Crafty Corner

Crafty Corner is an interactive experience that invites visitors to explore craft materials through hands-on discovery.

Designed for art store environments, this interactive experience reimagines how people explore craft materials using a custom built paintbrush and sensor embedded shelves. When a visitor taps the brush on different materials, the setup triggers projected visuals, sounds, and tutorials that explain what the materials are and how they’re used. This system makes unfamiliar tools and techniques feel more approachable and highlights overlooked craft materials in the store.

Team

Duration

Role

Tools

Individual

2 months

Sole designer

Unity, Blender, Arduino, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Rhino, Figma

Showcasing part of the Crafty Corner experience

This demo features three laser-cut interactive shelves and a 3D-printed conductive paintbrush. Touching the brush to a shelf completes a circuit, triggering embedded LEDs and sending a signal to Unity to display content on a touchscreen.

01. Project Display

Showcases example projects to engage visitors and guide them naturally toward the interactive station.

02. Select Craft Difficulty

Visitors choose a brush that fits their mood.

03. Follow Tutorial

A short demo helps visitors familiarize themselves with the shelf's features.

04. Material Tap

Tapping a shelf triggers engaging animations and highlights the selected materials.

05. Project Preview

The table displays project examples using theselected material(s), along with the estimated time and material(s) needed.

06. Find These Items

The map helps visitors locate the materials featured at the interactive station. A QR code links to full project tutorials, allowing them to revisit the projects anytime.

GATHERING INSIGHTS

Through interviews with casual crafters, students, and store employees, I identified a few key challenges people face when browsing materials in art stores.

Product Variety
Can Feel Overwhelming

Multiple person mentioned that while items are typically grouped by category, the number of options can still feel overwhelming, which often leads to hesitation when trying unfamiliar materials.

Overlooked Materials,
Even When Highlighted

A store employee mentioned that even clearly displayed products often go unnoticed—especially the ones that aren't immediately familiar or easy to understand.

Disconnected Product Grouping

Items are often grouped in ways that hide useful associations, making it harder for customers to discover related tools or materials.

INSPIRATION

Playful forms and finishes

Light wood tones paired with colorful acrylics and embedded LEDs

Soft curves & clear paths

Wide uncluttered layouts with curved shelving and walkways

Playful and Approachable

Crafty Corner’s branding takes inspiration from a crafter’s table. I replaced standard buttons by paper cutouts to reduce the intimidation of digital interfaces. With just two main screens, the interaction stays simple and approachable.

Initial Direction

My initial approach was very screen-based, with too many UI elements competing for attention. It felt too cluttered and overwhelming, both visually and interactively.