The Project
This is an interactive game exhibit at Carnegie Science Museum, done as a contract project. Players draw loops around young stem cells using finger tips to collect stem cells from the bone marrow. They have to avoid the other mature cells.
It was challenging to cover several science teaching points. We resolved that by having layers of rewards as players learn more properties of the cells.
My role:
- Producer and creative director
- Research on stem cell literature
- Teaching points development
- 3D Character modeling for game tutorials
- Game design
- Script and story boards for game tutorials
- User experience testing
Technologies/Resources
- Panda 3D game Engine
- Python scripting
- Maya modeling
- Photoshop textures
- Final Cut
- Adobe audtion
- 4 member team
Methods
- Heuristic evaluations
- Paper prototypes
- Iterative design
- Participatory design
- Surveys
- Observing children play
- Pre-post knowledge questions to test what has been learnt
The Project
This is an interactive game about stem cells for a museum, done as contract project. Stem cells are injected to heal heart injuries. But they need the player's help to reach the heart. Players use injury signals from the heart to steer the stem cells towards the heart.
One challenge here was to keeping players who don't reach the heart from feeling like losers. We set up levels of achievement depending on how close they got to the heart.
My role:
- Production and creative direction
- Concept development, game design
- Research for literature and images
- Character modeling and texturing
- Script and story boards for initial tutorials
- Testing and questionnaire design
Technologies/Resources
- Panda 3D game Engine
- Python scripting
- Maya modeling
- Photoshop textures
- Final Cut
- 3DS Max animation
- Adobe audtion
- 4 member team
Methods
- Heuristic evaluations
- Paper prototypes
- Iterative design
- Participatory design
- Surveys
- Observing children play
- Pre-post knowledge questions to test what has been learnt
Methods
The Project
This is an interactive game on a touch screen kiosk at Carnegie Science Museum, done as contract project. Stem cells need blood supply to heal the injured heart. The player builds blood vessel pipes to supply stem cells with blood.
It was immensely challenging to balance the contrived, abstract game world ("fun") versus the accuracy of the underlying science (getting the science experts' nod.)
My role
- Production and creative direction
- Research for literature and images
- Teaching points development
- Character modeling and art
- Game design
- Script and story boards for initial tutorials
- Testing and questionnaire design
Technologies/Resources
- Panda 3D game Engine
- Python scripting
- Maya modeling
- Photoshop textures
- Final Cut
- 3DS Max animation
- Adobe audtion
- 4 member team
Methods
- Heuristic evaluations
- Iterative design
- Surveys
- Observing children play
- Pre-post knowledge questions to test what has been learnt
Methods
Methods
Technologies/Resources
- Panda 3D game Engine
- Python scripting
- Maya modeling
- Photoshop textures
- Final Cut
- Adobe audtion sound processing
- 4 member team
Methods
- Heuristic evaluations
- Paper prototypes
- Iterative design
- Participatory design
- Surveys
- Field trips
- Observing children play
- Pre-post knowledge questions to test what has been learnt
Methods
The Project
How do you make stem cells interesting to children in museums? We made a touch screen kiosk on stem cells for Carnegie Science Center, featuring three video games, browsable text and multimedia.
Each game corresponds to a stage in practical regenerative medicine: (1) Stem cells are harvested in the first game, "Stem Cell Wrangler" (2) Stem cells reach the injured heart in the second game, "S.o.S Heart" (3) Stem cells heal the heart in the third game, "Grow with the Flow." Adults interested in reading further about stem cells they may browse text and multimedia content. This was done as a contract project.
The Clients
- Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
My role
- Producer and creative director
- Research on stem cell literature
- Incorporating teaching points in games
- Character modeling and game art
- Script and story boards for game tutorials
- Purchasing hardware, hiring voice talent
- Sound effects
- Testing and questionnaire design
The Project
The challenge was to create a short interactive wall experience within 10 days, with a team of four. People just like to doodle, scribble and touch things and see how they react. This is an interface that considers that playful nature in people.
An empty beach scene is projected on to the wall. A player stands in front of the wall, and uses the shadow of his hands to draw plants on the beach. This is done using shadow sensing technology - Playmotion. It would be interesting to see the use of this technology on interactive wall advertisements.
Client
This was done at the Entertainment Technology Center of Carnegie Mellon University, and selected for a show in Pittsburgh, PA with an audience of 500+
My role
- Producer
- Concept and facilitating brainstorming
- Art assets
- Sound design
- UX design
Technologies/Resources
- Technologies/Resources:
- Play motion
- Panda 3D game engine/Python
- Photoshop, Audition, Maya
- Team of four - 2 game programmers, 3D artist, 2D artist-cum-producer (me)
- 10 days time to create!
Methods
- Brainstorming
- Quick rounds of prototyping and testing
- Screening with "test audiences"
Methods
Starting out as an empty beach
Lights dim for the show. Tourist
wishes the beach had plants in it.
Uses shadow to draw plants
He finally sits down and enjoys
tiki torches and a sunset
The Project
This is an interactive story about a short giraffe born with physical abnormalities. The three tall giraffes never give the short one a chance to play ball. One day, the ball rolls into a cave and the tall giraffes get trapped in the cave with a lion. Being short, the little fella is in a situation where he is able to help. Should he try to save the three giraffes who were mean to him? The audience votes!
It was fun to watch a laughing audience shouting "no let them die, don't help them" from one side versus "save them" from the other side, much like a gladiator arena crowd.
Client
Done at Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University.
My role
- Textures for environment and characters
- Brainstorming ideas
- Story boarding
- UX design
Technologies/Resources
- Play motion
- Audience interaction with remote controls
- Panda 3D game engine/Python
- Photoshop, Audition, Maya
- Team of four
Methods
- Brainstorming
- Storyboarding story paths
- Screening with test audiences
- Remote controls for voting
Methods
Giraffes are playing with a white ball. Shorty, with no neck, is in the
middle with his back towards us, waiting in vain for a chance to play.
Kiosk with games for science museum. Click play to view.
A game of collecting stem cells. Click play to view a short clip.
A game of steering stem cells the towards the injured heart. Click play to view.
A game of supplying stem cells with blood. Click play view.
Paper testing in classroom
Formative testing in the lab
The Project
I designed this playful screen saver of a touch screen kiosk at Carnegie Science Museum. A museum kiosk would not be played with continuously, and people would be passing by. I decided to use this screen saver to (1) attract attention without sound (2) let people know this is a playable kiosk and not an ambient display (3) show how to start the exhibit. This was a contracted project.
The Clients
- Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
My role
- Producer & Creative Director
- User experience testing on the field
- Character concept & storyboards
- 2D texturing with Photoshop
- 3D Modeling with Maya
Methods
Technologies/Resources
- Panda 3D game Engine
- Python scripting
- Maya modeling
- Photoshop textures
- Final Cut
Methods
- Field trips to study people's behavior in museums
- Scenario based design
- Inspiration from DVD menus that wait for human input
The Project
Forget about closing curtains to change props in the middle of a stage play. We project virtual objects on the wall using a projector. Live actors touch the objects on the screen, and this triggers the scenes to change. This is done using Playmotion technology that senses the actors' shadows. The play is "Pennsylvania Jones," a comic parody of Indiana Jones.
This project was done in 4 weeks. It involved several glued-to-the-seat-for-hours sessions in front of Maya, Photoshop and Egypt reference images.
Client
This was done at Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University. This was one of the winning immersive experiences selected for a show at Pittsburgh, PA, with a packed audience of 500+.
My role
- Concept art and story boarding
- Texturing with Photoshop and Maya
- Brainstorming
- Research on Egypt and Indiana Jones movies
- UX design
The virtual background scenes for the actors. Click play to view.
Technologies/Resources
- Technologies/Resources:
- Play motion
- Panda 3D game engine/Python
- Photoshop, Audition, Maya
- Team of four
Methods
- Brainstorming
- Web research on Egypt
- Research on Indiana Jones
- Screening with "test audiences"
Methods
Click play to view.
Screensaver for Touch Screen
These are projects in which I worked as one or more of the following:user experience designer, creative director, producer, 2D/ 3D artist.
Ambient Interactive Wall
Audience vote for movie endings
Virtual scenes for live actors
"Grow with the Flow" video game
"S.O.S Heart" video game
"Stem Cell Wrangler" video game
Carnegie Science Museum Kiosk
Sujatha "Sue" Krishnamoorthy
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
Entertainment interfaces
