Interaction design

In this post you will find all interactive tables that are inspiring, interesting or challenging. New tables will added continuously (new ones are added to the top!) and if you feel your creation should be here or have a suggestion send us a message and we will check it. Only the best concepts will be posted! Now enjoy and get inspired!

Tip! After hitting the pause button in the video player the movie will keep loading, hitting the stop button will stop loading the movie.

13 Create an ad

The interactive talbe ‘create an ad’ is developed by Potion for the Museum of Science and Industry. Kids can playfully experience how one can create ads. By dragging and dropping tracks, script or taglines they can create their own add which is presented as a thirty second commercial. The nice thing is that afterwards a fast replay analyzes the videos and explains how the decions match different advertising tactics. Educating our kids to see through commercials!

Be sure to check out more interactive tables at Potion design.

12 Maeve

The Maeve table was developed by a team of he University of Postdam (Germany). The table visualizes social and intellectual networks behind architectural projects. Project cards can be placed on top of the table and information regarding the project will be displayed around the card. In that sense it is similar to the ‘Generation random’ project, further below, that uses boxes as physical object. Displayed information can be related projects, the people that worked on the project and media such as pictures and movies. The displayed projects were all winning projects of Everyville, a student competition for architecture. Each card has its own ‘working’ space around that card, but it gets really interesting when a second card is added. The table shows the relationships between the projects, forming networks.

Video Maeve in HD, fullscreen mode is recommended. See also the Maeve website

11 Chemieraum

The Chemieraum concept was developed for teenagers to explore chemistry by interactively playing with atoms and molecules. Using a ‘puck’ users can create their own configuration choosing the five basic elements (H, O, N, C, S). The concept was prototyped and used in a German Museum in Munich. Next to visual feedback users also experience haptic feedback through the so called ‘puck’, which relates to the state of the atoms, in case the atoms are warm (boiling point for example) the puck vibrates rapidly and changes color as well. In addition the puck ‘resists’ if the user wants to make a combination of elements that is impossible.

See also the Chemieraum website.

10 InTable

Design studio ’430 Limited’ has developed an interactive screen for on the bar in restaurants and cafes. The table responds on the objects that are placed on the table. Although customers can play with it the main advantage would be the promotion of drinks, offers or events.

See also HK430 Limited

9 Vitamin B

Students Jannes Peter and Rahul Sen developed the Vitamin B table. Their goal was to develop a concept that demonstrates how books can read digitally. They embedded the ‘way’ we read books today in their concept, like having the book format with chapters and pages. Additionally they wanted to add ‘flexibility and dynamism’ of digital documents to enrich the reading experience. Videos, images and stories support the reading experience and add the flexibility and dynamism that normal books lack.

More about the Vitamin B on the page of Jannes Peter and Rahul Sen

8 Attractable

The company called Atracsys has developed an interactive table that reminds us a lot of the Microsoft Surface table. The table can be developed for commercial applications such as a mobile phone shop. The phone can be placed on the table and all the functionalities can be browsed on the screen.

See also the site of Atracsys

7 Interactive mirror

The people at LitStudios have built an interactive mirror specifically for the bathroom. Although it was not intended this way, it turned out that the mirror was fun to use. In contrast to future concepts of touchscreens which are informative but boring, you want to start your day with some fun don’t you?

See also the LitStudios website, video via Vimeo

6 Organigami

Designers Mireia Subirana and Iván Aguado have devevloped the ‘Organigami’. It is a multi touch table that allows multiple people to manipulate the ‘organic’ creature on te table. By scratching and pulling the visualized creature will respond by going into your direction for example. The table uses a beamer below the surface with a mirror to project the visualizations.

Via the Criterion site and see also the Organigami site

5 Inamo menu

The Inamo restaurant in London have developed interactive tables that allow people the order the menu themselves. In addition people can see what the chef is doing, explore the menu further with support of videos and images. For tourists there is the option to explore highlights of London or check the public transport connections. We think it is interesting but it might disturb the ambience of going out for dinner together.

See also the Contemporist website, video via Youtube

4 Pico

James Pattern has developed the interactive table ‘Pico’. On the table Pico can track so called pugs and move the pugs on the surface through electro magnets. Mechanical constraints are used to explore and stimulate complex problem solving. The pugs will always try to form a perfect triangle, if you move either one of the pugs, Pico will automatically adjust the other two pugs to from again a perfect triangle. This principle can be used to explore complex problem solving.

See also the James Pattern website.

3 Struktable

The struktable table was developed for multi touch applications in public spaces. Through its large sizes up to eight people can use simultaneously, turning it into a meeting point, evoking social interactions between the users.

See also the Struktable website, video via Vimeo

2 Multi touch XL

Another concept by the company Whitevoid. The large multi touch screen was developed to support the launch of a product. Visitors can drag and drop the bubbles across the screen into special areas. The bubbles then open in a sparkling animation and reveal information about the product.

Pictures via Flickr and Youtube

1 Generation random

As a celebration of ten years of graphic design studio ‘Lust’ the designers have developed ‘Generation random’. It is a touch screen (no, no multi touch screen!) that contains all the projects in boxes. These boxes interact with the device as each box has RFID tags. The contents of the box are displayed on the screen which you can browse.

The nice thing about ‘Generation random’ is that you have the multi touch feeling but still can do everything with single touch. It is a trend to use for every ‘touch’ concept multi touch screens but that does not necessarily make it better.

Also visit the Lust website