SUMMARY

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was building a new wing with the largest space in the United States dedicated to photography. The museum wanted an interactive installation placed prominently in the gallery.

THE CHALLENGE

The installation needed to enhance the museum experience rather than distracting from it. It was essential to grab visitors’ attention, be incredibly easy to use, but also have enough interactivity to hold their attention.

Role

Design Lead

SKILLS

Design Strategy
Interaction Design
User Experience
User Research
Visual Design
Creative Direction
Installation Design
Video and Motion Graphics

Research and Exploration

The project started by gaining a deep understanding of issues around contemporary photography and the concerns of museums in the digital age. A range of concepts were explored, but the focus became around enabling visitors to think more critically about the selfie.

A Photo Booth with a Twist

A photo booth that combined a selfie with a photogram, a traditional darkroom technique, was visually interesting and conceptually rich. It also enabled a unique interaction. With a strong concept decided upon, hardware and software components were designed.

Attract State

A critical part of this project’s success hinged on the attract state, what the installation would look like when no one was using it. This needed to get visitors’ attention, intrigue them enough to use it, and give them a sense of how to use it. A series of looping videos was created to achieve these goals.

Installation

Bringing Self Composed to life meant building and installing it in the museum. It also meant honing in settings so everything looked its best in the space.

Launch

Two photo booths were launched that allow users to make their own artwork inside the museum. It opened with the new wing of the museum, allowing visitors to combine their visage with objects they carry to create a unique composition.

Beyond the Museum Walls

An important component of Self Composed is a takeaway. Visitors receive a print of their composition along with the ability to download and share it. These are conversations that can only originate inside the museum but extend far beyond its walls.

Outcomes

• A celebrated part of the museum for 8 years
• Named one of the top 10 things to see at SFMOMA
• Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Sunset Magazine, Communication Arts and other publications
• ~25% of museum visitors interacted with Self Composed