Watson Primer
An immersive installation that transformed abstract AI capabilities into tangible business value—traveling to the world's largest tech conferences.
IBM
2017
Experience Design, Exhibition Design, Interactive Installation
Associate UX Strategy & Design Director
Experience Design, Exhibition Design, Interactive Installation, Content Strategy, Spatial Design
6 months
Conference attendees reached
Major global conferences
Average engagement time
Who We Designed For
Business leaders seeking to understand how AI could transform their organizations
CEOs & Business Leaders
Executives evaluating AI as a strategic investment, needing to understand ROI and competitive advantage
CTOs & Technical Leaders
Technology decision-makers assessing Watson's architecture, integration requirements, and scalability
CMOs & Marketing Leaders
Marketing executives exploring AI applications for customer insights, personalization, and campaign optimization
The Challenge
Watson was IBM's bet on the future of enterprise AI—a platform capable of transforming how businesses operate. But in conference halls filled with competing demos and shrinking attention spans, the challenge wasn't technical capability. It was translation. How do you make artificial intelligence feel real to a CEO who has fifteen minutes and a hundred other booths to visit?
"The challenge wasn't technical capability. It was translation."
Design Approach
We rejected the traditional booth model—static displays, scripted demos, passive consumption. Instead, we created an environment that invited exploration.
Non-Linear Discovery
Visitors chose their own path through Watson's capabilities. No scripts, no predetermined sequence. Each interaction built on the last, creating personalized understanding rather than generic overview.
Role-Based Relevance
Content adapted to visitor context. A CEO exploring competitive advantage received different depth than a CTO investigating API architecture. Same space, different journeys.
Tangible Takeaways
Multiple save points let visitors capture insights to their phones—extending a fifteen-minute booth visit into continued exploration. The experience didn't end when they walked away.
Key Insight
Conference attendees don't want to be sold to—they want to discover. The most effective booth isn't the one with the biggest screen or the loudest presentation. It's the one that respects visitor agency and rewards curiosity.
- Self-guided exploration created deeper engagement than scripted demos
- Role-based content paths increased relevance and retention
- Mobile save functionality extended engagement beyond the booth
- Non-linear design accommodated varying time constraints—five minutes or fifty
The Impact
Watson Primer redefined how IBM approached conference presence. The installation proved that complex technology could be communicated through experience rather than explanation—and that business leaders would invest time in understanding AI when given the right environment to explore it.
"Education through immersion became IBM's new model for conference engagement."