Responsive Spaces' Steel City: A New Dimension in Tradeshow Highlights

Interactive Installation Merges Expertise with Magic for an Unforgettable User Experience

Steel City's uniqueness lies in its operation. A distinctive rotary knob, filled with a magnetized liquid, provides "real" physical resistance as it turns. This resistance, which can be programmed in real-time, adapts to the selected content, allowing the experts from Primetals to focus on their visitors without ever taking their eyes off the presented stories.

The installation comprises over 200 semi-transparent acrylic 3D-models, representing a modern steel plant. These models, positioned on a 24 sqm led-wall, are mirrored by a special reflective material, projecting the visualization towards the far corners of the stand. This innovative design approach ensures that everyone gets an additional perspective, regardless of their location.

Responsive Spaces' team, led by Director Markus Pargfrieder, has meticulously designed and built the interfaces of the terminals around Steel City. Their goal was to create a haptic and intuitive user experience that would captivate tradeshow visitors. The result is a digital staging that seamlessly merges a magical experience with a top-notch user experience.

Steel City was unveiled in June 2019 at METEC in Duesseldorf. It was the result of extensive research and development, including the creation of an in-house protocol for real-time programming of the haptic rotary knob. The team also worked tirelessly to simplify the complex processes of a steel plant into a stylized visual language that is both beautiful and informative.

The project was not without its challenges. The team had to balance the need to communicate complex technical information with the desire to maintain a minimalist aesthetic. They also had to design a haptic interface that was simple yet incredibly responsive, allowing users to concentrate fully on their dialogues with customers. Despite these hurdles, Responsive Spaces successfully delivered a design that is as informative as it is visually stunning.

In recognition of its innovative design and outstanding user experience, Steel City was awarded Silver in the A' Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design Award in 2020. This prestigious award is a testament to the team's creativity, technical expertise, and commitment to excellence.