IBM Progress Bar

Experiential Installation for IBM's Think Conference

At IBM's Think Conference, thousands of attendees stopped for a coffee break, only to find themselves inside a hands-on experiment in interactive storytelling. Instead of a simple café, they encountered The Progress Bar, a futuristic, sushi-bar-inspired installation where information wasn’t just read or watched, it was touched, held, and physically activated.

Client

IBM

Role

Product Owner Prototyping Technical Implementation

Type

Experiential installation

Agency

George P. Johnson Expectare GmbH

Using custom 3D-printed objects, each embedded with RFID technology, attendees could place an object on the bar’s interactive surface to trigger dynamic video case studies, transforming passive content consumption into an engaging, tactile experience. As Product Owner and Technical Lead, I spearheaded this project from conception to execution, working across industrial design, UX, and real-time interactive systems to create an experience that was both playful and informative. End-to-End Execution: Led the full development cycle in under 8 weeks, balancing hardware constraints, user experience, and brand storytelling to deliver a high-impact IBM activation.Led the full development cycle in under 8 weeks, balancing hardware constraints, user experience, and brand storytelling to deliver a high-impact IBM activation. Technical Implementation: Worked with partners at George P. Johnson & Expectare Group to design an RFID-enabled system that was scalable, durable, and intuitive for non-technical users.

The Progress Bar wasn’t just a fun activation, it was a proof of concept for the future of experiential content. By transforming static video content into an interactive, object-driven experience, we demonstrated how tactile interfaces can enhance learning, engagement, and retention at live events. In just eight weeks, we delivered a fully operational, RFID-enabled experience that blended storytelling, technology, and brand engagement, proving that even a coffee break can be an opportunity to innovate.