OVERVIEW
CoralSphere at SXSW – Immersive Storytelling Meets Environmental Tech
An interactive exhibit designed to showcase Dell’s commitment to ocean conservation, where guests could learn, explore, and even adopt a coral, all through a responsive, motion-activated experience.
CLIENT/COMPANY
Dell Technologies
ROLE
UI/UX Designer
(Prototyping, Interactions)
TIMELINE
Oct 2023 - Dec 2023
TOOLS
Figma, TouchDesigner, 8thwall, Kinetic Sensor
PROBLEM
Transforming Dell’s Mission Into a 5-Minute Emotional Journey
THE CHALLENGE
Dell came to SXSW with more than a product to promote; they brought a mission: to spotlight their partnership with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef and show how Dell’s technology is powering coral conservation.
But this posed a major design challenge:
How do you take something as vast and complex as environmental AI and make it meaningful in a 5-minute walk-through?
why it mattered
In the high-noise environment of SXSW, people have seconds to decide whether something is worth their attention. Static messaging wouldn’t cut it. We needed to make the story experiential, not just informational.
That meant:
Humanizing the science behind reef preservation
Centering the user as an active participant in the mission
Bridging digital + physical interactions through design
core ux problem
We weren’t just designing a digital product, we were designing a feeling:
“I belong in this story. I made a difference.”
Our job was to create an experience that shifted users from passive observers to emotional participants in Dell’s environmental impact.
DESIGN PROCESS
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test & Iterate
Validate
AUDIENCE
Designing for Curious, Mission-Driven Professionals at SXSW
WHO THEY ARE
Our core audience wasn’t your average tech demo crowd.
These were creative, purpose-driven professionals between 26–45 years old, the kind of people who attend SXSW to be inspired, not sold to.
We focused on three high-impact attendee profiles:
Founders looking to partner with purpose-led brands
Directors/Managers scouting for innovation to bring back to their teams
Creatives drawn to immersive storytelling and emerging tech
They cared about career growth, social impact, and new ideas, but most importantly, they wanted to be part of something bigger.
Personas
SARAH, 35, FOUNDER
Pain Points:
Finds most tech booths too abstract or surface-level
Wants more hands-on ways to understand emerging tech
Tired of empty corporate messaging around “sustainability”
Goals at SXSW:
Find aligned partners for her eco-focused startup
Be inspired by immersive experiences she can share with her team
Explore how companies like Dell apply tech to real-world issues
MICHAEL, 30, MARKETING DIRECTOR
Pain Points:
Frustrated when brand stories feel “one-size-fits-all”
Wants new creative formats to pitch to clients
Overwhelmed by the noise of SXSW activations
Goals at SXSW:
Identify emerging experience formats (AR, projection, motion)
Learn from activations that blend beauty with purpose
Discover how big brands use tech for storytelling
RESEARCH
Turning Data Into Empathy and Empathy Into Design
APPROACH
Dell provided a rich foundation of audience insights from attendee demographics to top business goals at SXSW. But raw data wasn’t enough. To design an experience that truly landed, we had to get inside the mindset of the attendee.
We focused on one core question:
What makes a person stop, engage, and remember an activation like this?
METHODS
Our answer came through a blend of:
Client-provided analytics (age ranges, roles, business goals)
Stakeholder interviews
Competitive analysis of SXSW installations
Story-first ideation sessions with the creative team
key audience stats
Top Roles at SXSW
Founders
Managers
Directors
Top Business Goals
72%
Want to discover new opportunities
58%
Want to develop their careers
This told us people were showing up not just to watch, but to grow, learn, and connect. Our experience had to offer them a story they could be part of.
key insights
Insights
Design Decision
"People want to do, not just see"
We made every user generate and plant a coral through motion + AR
"Most activations feel generic"
We introduced personalization through an AI-generated coral quiz
"Sustainability sometimes feels preachy"
We led with beauty, emotion, and agency not facts and stats
"I want something to take with me"
Users left with a coral adoption certificate + physical tracker
reframing the problem
Early in the process, we realized:
We weren’t just designing an experience about coral.
We were designing an experience about ownership, the moment when someone feels like they played a role in something that matters.
That single insight reframed everything, from how we approached interaction design to how we structured onboarding and offboarding.
IDEATION
From Big Vision to Focused Flow
ideation goal
Once we understood what our audience needed, emotional connection, interactivity, and a sense of agency, our goal became clear:
Create a story they could step into, shape, and carry forward.
We started broadly. From physical props to AR displays, we explored dozens of ideas. But to avoid feature bloat and scope creep, we constantly came back to one question: Does this moment help the user feel connected to the reef?
IDEAS EXPLORED
Idea
Notes
Status
AI-Generated Personal Corals
Created a sense of ownership and identity
Kept
Real-Time AR Reef Projection
Made coral placement feel participatory and magical
Kept
LED Tunnel Onboarding
Gave emotional weight to the transition into the space
Kept
Physical Coral Pet Tracker
Brought the story into the real world
Kept
Multi-story Reef Narrative System
Created cognitive overload during testing
Cut
Real-Time Ocean Data Integration
Interesting, but too abstract for the festival setting
Cut
Live TouchDesigner Feedback Wall
Simplified to essential visual elements
Scaled
physical space layout
Building experience arc
We structured CoralSphere around a 3-part journey:
Onboarding (Welcome & Identity)
LED tunnel sets emotional tone
Quiz builds a personal coral identity
Main Experience (Immersion & Interaction)
Enter the reef through projection mapping
Interact with AI + AR corals
“Plant” your coral into the shared digital ecosystem
Offboarding (Impact & Ownership)
Receive the adoption certificate and physical tracker
Learn how Dell powers the tech behind the experience
Invitation to join the broader conservation mission
MAIN USER FLOW
TESTING
When “More” Became Too Much
APPROACH
Because this was a one-time live activation (not a digital product with long-term users), our testing process had to be fast, experiential, and client-facing.
We focused on:
Prototyping interactive flows in Figma and TouchDesigner
Simulating motion sensor behavior using custom inputs
Pitching mid-fidelity walkthroughs to internal stakeholders
Live client reviews to test emotional resonance and clarity
the turning points
In one of our key client presentations, feedback was glowing… almost too glowing.
They loved everything: the AI quiz, the AR projections, the physical trackers, the educational displays, the LED transitions, all of it. But we quickly realized:
We were doing too much.
The experience was no longer clear; it was cluttered.
We had to confront the scope and ask:
What’s necessary to tell this story?
What’s emotionally powerful vs. just impressive?
What will actually get built within our timeline?
ITERATION FROM
FEEDBACK
Feedback
Iteration
“This might be too much to digest in 5–7 minutes.”
Scaled back multi-part narrative to focus on one coral journey
“Can we simplify the ending?”
Refined offboarding to focus on the email + tracker takeaway
“The AR is exciting, but we need it to feel seamless”
Reduced AR interactions to one key moment (planting coral)
“Let’s not distract from Dell’s story”
Created a secondary info tunnel for Dell branding + tech spotlight
testing takeaways
Client feedback helped us prioritize emotional resonance over novelty.
Multi-sensory experiences require ruthless focus, especially under time pressure.
Even immersive storytelling needs UX fundamentals: hierarchy, clarity, and pacing.
SOLUTION
A Story You Could Step Into and Take Home With You
THE SOLUTION
We designed CoralSphere as a fully immersive, multi-sensory journey. Every detail from motion-triggered projections to a personalized coral adoption was crafted to make users feel like they weren’t just learning about the reef… they were part of saving it.
The experience unfolded across three carefully choreographed phases:
onboarding
Guests entered through a glowing LED tunnel that set an emotional tone, leading them to a quiz powered by AI. Their answers generated a unique coral, their personal reef companion.
experience
Inside the main space, guests planted their coral into a 360° projected reef using motion sensors, watched it react in real-time, and explored how Dell’s AI helps protect real ecosystems.
offboarding
The journey ended with a coral adoption certificate and a bracelet with an embedded NFC chip, allowing users to track their coral’s progress via a mobile app, turning a one-time moment into lasting engagement.
core features
Immersive Viewing
Users are immersed with 360 degree projections and interactions allowing enhanced learning of Dell and Coral.
Interactive Projection
With the use of AR and TouchDesigner users can interact with elements on display enhancing immersion and user experience.
Personalization with AI
A.I. uses the answers from the quiz to generate a personalized coral image, giving users the option to adopt a 3D version of their coral.
Try Me!
Interaction with AR
Using 8thwall to bring corals to life and interacting with displays bringing the feeling of autonomy to the user.
Try Me!
Physical Artifacts
Users received a personalized coral adoption certificate and a custom bracelet embedded with an NFC chip, allowing them to track their coral’s status in real time directly from their device.
Try Me!
RESULTS
Positive Feedback, Real Impact, and a Story That Stuck
overview
Sonnit never shipped… but it was the most transformative project I’ve ever built. It validated a real user pain point, taught me to think like a systems designer, and helped me go from zero. CoralSphere was more than well-received; it sparked enthusiasm across Dell’s creative leadership. From innovation managers to brand directors, the response was clear:
The story worked because it made people feel something.
client reactions
Jason Pierce
Innovations Manager
“I could just picture the participants so immersed in this experience… good job.”
“You did a great job bringing all these multi-sensory elements together.”
Michelle Daniels
Global Brand Director
“It’s not just something pretty to look at, it’s a teaching moment.”
“This feels both beautiful and meaningful. I really like the thinking here.”
Joel Davis
Executive Creative Director
“I love the backend partnership angle and how we could expand this further.”
“You’re telling an actual story, not just a concept. That’s rare.”
Sarah Puckett
Events Coordinator at Dell
“Showing how Dell enables impact with our oceans through tech? Brilliant.”
“Letting users receive something for participating is really smart.”
what we achieved
Translated Dell’s reef conservation partnership into a tangible, emotional experience
Turned abstract environmental data into personal interaction
Created a full digital-to-physical journey, from an AI quiz to an AR coral to an NFC bracelet
Received strong client buy-in and set the groundwork for future activation scaling
what it validated
Immersive storytelling can elevate brand experiences beyond marketing
Physical artifacts, when tied to purpose, drive long-term user engagement
User participation is more powerful than passive education
REFLECTION
Building CoralSphere Made Me a More Holistic Designer
big picture
This project pushed me beyond interface design. I had to think like an experience architect, balancing storytelling, physical space, technical limitations, and real human emotion.
what i learned
1. Learning New Tools Under Pressure Pays Off
Prototyping the motion sensor interaction using TouchDesigner and kinetic inputs was the steepest learning curve I’ve faced, but also the most rewarding. It taught me to ask better questions, test smarter, and be scrappy without compromising quality.
2. Team Collaboration = Shared Clarity
Working across disciplines, with multimedia artists, writers, and developers, forced me to communicate clearly and advocate for the user in every part of the experience, from LED tunnel timing to post-visit app interactions.
3. Experience Isn’t Everything Without Focus
We got carried away with ambition at one point, adding too many “wow” moments. It took feedback and iteration to realize: clarity is what unlocks emotion, not just features.
what i'd do differently
Redesign the Offboarding Flow
We spent so much time on the opening and immersive center that the offboarding experience felt rushed. If I could go back, I’d simplify it, focusing on making coral adoption feel celebratory and intentional.
Plan for Testing Earlier
Because of time constraints, we didn’t test our physical-to-digital transitions with real users until late. With more time, I’d run small-scale walkthroughs earlier in the prototyping phase.Dig Deeper Into Primary Research
Dell gave us great persona data, but I now see how light interviews or user reactions could’ve helped us push even further. Next time, I’ll advocate for adding lean research methods into early concepting.
closing thought
CoralSphere reminded me that UX isn’t confined to screens; it lives in feelings, timing, and the transitions between each moment.
And as much as I love clean UI and good layout… nothing beats watching someone light up when they see their coral glow for the first time.
