EXAMPLE 005 / CASE STUDY
Turn the controller into the experience.
An existing joystick became something else when the interaction was reframed around the experience of pinball.
The Mess
What looked like the problem.
A joystick was designed to be held and operated like a joystick. That made perfect sense—until the game on the screen was pinball.
The Reframe
What if the joystick wasn't a joystick? What if it became the edge of a pinball table?
The Work
Make the new frame tangible.
I modified a ThrustMaster power joystick so it could be operated more like a physical pinball table for the pinball video games of the time. Turning the interaction around changed the relationship between the controller, the game and the player.
What Changed
A different conversation became possible.
The experiment made an abstract idea tangible enough to experience. It ultimately contributed to a new ThrustMaster product offering.
The Bigger Learning
Reframing can be physical. Sometimes innovation begins by keeping the object and changing the meaning of how you're supposed to use it.