Brainstorming Edition
Patten Studio
We create experiences that connect people with brands, places, and each other.
Where do good ideas come from?
Projects come to the studio in a bunch of different ways, but here's our favorite scenario:?
We need something for W purpose in X place by Y date, and our budget is Z. Pitch us something surprising!
Coming up with a good pitch starts with research.?A member of our team will put together a deck and?take?us through the?who, what, where, when, and why of the project brief. Then we'll?round-robin our first impressions and hot takes, and make a long list of loose concepts?that excite us. During this initial meeting there are no bad or impractical ideas.?Sourcing 400 species of native bees? This isn't the time to worry about whether we'll need to find a supplier or catch them?ourselves. (This is a fake example.)
After this meet-and-greet with the project brief,?we'll break for a day and everyone will go do their own research. If, for example, someone is really passionate about the bees idea, they might put together a little presentation about how bee language is vibrational and positional, and what if we used sensors and computer vision to interview different bees and then used an LLM (short for a "Large Language Model," like ChatGPT or Gemini) to translate this information into stream of consciousness bee monologues that get beamed around the space using directional speakers, and because our client sells?fertilizer for growing native plants, we could. . . .?etcetera.
After everyone?has had an opportunity?to present, we'll go around the table and assess the pros and cons of all the ideas in the Miro (a realtime digital collaboration platform we use for brainstorming).?The bee idea will get shot down for being ridiculous, and the cream will rise to the top. Eventually, we'll focus in on a short-list?of prospective projects?we're excited about. We'll poke and prod at the ideas on the short-list until they take shape. This is when we finally?get into the nitty-gritty of?interactions, technologies, and feasibility.
Can we get this effect with half as many motors?
How do we keep people from getting whacked?by the moving sculpture? Lidar sensors? An enclosure? (Better use both.)
Instead of fire, can we use mylar?
What kind of sensors can we use to grab people's silhouettes as they walk past?
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How do we make the interactive console accessible to wheelchair users?
And so on.
Once we've settled on 1-3 ideas we feel strongly about, we'll put together our?proposal and share it with the client. We might then continue to iterate on a favorite idea with the client's team to reach a final concept that addresses client feedback or is value engineered to meet a certain budget. (For example, the?Community Wall installations we created?for Specialized's Chicago, Atlanta, and Bentonville flagships came about through a highly collaborative process with the client and local cyclists from each city.)
Have a W-X-Y-Z to discuss? Drop us a line at [email protected], or give us a ring at (718) 414-6158.
Want more behind the scenes content from our team? Watch our Reels on Instagram.
PATTEN STUDIO
Patten Studio brings together design and technology to create interactive experiences for clients ranging from global luxury and technology brands, to office and retail spaces. Our work moves beyond static digital interfaces to bring interactivity directly into the built environment, resulting in multi-sensory experiences that are enhanced, rather than supplanted, by technology. Founded by MIT Media Lab PhD and TED Senior Fellow James Patten, the Studio emphasizes in-house research and development, continually developing new interactive techniques and technologies for use in client projects. The Studio combines design and strategy expertise with skills in robotics, electronics, and software. Patten Studio has an 18 year track record of serving clients in the United States and internationally, including companies such as Intel, AT&T, Specialized Bicycle Components, Marshall Retail Group, and Westfield.