In renovating the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the goal was not simply to redesign a space, but to create an immersive visitor experience rooted in 21st century technologies and impelled by creativity. To achieve this, we proposed that the best way to teach people about design would be to give them the tools to become designers themselves. One such tool took the form of an interactive Pen conceived and programmed by our team. This all-access pass to the world of design allows visitors of all ages to explore Cooper Hewitt’s vast collection with unprecedented depth, and affords countless opportunities to create.

The Pen also serves as a unique tool for recording one’s visit. Objects throughout the museum carry smart labels that visitors can save to a personal digital library by using their Pen. Visitors can access this library through interactive tables to learn about an object’s history and view related pieces. Navigating the collection becomes more accessible as well, by utilizing the touchscreen tables to search the museum’s digital archive by drawing lines and patterns, or with the interactive Gesture Match experience, which uses a motion sensor to find objects that relate to visitors’ body positions.

This personalization delivers an experience revolutionary to the traditional museum setting while honoring the Hewitt sisters’ vision of their collection being used as design inspiration. As ‘’The Atlantic’’ put it, we created “the museum of the future.”

Read the full case study with juror comments here: [http://www.aiga.org/cased-2015-winner-cooper-hewitt-pen]

“This is a wonderful response to the brief. It’s fun, educational, accessible to a diverse audience, and helps to push the field of design forward.” —Alia Hassan