Ocean Today Museum Kiosk

The Ocean Today kiosk was thoughtfully designed with scalability and sustainability in mind, using detailed user flows to map both the visitor experience and the supporting technology. Its core functionality—seamlessly playing videos—was prioritized with a simple, intuitive interface that allowed videos to shrink and grow, enabling users to access additional information and related content without interruption. This low-complexity solution encouraged deeper engagement and curiosity, establishing a strong foundation for the kiosk’s global success.

The wireframing process for the NOAA Ocean Today Kiosk laid a solid foundation for the project. Over 20 iterations were created to depict various scenarios and interactive states, with detailed annotations to ensure clarity to developers. Key images from 3D animation sequences were integrated, offering previews of the kiosk's final visual elements. These wireframes were tailored to the target application, enVision 1.1, which was the prevailing standard at the time of the project, ultimately shaping the kiosk's user interface and interactive capabilities.

Early concepts envisioned an ambient video loop showcasing diverse ocean scenes, setting a captivating backdrop for user engagement. The design embraced oversized navigation text, ensuring easy access to information. To maximize the interactive potential, the entire screen was utilized, providing users with an immersive experience. Scrollable columns and rows were introduced, cleverly designed to disappear off the sides of the screen, enhancing the sense of exploration and creating a dynamic, user-friendly interface.

The Ocean Today kiosk launched at the entrance to the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., where its prime placement ensured maximum visibility and impact. Following its success, the kiosk expanded to over 60 locations worldwide, including Alaska, Hawaii, Southern Mexico, and the West Coast of France, engaging audiences eager to explore the wonders of the ocean and advancing NOAA's mission of ocean education and stewardship.