As part of The Essential Art Department’s six-week “Designing for Themed Entertainment and Experiences” course, my final project was to design a themed cart, fittingly named Memory Bytes!
Visitors will have the chance to re-experience their most beloved childhood foods by walking up and answering personal taste and allergy prompts on a keypad before stepping into a scanner with one task: thinking of a memory. Within seconds, the AI running the stand miraculously knows exactly what the guest wants, producing it in the window a few steps away. What could go wrong?
From making memories to eating memories, the morally questionable founder of a Silicon Valley start-up has found the answer to it all with AI that seemingly promises the world. Building on the thematic connection behind cameras and our memories, the pick-up window is reminiscent of a camera’s iris. With a flash of the themed lighting bulb on top and smoke emanating from the antenna, the “memories eaten” counter clicks off with every new order, drawing attention and interactivity to the stand!
While the guest waits for their order, they might see some other “success stories” from previous visitors such as “Fruit Punched”, “Ants On A Log Flume”, “Snail Mix” and “Pickled Bananas and Jerky.” Probably not a good sign. When it’s time for their order, guests will leave with the reminder that AI shortcuts aren’t always the answer along with a confusingly delicious snack!