The playful animations featured in The Window are actually data visualizations of real people, based on their answers to a survey. Our goal was to create a collective portrait —not only in the visuals, but also via compelling computation and data interpretation. The result is both surprising and very authentically MIT.
The Window, MIT Museum
The Window
The Window
Project Overview
The Window is an ever-changing, interactive digital landscape that captures the essence of the extraordinary MIT community while also celebrating the quirky and passionate individuality of its members.
Project Videos and Images
Visualizing Individual Data
The survey provides opportunities for participants to describe both their own distinctiveness and what makes MIT unique. Users are encouraged to share their “weird” passions, and define their connection to MIT. The survey responses are then transformed into individual attributes that form the building blocks of each person’s unique “element.” Once created, their element joins The Window’s digital landscape, where it grows, moves, and forms groups and communities with other people’s elements.
Individual Parts Become a Collective Whole
As users progress through the survey, they see how each answer influences their element, including the number of body parts, the shapes of those parts, the color palette, and the movement. Leveraging advanced rendering techniques, we seamlessly blend these discrete geometric shapes into a single 3D figure full of life and motion. As each new participant answers the survey, their elements get added to the ever-changing and evolving canvas, echoing the diversity and dynamism of the MIT community.
By, For, and Of MIT
The Window was developed in close collaboration with members of the MIT community itself. Through a series of interviews and conversations, we gained invaluable insights into the things that define MIT students, including a collaborative spirit, a sense of humor, and an unwavering passion for knowledge. By translating these intangible aspects into a visual and interactive experience, The Window welcomes all Museum visitors to the larger MIT community.
“Bluecadet has been an amazing and innovative partner. They were pros all the way through the process and produced such good work. I'm proud of what we've accomplished!”
David Nunez, Director of Technology and Digital Strategy, MIT Museum