Project brief: This digital-painting tablet presents an interactive palette of Technicolor shapes and converts young visitors into collaborative, avant-garde artists.

Approach: This interactive kiosk, entitled Infinite Creativity, is an innovative multi-touch, multi-user collaborative drawing experience created by Second Story for Adobe Systems and the Spirit of Silicon Valley exhibition at the Tech Museum of Innovation. With an array of playful brushes to choose from, visitors swipe one or more fingers to make colorful swirls, blobs, lines and other shapes. These creations are then broadcast to a shared screen, where they join the work of other visitors to create a constantly evolving, time-based stream of collective art. Through this engaging experience, visitors learn that technology can be used to express their creativity, collaborate with others and share their ideas.

Effectiveness: The success of Infinite Creativity can be measured not only by the extended length of time visitors have been known to engage with it but also by the fact that we have received several requests to install the kiosk outside of the Tech Museum. This is what the Adobe client had to say on their blog: “The simplest way to describe Infinite Creativity is as a giant digital canvas. Visitors use their hands to create works of digital art on a touch-pad screen. Their art is then combined with creations from other visitors using the station and displayed on a large screen for all to see. Infinite Creativity is a reflection of what drives Adobe: creativity, collaboration and innovation.”

Pushed boundaries of the meaning of design. Difficult. Effective for the client (it showcases new ability), and also invited young people into a creative and technological environment. Also effective as it creates glee and makes anyone an artist. Left us wanting more.