Visual Box
-An enchanting game weaving memories and modern technologies.
Client /Personal research project
Role /Concept, UX Design, Art Direction, Engineering, Make
This project is the result of my research thesis "Digital as a Material: Practical Strategies to Design Enchanting Product Experiences"
THE CHALLENGE
While working on my master thesis (Digital as a Material: Practical Strategies to Design Enchanting Product Experiences), I created an interactive object in an attempt to satisfy three of the major strategies that participate to the creation of an enchanting experience (an experience that attracts and retains the attention of its user): stimulating senses, thoughts and surprise.
The visuals displayed are evocative of natural elements such as rain, snow and mountains, but are deliberately left figurative to allow users’ imaginations to develop their own narratives.
THE SOLUTION
Visual Box is a wooden box that generates manipulable visuals on its screen.
Particular attention has been taken to create a sensual interaction and experience, using deep grain dark wood & polished aluminium. The music box metaphor leads users to control the visuals with the wheel on the side of the box, and reminds them of playful memories of traditional music boxes.
The combination of a tangible object perceived as ‘traditional’ because of its materials, and the immateriality and technology of its graphics, builds anticipation from the user to discover what exactly will happen when manipulating it, and creates a feeling of surprise when these conflicting concepts meet.
