The MIT Museum: Population Editing Interactive Table
The MIT museum invites visitors to experience first-hand how MIT-led innovations are shaping the future. Situated in the Gene Cultures exhibition gallery, 'Population Editing' is an interactive table where up to four users can simultaneously explore the long-term impacts of gene editing on an entire population of species.
MY ROLE:
Lead UX and Visual Designer. Content Strategy
I held weekly content strategy workshops with internal and external partners, led remote bodystorming sessions, and developed both an experiential and visual framework for the experience whilst directing a team of motion designers.
Designed at Bluecadet for the MIT Museum.
Can we Save a Species?
‘Population Editing’ introduces visitors to gene editing, gene drive technologies, and the complex ethical questions surrounding them. Each choice a visitor makes informs real-time simulations that use existing scientific data to show the derived consequences. Users learn the risks and rewards of gene editing, and at the end of the exercise, have a chance to give their opinion on the matter, voting on whether or not their chosen methods deserve further research.
Workshopping the initial experience
Final full table attract view
Stringing rapid sketches together to form flows
Starting With a Sketch
Together we spent the first 6 weeks concepting, designing, planning and prototyping every touchpoint of the experience. Our process began with a number of client workshops to identify experience and content goals. Moving quickly into rapid brainstorming sessions, I produced sketches to capture and communicate ideas based on our identified goals, making sure to forefront satisfying visitor interactions to sound UX logic. We then moved onto prototyping with hand sketches, digital sketches and code—stringing our ideas together and putting them into action.
Body-storming and Handoff
The MIT Museum boasts a large number of visitors daily, from individual visitors to larger school groups. One of the more unique design challenges my team faced was figuring out how to design for both. To address this, we looked at several hardware options and opted to go with dual 49” UHD touch-screens, pushed together to form one larger “table”.
Through several body-storming exercises and quick, scrappy, paper prototypes, we determined the ideal space for each "station”. We would optimize the table to host four simultaneous users at once, making sure to give each user ample personal space. From here, I collaborated very closely with our engineering team, making sure to provide feedback and pixel-perfect specs during handoff and development to ensure the seamless implementation of our design.
The table allows four users to simultaneously interact, whilst leaving enough space for other onlookers in the group to get a closer look
Clearly breaking down user and content flow
Challenges of a Content-Heavy Interactive
After sketching and prototyping, I noticed several gaps and potential challenges in our proposed user experience and content flow. We were too focused on the details. I asked the team to take a quick step back and think about some crucial questions:
How can we craft engaging interactions that support the narrative without feeling overly technical?
What level of abstraction ensures that the content remains understandable yet authentic?
How do we encourage users to continue exploring by introducing unexpected reactivity and enticing pathways to other scenarios?
Striking the perfect balance between the required level of detail and an element of playfulness was essential for the success of the project. To address this, I organized direct meetings with the researchers behind the MIT gene editing efforts, as opposed to the back-and-forth exchange of information we had previously done over email. As a result of our newfound collaboration, we were able to design a refined experiential system that strategically presented information with purposeful and meaningful interactions.
Initial critter simulation density prototype
Introduction + annotated simulation design comps
Balancing Tone and Style
When it comes to museum design, adhering to a single style guide can be necessary for visual consistency. However, due to the nature and subject matter of the table, I pushed for a bit of visual differentiation. In doing so, I was able to explore a wider range of design elements, riffing on the original colors by toning them down and introducing more organic and earthier tones and textures. These changes made the table feel less sterile, which in turn created a visual and tonal harmony that perfectly captured the essence of the exhibit’s narrative.
Selection of finalized color palettes and UI
Bringing Life to the Table
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the project was delving into motion polish. I illustrated and provided storyboards and direction to our motion team— making sure to capture all the nuances of the UI motion as well as the unique movement of each critter. I relished the opportunity to bring each critter to life in its own distinct way as it definitely added a layer of surprise and delight to the final product.
Illustration + motion details
TEAM:
Executive Creative Director: Troy Lachance
Associate Creative Director: Kim Gim
UX Lead + Visual Designer: Janet Lu
Producer: Victoria Jones
Content Strategy: Ksenia Dyrkin
Technology Lead: Braxton Collier
AWARDS + RECOGNITION:
BlooLoop Innovation Awards | Third Place in Experiential Technology
Webby Awards | Best Experiential Design Nominee (Pending)
USA Today | 10 Best Museums