A game show inspired exhibit installation

path pursuit hero gif

Path Pursuit

Path Pursuit is a two-person cooperative game that challenges two players to work together, moving in-sync to complete a virtual obstacle course.

𖤐 Role

UX Research
Visual Identity
Motion Design

✐ Tools

Figma
Illustrator
After Effects

⏱︎ Duration

14 weeks

𖠋 Team

7 Designers
5 Developers

path pursuit imagine rit photo 1

path pursuit imagine rit photo 2

Awards & Recognition

EDGE Best in Show

EDGE Crowd Favorite

Fox Roc news coverage

13WHAM ABC news coverage

WXXI NPR news coverage

Outcomes

720+

users played Path Pursuit

600+

spectators watched Path Pursuit

8 hr

live exhibition at Imagine RIT

$2400

received in awards and scholarships

Background

A collaboration with The Strong National Museum of Play

In 2027, The Strong plans to launch their "Beyond The Buzzer" exhibit: a new interactive showcase about the history of game shows.

The Strong asked us to create a unique game show experience for their upcoming exhibit that accurately conveys the excitement and nostalgia of past and present games shows

After a preliminary research and ideation phase, our team developed three different ideas derived from popular game show categories. We pitched our three concepts to representatives of The Strong and they selected our idea, Path Pursuit, a physical challenge game show experience to develop further.

Client Background

What exactly is The Strong?

Located in Rochester, NY, The Strong is home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, games, and video games—serving children and families with thousands of highly interactive exhibits, programs, and material.

1mil+

annual visitors

6-80

target age range

540,000

collection size

the strong national museum of play outside

Client Values

Interactive Play as a Learning Tool

Learning is most effective when it is coupled with active experience.

Historical Preservation and Immersion

Keeping historical integrity is crucial for accurate understanding.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Visitors from a large variety of ages, heights, and backgrounds should be able to engage with all exhibits.

the strong national museum of play mr potato head exhibit

Client Specifications

RFID Incorporation

The Strong aims to integrate RFID technology into exhibits allowing visitors to track earned milestones.

<5 Minute

Short-form gameplay allows as many users as possible to cycle through the experience.

Intuitive Gameplay

The game should be quick and easy to grasp for a wide range of visitors.

Adaptive Difficulties

Include varied levels of play to serve visitors of different ages and experience levels.

Host Integration

Create a host that guides users and brings life to the game.

Beyond a Screen

Tangible, physical interaction is key. The experience should be more than information on a screen.

Research

What makes physical game shows so entertaining to watch?

I worked within a smaller team to conceptualize the foundation of Path Pursuit before our original client pitch. Our team examined many notable physical game shows to better understand specific qualities that make this entertainment category so enticing for both contestants and viewers.

wipeout image

Wipeout

Obstacle course

hole in the wall image

Hole In The Wall

Comedic task completion

wire loop game image

Wireloop game

Tactile challenge with tactile feedback

fort boyard's chopsticks image

Fort Boyard’s Chopsticks

Collaborative object manipulation

Goals

Lighthearted Fun

Users should be able to laugh at themselves and others. Physical game shows are fun to watch because of how absurd and easy the challenges seem.

Experiential Novelty

The experience should offer a new way of understanding historical game shows, while staying true to their themes.

Demographic Versatility

Guests of all ages/heights should be able to physically interact with the experience and not have to exert significant physical effort to have fun.

The Idea

A light-action obstacle course that tests collaboration and communication

Path Pursuit is a digital obstacle course where two separated players work together to guide a digital token along a wall projected path. We saw a good opportunity to merge physical obstacle courses interactions with immersive digital experience elements.

The experience would eventual utilize custom physical controllers, digital displays, a bold user interface, and reactive obstacle gameplay.

Design

Visual Tone and Mood

Silly

Users should walk away with a smile whether they successfully complete the challenge or not.

Friendly

Graphics should be welcoming and non-intimidating.

Loud

Visuals should match the rowdy, unserious nature of the experience.

Readable

Shape language should maintain personality while communicating critical information.

path pursuit moodboard

The Host

Host Creation

I created the first version of our host (Bam Bastic) for Path Pursuit. I started by identifying common game show host personalities that would complement our game play experience while also keeping in mind potential functional jobs for the host within the game play flow.

Charismatic

High energy, enthusiastic and should make user feel comfortable

Amused

A child-like personality that loves to point and laugh at everything.

Encouraging

Warm and reassuring when users are having difficulties.

host sketches

host sketch 2

original bam bastic design pointing

original bam bastic design standing

Two other designers and I then got to work on updating our mascot. We came together with vectorized versions for how we envisioned Bam. Then, we took pieces from each designer's rendition and frankenstein-ed parts and proportions from each of our designs together into what became our finalized host.

bam bastic version 1 joy

bam bastic version 1 lily

bam bastic version 1 drew

bam bastic final jumping

bam bastic final standing

bam bastic final thumbs up

The Logo

Logo Design

I designed the original Path Pursuit logo to emulate the lines of a path and interact with itself. Then our team added arrows to create a sense of directionality making it easier to differentiate the two words.

The Environment

Game Environment Design

For the environment, I outlined different categories of obstacles and possible positioning to determine the optimal environment perspective.
‍
We wanted the environment to evoke similarities to Wipeout—with exciting and dynamic interactive elements moving in and out of frame.

Although earlier iterations included dynamic foreground elements, the final environment flattened the background layers to prioritize readability.

path pursuit environment sketch

path pursuit environment iteration 1

path pursuit environment iteration 2

path pursuit environment final

Final Outcome

A day full of exciting play, bubbling energy, and live adjustments

Path Pursuit made its debut at Imagine RIT 2025, where it was enjoyed by 720+ visitors of all ages. Throughout the 8 hour exhibit, our development team actively gathered player feedback and made live adjustments to the game’s difficulty levels to enhance the experience in real time.

Our team members also directly engagement with participants, offering guidance, encouragement, and insight into the game’s design and development process.

person playing path pursuit

group of people standing in line at an interactive event booth with Path Pursuit signage inside a building.

boy playing path pursuit

imagine rit users playing path pursuit

Conclusion

A great product is the result of a great team.

Path Pursuit was an incredible experience that taught me a lot about working with a larger team. Coordinating with development timelines, testing continuously, receiving feedback, all while constantly evolving the experience was a process that required clear communication.

Although I was primarily focused on user experience and visual design, our team structure functioned in a way where I was also involved and looped in with other parts of the project. I am so grateful for such a wonderful team that put so much care into continuously aligning on visions and values.

Special thanks to my amazing team!

Kamy Bitely
Alexa Contreras
JamieLynn Gallagher
Drew Genel
Liana Grosser
Ata Noor
Lily Rice
Claudia Sanchez
Leah Torregiano
Nick Will

☆ More case studies!

ekua project thumbnail

EKUA: To Get To The Other Side—Interactive Production Design

UX Research

UI Design

Brand Identity

book worm thumbnail image

Book Worm—UX/UI Design

UX Research

UI Design

Brand Identity