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ABOUT

CoLabrary: Library of the Future
Exhibit

Timeline
7 Weeks
(Spring 2023)

Programs
Adobe PS/Ai/AE
Arduino/IoT
Rhino
Unity

Skills
3D Modeling
Experience Design
Interaction Design
Lo-Fi Prototyping
Physical Prototyping
Projection Mapping
Storyboarding

OverviewThe library is reimagined as a space for the collaborative and interdisciplinary sharing of information and ideas using Carnegie Mellon University’s Special Collections as a resource. The collection is integrated directly within the campus environment, encouraging broader access and engagement with its content.

A Collaborative Space

To promote engagement and knowledge of the Special Collections as a resource, an indirect and remote access through other locations on-campus are provided. Users inside the Posner Center can directly interact with users elsewhere, seeing what other people are working on in real-time and provide feedback. Users will be able to share content and ideas for personal work, seek collaboration in the brainstorming process, and ultimately build initial ideas with new ideas.

Concept Development

Special Collections

Located in the Posner Center, users are able to conduct research with the physical artifacts in the collection. They can then create and share their new content with others within the space and to people studying on-campus for feedback. Interactive tables are placed throughout the open space where content can be extracted with comments or drawings. These segments of content create interactive balls. Each desk has a screen where your personal collection of ideas are stored, but they can be dragged to the wall projectors or sent out to locations on-campus.

On-Campus

Located in classrooms and areas of study, the interaction continues on walls where whiteboards are located. Users can pick up the physical ball and input their idea they would like to collaborate on. These balls can now interact with the balls received from the Special Collections, in which the content is used for further ideation, which can then be sent back to the Special Collections. These physical balls can be brought by the user to the Special Collections to see previous interactions.

The Collection

The Special Collections is composed of six different collections ranging in various topics and consisting of rare books, artworks, machines, and papers. This collection is a valuable resource that is often overlooked due to its weak presence on-campus.

Spatial Design

Spatial Intervention

Using the Posner Center as the new site for the Special Collections, the new floorplan consists of an open layout, as well as two classrooms to support various visitors. The open layout is for general use, while the classrooms are reserved for classes by librarians or those who need private working areas. Projections are placed on walls near the interactive desks. Each desk is connected to tubes (one for content being sent out and one for received) and all of the tubes are connected (desks, projection wall, central tube in the form of a “web”. From the top, it is visually similar to an idea map and how our brains make associations. The central tube serves as a visual focal point when you walk in, showing all the ideas and content people are working on, encouraging them to contribute.

Creative Technology

Prototyping Projection Mapping

I created a physical prototype of the experience on-campus. Unity was primarily used for motion tracking and projection mapping. This prototype emulates how users would interact with idea balls from the special collections on the projection using their own idea ball.

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