The MassArt Made embedded storySystem installation as implemented for the store’s Grand Opening on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 uses a variety of cutting-edge technologies and systems to magically correlate an artist’s voice with merchandise sold in the store. A visitor to MassArt Made can pick up an ‘Artist Card’ next to certain, select sale items in the store and scan in a QR Code { QR = ‘quick response’ } on the card into the storyScanner at the front of the store to trigger and play a corresponding 30 second MP3 audio clip posted out on the MassArt Made website through the store's internal sound system. The artist tells a story about their artwork, thus providing new context to the piece through an aural and temporal trace back to the artist. The stories engage the entire captive audience of shoppers in the MassArt Made store location in a unique, new way that connects story to object, voice to product, and ultimately visitors to the store more directly and to the collective vocal history of MassArt’s amazingly rich students, alumni and faculty.
The poster design displayed below not only provides instructions to people visiting the MassArt Made retail location on campus but also tells the bigger story of what this system is about and how it works. Andrew Ellis, Joseph Liberty and lou suSi of most wanted consultants: conducted user and scenario research; designed, developed, tested and refined conceptual and working prototypes of the physical and virtual aspects of the overall system; iteratively refined the prototype for final product delivery and installation; designed the poster below; documented all aspects of system maintenance and provided concise and clear instructions for adding new MP3 stories to the online repository and generating the affiliated QR Codes needed for 'Artist Card' printing and further promotion.
