a digital application installationcreated by Maggie Samson & Kate Nelson

Welcome to Muddler.

Muddler is a bar named for the real-life social media platform that defines the experiences of its customers. At Muddler, each new patron is added to a social network which they can access at their touch-screen table and through which they can interact with and learn about the people around them.

Users access the features of Muddler using a combination of personal and shared touch menus at the table. These features include an interactive, live map of the bar, data-cloud profile browsing and games to be played within party or between tables.

Muddler seeks to create a safe, comfortable, social space in which customers can interact free of the awkwardness integral to meeting new people in every day life.

When a customers’ identification is checked upon entering Muddler, their profile is automatically generated using the information from their driver’s license. They can then proceed to log in at any table in the bar or access and edit their profile through an application on their mobile device.

Upon choosing a table, the customer sets their ID face up on the table in front of their seat. The table then scans the card and logs them in, revealing their personal menu open to the profile editing page. If the user is satisfied with their profile, they can proceed to the main interface of the personal menu where they will view the specials and drink menu of the bar. Simultaneously to the individuals at the table logging in, the central, shared interface of the table displays the interactive map of the bar. As soon as they are ready, the customers can begin to explore the features at their fingertips.

Before beginning to interact with the main map interface of the table, users may want to personalize and add to their profile beyond the information instantly added upon entry.

Users may add adjectives to describe themselves, which will then be used as part of a word cloud for browsing the profiles of the people at the bar.

If they dislike their photo, the user can go to the photo booth and take a new one which they can then add to their profile. Alternately, they can upload a new picture via the photo booth game in the games wheel.

This is also a chance for visitors who don’t want to meet no people to opt out by de-selecting “Mingling”. This will grey out their table and block people from sending them messages or game invites, although their data will still be part of the interactive map.

Other optional categories include relationship status, occupation and recent or favorite foods, movies, and experiences.

After they are satisfied with their profile, the user flows directly to the personal menu. This displays the drink menu, specials, happy hour, and other static bar information. They will also have access to their personal controls, which they use to control the central map and variety of interactions with other users. If the user is no longer interested in or actively using their personal menu, they can resize it, freely move it across the table, or reduce it to a tab at the edge of the screen. The icons indicating their personal controls, however, will remain in place.

GamesProfilesMap

Menu tab as

displayed when

minimized.

The interactive map of the bar provides a home base for everyone at each table to share. Through this map, users at the table can learn about the other people in the bar. The filter menu allows users to visualize the various characteristics of the other people in the bar by turning on and off a variety of filters. The filters can also be layered to create multiple dimensions of information.

Perpendicular to the filter menu, the user will find the Slider feature of the map. This is used to display the information of the map and filters at different times throughout the day. Simply by sliding the circular button on the slider back and forth, the user moves through the data of the recent past.

The other main function of the interactive map is to provide a browser of the profiles of the current customers in the bar. Users at each table can view the different profiles by tapping table they are interested in learning more about. An overlay will then blur out the rest of the map as the selected tables’ profiles zoom into the foreground. This dynamic animation will show the user that they can move the profiles around the table to share with their friends, although they are tethered to a central origin point.

Aside from browsing the profiles, the users can also send a game request to the table they have selected by choosing the “Invite to game” dialogue box.

If they do choose the “Invite to game” dialogue, the users will then see the game wheel where they can select what game they would like to play and send the invite. Once the invite is sent, they resume browsing as normal until they receive a notification that their invite has been selected.

The next main interface of the central table screen is the data cloud used for browsing profiles. This is accessed via the middle icon of each personal control. When it is selected, a word cloud appears in the central area of the table. Each animated bubble represents a user at the bar by listing the three traits they selected when setting up their profile. Because of this display, the user is encouraged to browse profiles based on personality before appearance. When the user taps a bubble, it switches from displaying the traits to displaying their profile picture. If the user is interested in a particular profile they can drag it out of the cloud where it will be displayed as the full personal profile.As they browse the profile cloud, the users can accumulate and share the profiles they are interested in by stacking or passing them around the table, as they would with any three dimensional card on a table top.

If they are no longer interested, users can replace profiles in the cloud where they will return to their state as bubbles, displaying profile picture so users know which profiles they have already viewed.

Tap to view profile picture.

Stack as many profiles as

you’d like and pass them

around to share!

Then, drag the bubble out

to view the full profile.

To start messaging a profile, the user selects the speech bubble icon in the header bar of the profile they are viewing. This will then open a messaging window in their personal menu, and send a notification to the personal menu of the user they’ve messaged. The messaging works like any other instant messaging platform, but to encourage users to leave the screen in favor of creating real-life interactions, they will be limited to three messages each per user. This way the messaging is an icebreaker tool, rather than complete interaction platform.

Sometimes, users will receive notifications from other tables requesting to play a game. When this happens, the notification icon will pop up in each user at the table’s personal menu displaying how many requests they’ve received.

The user will then click on the notification, which will display the invite in a dialogue box in front of each person at the table. The group can then decide together if they want to accept or not. When they accept, the game display will appear.

Although many times users may want to play games with other tables, they can also play within their table only. The access this, any user at the table can choose the game icon in their personal menu. This will then open the game wheel in the central area of the table. The wheel displays all the games and some information about how many players can join, how many people are currently playing, and what the game is.

Users may swipe to spin the

wheel so different users can

view the different games.

Once the users select a game, a dialogue box will appear allowing them to choose if they would like to play “With Table” or “Invite Another Table”. If they choose “Invite Another Table” they will select a table from the map and send an invite. If they choose “With Table”, the game screen will instantly launch.

If they choose “Invite Another Table” they will select a table from the map and send an invite. If they choose “With Table”, the game screen will instantly launch.

X

If the user is moving tables or leaving the bar, they will need to log out of their profile at the table. To do this the go to their personal menu and choose “Logout” from the yellow menu in the upper right hand corner. They will then be removed from the data cloud and map until they log in again at another table.

Don’t be awkward. Come back to Muddler soon.