Background:

The Visual arts team was developing a feature that would let kids scan physical objects and see them projected into the space.

The Challenge:

The developers had a rough “scan” experience working. But, in order to capture the object and cut it out in the space, the camera on the device needed to take several images in full light and several in full dark. The resulting experience for the customer felt broken because the device would appear to turn off suddenly when the dark photos were being taken.

The Solution:

My animation background has taught me the power of using context to trick the brain into covering over holes so I was confident that there could be a functional design solution for the technical problem

 I worked with audio and my team to put together a series of animated options that use a powering-on/camera metaphor to hide the dark part of the experience. The resulting solution feels like it is building towards something instead of shutting down.

Impact:

By hiding the technical constraints with thoughtful motion and audio design, the scan feature was able to launched with the product and (based on usage data) immediately became one of the most popular/differentiating features.