As part of the engineering team, my role as an industrial designer was key to the success of the experience and crucial to planning and integrating all the moving parts into a single seamless user experience. There were multiple teams collaborating on the project at the same time, all working round the clock to reach the deadline.
Develop and build an interactive foosball table that would allow two players in Argentina to play against two players in Brasil in real-time, with video and in time for the 2014 soccer world cup.
As a true phydgital (physical + digital) experience we will need to conceptualize the experience, test and iterate our ideas with functional prototypes and then integrate all the moving parts into a seamless user experience. This included:
After extensive research and ideation sessions with the client and project team, we aligned on a common vision and put together an initial roadmap to design, build, test and launch the experience.
The project would require a cross-functional team working simultaneously on the mechanisms, 3D game art, tech development, industrial design and software development to achieve a user experience that would feel like a physical foosball table, but with a digital interfase that could digitally connect to other players thousands of kilometers away.
The entire design process was executed in agile sprints where all the teams involved worked sequentially and met every week to share advances and new challenges.
I supervised the industrial design team and construction studio throughout development to ensure precision and a timely delivery.
I lead design of the structure concept and internal components using realistic 3D models to visualize and validate integrations and mechanical components which were later 3D printed.
The design process required fast decision making and smart adjustments to reach the defined deadlines.
The project presented multiple challenges and a very tight timeline, so as soon as we were aligned on a project roadmap, we set out to build and test mechanism prototypes as soon as possible to evaluate interactions, physical feedback and digital inputs from the in-situ experience.
I lead industrial design and construction assembly while actively involved as part of the leadership team to ensure all the moving parts would come together as intended.
Before producing the full foosball table, we tested several working prototypes of the interaction mechanisms to stress-test, learn and iterate on the best possible approach to the final product.
Collaborated with a cross-functional team, working round the clock on art, design, production and development simultaneously. I led ideation sessions with engineering and design teams to align visions, intended user-experience and potential challenges as they came to light.
Being in charge of design and assembly of the entire experience required a hands on approach and a lot of stakeholder management. This stage included coordinating efforts with multiple teams, long nights in the assembly studio and making fast iterations and adjustments on mechanical components and integrations to ensure everything fit into place and delivered the expected experience, including handlebar feedback and ease of use.
We built 4 foosball structures, which were located and moved around several iconic bars in Argentina and Brasil. The experience was an immediate hit, with people lining up to play and cheer for their home team across the video feed. Hundreds of people came together to play and enjoy a cold beer.
