Capitalizing on the idea of using physical computing to both bring people together and sell products, Kim Martin and I decided to create interactive storefront windows for the holiday season.

Directed as a New York audience (a place already famous for it's holiday shop windows), we use a Christmas Pig named Valentino to attract users from the crowds passing by on the sidewalks. The pig, in actuality, is a video image that is worked into the Christmas scene in the window by way of video projection. He tells jokes, dances, and does anything he possibly can to gather a crowd.

Once a crowd has formed, Valentino leads them through various games related to the purchase of items from the store. For instance, by using a pressure sensitive mat outside on the side walk, users can explode presents in the window (spring-loaded boxes containing sale items) by jumping up and down. The potential consumers get direct feedback from the window, get into the Christmas spirit with other shoppers, and become introduced to products they may never have stopped to look at had they just been resting in the window.

Users are also able to 'lower sale prices' of particular items while simultaneously helping Valentino to put up his Christmas tree. They do this by singing Christmas songs together (as led by our very own Christmas Pig and bouncing ball kareoke technology). A microphone placed within the awning senses volume/clarity and is used as an input device for this project. Other interactions explored in our research include the users waving their hands over their heads, swaying from side to side with the music, and answering questions asked by the Christmas Pig.

The primary goal of this project is to get users into the Christmas spirit which supports the secondary goal of getting the consumers into the shops and interested in the products offered by each particular vendor.