Task
Create an in-person experience that showcases how Dell's technology is being used to make a positive impact on the world we love.
Objective
I aimed to showcase technology’s positive impact, spark optimism around Dell’s future innovations, and build a stronger brand presence in the Austin community.
My Role
I designed and developed an interactive display using TouchDesigner and Kinect, allowing users to generate and place digital corals into the Coralsphere, showcasing Dell’s impact on ocean restoration. I also mapped out the spatial layout for SXSW, ensuring a seamless onboarding-to-offboarding user journey. Through experiential design and prototyping, I helped bring Dell’s sustainability message to life, merging AR, mobile, and interactive displays for an engaging, immersive experience.
DELL x REEF
Solution: CoralSphere is an immersive event showcasing Dell’s partnership with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef to protect coral ecosystems. Through interactive experiences, it highlights Dell’s role in environmental sustainability and ocean conservation.
Vision: Empower citizen scientists to actively contribute to reef restoration, making a real-world impact on marine conservation.
Impact: This collaboration enhances conservation efforts, providing crucial data and support for protecting the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem.
Who We’re Reaching: SXSW attendees include directors, managers, and founders, with 72% seeking business opportunities and 27% in executive roles.
Why It Matters: Sustainability drives investment, with two-thirds of millennial investors backing ESG initiatives and 60% willing to pay more for sustainable products. A Dell sustainability experience at SXSW opens doors to new business and brand growth.
SXSW Fit: Enter the CoralSphere aligns perfectly with SXSW’s mission—empowering individuals to drive climate action and innovation. It’s more than a showcase; it’s an interactive call to action, proving Dell technologies aren’t just solutions—they’re the path to solutions.
User Experience
Onboarding
As users enter the environment the ocean onboards them into the experience. A bodiless voice representing the ocean guides them into the main projection area, and a school of fish creates an arrow pointing them in the right direction.
Experiences
Generate Your Own Coral
The audience is guided to generate their own coral through AI, after answering a series of questions related to ocean and corals.
Plant the Coral
The audience pick a spot in the projection mapping and plants their coral in a 3D digital environment that would gather all the corals.
Off-boarding
Adopt your Coral
Get a certificate and an NFC chip included bracelet about your coral adoption - every AI-generated coral would be 3D printed, combined with small pieces of living coral for reproducing, and placed in the ocean after the event.
Real 3D Coral = Real-world impact
Leveraging Dell's 3D printing Coral technology, users have the opportunity to custom print the coral designs they create. These personalized corals are then planted into the Great Barrier Reef, providing a tangible and real-time contribution to the restoration efforts of this iconic natural wonder.
Check your Coral
Receive a follow up email that leads you to an app that tells you where your coral is planted. With an NFC chip inside, you can tap your bracelet to the phone and start to play with your personalized virtual coral pet as well as check your real coral situation in real time.
Touchdesigner
Detailed Spacial Map
Challenges
A key challenge was cross-platform integration, which reinforced the need for early-stage testing to catch compatibility issues upfront. This experience cemented the value of precise planning, clear communication, and proactive problem-solving in large-scale projects.
Reflection
The CoralSphere project sharpened my skills in brand marketing through experiential design, teaching me how to craft cohesive prototypes that align with stakeholder vision. Using TouchDesigner, I built a seamless interactive system, integrating AR, mobile, and display technologies.