Demographic Data Animation

A population study visualised change over decades using a grid of standardised icon figures. Each icon represented a fixed count, and colour fill indicated category membership. The grid format let viewers count clusters visually, giving an intuitive sense of proportion that a bar chart alone would not have conveyed.

Takeaway: Repeating standardised figures in a grid is one of the most powerful tools for communicating proportional data visually.

Integrating Figures with Other Visual Elements

Figures rarely appear alone: they share the frame with diagrams, labels, charts, and backgrounds.

Background Design

Keep backgrounds plain or subtly textured. The figure should be the focal point, not the environment. Use gradients only if they actively help separate the figure from the background. If you need to suggest a setting (a hospital room, a laboratory), do so with one or two simple iconic props rather than a detailed scene.

Text and Labels

Position labels so they point to the relevant figure without overlapping it. Use connecting lines or arrows with deliberate, consistent styling. Keep text size and weight consistent throughout, and avoid placing body copy near animated figures because the motion will draw the eye away from the text.

Charts and Graphs

When a figure appears alongside data, ensure the figure is not competing with the data for visual weight. Figures in this context often work best as small icons within the chart rather than as large separate elements. Maintain a consistent scale so a figure icon in a bar chart reads the same size as one in a flow diagram in the same video.

Scientific Diagrams

When figures appear alongside anatomical drawings, equipment schematics, or molecular structures, match your abstraction level to the technical components around them. A highly stylised cartoon figure next to a precisely rendered electron microscope creates a visual mismatch that undermines credibility. Consider using scientific diagram tools that support both technical and figurative elements in a unified style.

Production Workflow Best Practices

In the Planning Phase

Storyboard the complete video before producing a single asset. Mark every scene that requires a human figure, and note what the figure must convey in each. Decide your style and abstraction level at this stage, not midway through production. Plan which figure poses you will need so you can build them once and reuse them across scenes.

During Production

Build figure templates first and derive all scene-specific variations from those templates. Check animations at the intended playback frame rate, not just in the editing timeline. Export at a resolution that will look sharp on both laptop screens and conference room projectors. Keep source files organised and backed up.

During Review

Collect feedback from viewers who represent your target audience. Ask specifically whether figure meanings are clear without verbal explanation. Run an accessibility check on colours. Watch the video on a phone screen as well as a large monitor, since small screens reveal contrast problems that are invisible on desktop.

At Distribution

Add captions that describe figure actions and not just speech or narration. Supply an audio description track if the figures carry information that a blind viewer would otherwise miss. Export to multiple formats if your platform requires it. Track viewer completion rates after publishing: a significant drop-off at a specific timestamp often signals a point where a figure is unclear or the pacing is wrong.

Conclusion

Abstract human figures are not a shortcut or a fallback for researchers who lack illustration skills. They are a deliberate, principled communication choice that protects privacy, broadens accessibility, and keeps scientific content at the centre of viewer attention. Choosing the right abstraction level, applying sound design principles, and animating with intention will produce figures that serve your research message more effectively than any realistic illustration could.

Start simple, stay consistent, gather feedback early, and refine from there. The measure of a successful abstract figure is not how beautiful it is, but whether a viewer immediately understands what it is doing and why it matters.

Explore Figviz's science animation tools to generate professional abstract human figures and integrate them into research diagrams with the speed your work deserves.

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