sometimes you gotta make it yourself.
the goal:
The goal was fairly straightforward: design and build a program for exploring artworks too large to display in a museum (such as the AIDS Quilt and the Garibaldi Panorama). The webapp (called LADS: Large Artwork Displayed on the Surface) would run on a tabletop touchscreen installation in several museums. There needed to be interactive tours of the artwork (so a user could stop the tour at any moment, manipulate the artwork, and click on hotspots for more media, and then press play again) and, ergo, an authoring system for curators to make these tours.
The challenge:
The challenge was in the team itself: not only was this my first foray into UX design, but the team was a Microsoft Research-funded Brown University Graphics Lab group of undergrads and grads, led by the well-known Professor Andy van Dam. The design and implementation of the tool had to be simple enough for students to build. Over the course of several years working with this team, I not only got my first chops as a UX designer, but I took a team leader/project manager role in dealing with museum clients and making sure the tool stayed on track with the user's needs and the funding's deadlines.
When time and money permit, explore. Because this was a long-term investment by MSR in the Brown Graphics Lab to explore new and interesting ways to interact with media on their tabletop touchscreen, we had an unusual amount of time to invest in exploration of interaction techniques and exploration of potential interfaces. I was old school in my initial approach: I would roll out large pieces of vellum on my wall, draw ideas for interactions and interfaces, and then bring the scrolls of paper to the lab to discuss them enthusiastically with the students. It was through these early meetings that I started learning, on the job, about prototyping, user testing, and clear communication with non-designers. Also, eventually, I learned to switch to Illustrator. |
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Designers live for juicy challenges. The tour authoring component of the webapp was the most rigorous aspect of the project. This was the first tool I ever designed: so it wasn't just an environment to facilitate exploration (like, say, a portfolio website) but a tool that people needed to be able to use in order to build something unique. Luckily, with my background in animation and video compositing, I was familiar with animation software. But there were still unique challenges: one, the user was creating interactive tours, not passive videos. Two, it had to be touch-based. And three, art curators and non-specialists had to be able to use it with minimum training. |
The final interface had to be minimal, letting the beauty of the artwork speak for itself. Yet it had to be clear enough that no matter what artwork was featured, it wouldn't look cluttered. It also had to be constructed by student developers who were learning their trade as on-the-job as I was, under deadlines to keep our funding and get the product -tested thoroughly- to partnered museums on time. Being a team leader in such an environment often entailed being equal parts life coach and ship captain: the balance of keeping a team motivated and happy through long nights of work, while keeping us on course, simplifying designs as necessary for completion.
It was in that lab, from Professor Andy van Dam, that I learned the best way to lead: Let your team know that you trust and respect them, and they'll rise to any challenge.
It was in that lab, from Professor Andy van Dam, that I learned the best way to lead: Let your team know that you trust and respect them, and they'll rise to any challenge.
All work is copyrighted Microsoft Research and Brown University.