“This project widened my understanding of what experience design can be. We had to take the physical space into account when designing and create a fully immersive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis project widened my understanding of what experience design can be,\u201d Njai said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t just creating a two-dimensional digital experience on an app. We had to take the physical space into account when designing and create a fully immersive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contextualizing Data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Science On a Sphere allows museum visitors to tap into NOAA\u2019s 600-plus datasets and see them projected on the giant globe to learn about Earth\u2019s land, oceans and atmosphere.
\u201cThe problem with many of NOAA\u2019s datasets, though, is that there’s not a lot of contextualization. There isn\u2019t a story behind the data,\u201d Littlejohn said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her students\u2019 goal was to help visitors make sense of the data through visual storytelling.
Njai and her classmates split up into four groups and each selected their own content themes. One group researched the importance of honeybees in the pollination of certain crops around the world, another researched the global resources it takes to produce a single T-shirt, while a third group created linguistics maps detailing how world events have influenced the transmission of language.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n \u201cThe museum was really excited about that one because no one had thought to use Science On a Sphere to tell that kind of a story about language,\u201d Littlejohn said.
Njai\u2019s group wanted to shed light on the enormous amounts of water artificial intelligence data centers use to cool their servers, focusing on ChatGPT. The exact amount depends on how complicated the prompts are and how long the responses are, but even trivial prompts result in water usage.\n <\/p>\n \n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/chatgpt-visualization-web.jpg\"\n)
\n \n \u201cMy team and I thought if we made our display visually compelling, it might help people understand that a ChatGPT prompt is not the same as a Google search in terms of the environmental cost. It’s more than that,\u201d Njai said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group focused on making the content appealing and straightforward for middle and high school students. They used tangible examples \u2014 five ChatGPT prompts result in using half a liter of water, for instance. They built in features to present the information in a way that would resonate with students, including a messaging interface with animated replies resembling a dialogue between ChatGPT and a user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing able to customize a message in different ways for different people is design\u2019s superpower,\u201d Littlejohn said. \u201cAs designers, we are trying to create a bridge between science and the public.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bridging Gaps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The students\u2019 projects aren\u2019t on display at the moment \u2014 museum exhibits go through a lengthy review process and rounds of user testing before they\u2019re approved for installation. But collaborations like these showcase NC State\u2019s ability to help bridge gaps in science communication and strengthen education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCommunicating science is a responsibility for us as a land-grant institution, so it\u2019s important for students to have these types of opportunities,\u201d Littlejohn said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just completing projects for their portfolios. They\u2019re accountable to a real-world client and create something meaningful \u2014 something that would help improve data and science literacy if it gets installed in the museum later on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/word-wanderes-web.jpg\"\n)
\n \n \n Njai knew that the Master of Graphic & Experience Design program\u2019s emphasis on research would help her develop the skills she needs to be competitive in today\u2019s industry. The process of designing a spherical museum display has challenged her and given her a deeper appreciation for the role of design in the world. She’s been able to see how it has the potential to touch the next generation, allowing them to understand and engage with the issues facing society.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen kids see topics in a museum that they may not have learned about in school, I hope it makes them ask more questions and look into things that are beyond their class curriculum,\u201d Njai said. \u201cThat\u2019s beneficial for the future because we will need them to help solve the problems we\u2019re discovering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article first appeared in the spring 2025 issue of Designlife magazine. Explore other articles from this issue.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n