Design challenges when designing for an exhibition

It has to be durable – it will be used and abused by many visitors.
It has to be easy to manage/fix by someone else if you are not there.
It has to be intuitive for the visitors who do not read the description on usage.
It has to be a fast experience as you want it to be used by as many visitors as possible.
It has to be exciting for those who are waiting to use it, while someone else is using it.

 

La Mia 500 – The compact car with a digital soul

An old Fiat 500 car revamped in an entertainingly hi-tech key. It won’t even open up for you unless you send it a text message (by tapping in the registration number on your mobile); its mirror hides camera to film and/or photograph the crew, and the rear windows are screens on which you can write text messages and send them in real time. When it’s filling up, it can download – along with the fuel – MP3 files from a sort of jukebox inserted inside the pump.

First, the car open only if you send it an SMS (by keying in the registration number on your mobile); it replies by flashing its headlights and sending a message of acknowledgement from the owner, with comments such as: “Good evening, welcome back! By the way, I’m thirsty, I’m out of fuel…”
Its sun visors feature make-up mirrors on the back, with TV cameras to film and/or photograph the crew, while the rear windows are screens on which you can draw or write emails and text messages to be sent in real time. “Through wireless networks and with GPRS connections”, says Natasha, “messages, sketches and images are stored on the car’s website”.
When hooked up to a fuel pump to fill up with petrol, the vehicle can download mp3 files from a jukebox inside the pump.
And when the Fiat is parked, a device installed between the two headlights, project its memories to the outside -films and images stored during ist daily trips.

Exibited in Milano Triennale – 2003, Science festival in Genova – 2004 and is now part of Telecom Italia Science Museum in Venice.

My role
I created the concept, and built the software, hardware and modified the car and the pump, i.e its all me.

Delivering car to Venice

This is how instructions looked like

 

TV coverage and review of the interactive features.

Delivering the car to Venice (where no driving is allowed).

At the exibit in Milan

 

 

Fiat – 360

Design for Fiat car interior – The new dashboard for new Fiat.

The dashboard is multy-touch. It spreads all the way around the car allowing to shift the controllers from the driver to the passenger. It also reacts to the speed of the car by increasing the necessary controlls and decreasing the ones you should not be using while driving.

My role
I created the concept, and built the software & hardware for prototype. Created scenarios for filming. Had help with filming and post production.