Case Study: SodaTrack: Sodarace live

Project Description

Sodarace came about through collaboration between Peter McOwan and Ed Burton who, as part of a Fine Arts PhD at Middlesex, wanted to create a model to investigate how much of young children’s progress in drawing could be attributed to the way the body develops. 

Together they devised a simulator to simulate childrens’ arm movements – at which point Peter realised the potential of working in an element of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to the ‘constructor’.  Following Soda’s 2001 BAFTA for “best interactive website” they successfully applied for an EPSRC grant for the new concept ‘Sodarace’.

Project Aims

To increase the appeal and use of Sodarace in schools through development and publicity of a UK school portal together with supporting educational resources.  Also to facilitate interaction between AI researchers and the Sodarace audience. 

"It was interesting and extremely useful collaborating with an 'arts partner' - I obviously understood quite a lot about aesthetics but I didn't understand as much as I thought I did about interactions and the way you go about actually creating things.  Ed and the others at Soda are very skilled at how you develop things for an audience; how you target software for a particular audience so that they enjoy using it".  

Results/ Outcomes

What worked well

Having Soda Creative Technologies as experienced partners to help design a "user-friendly" SodaTrack interface and manage the tour logistics.  When it came to booking venues, the experienced partners and their contacts gave the exhibition more credibility.    

What didn't work well

Generating too many ideas for the exhibition before discussing what would be possible and compatible with the science centres or host venues.  Peter felt that in future, it would be worthwhile to consult experts from the beginning of the exhibit design process to overcome these difficulties.

Leaving the development of the teaching resources to the end of the funding period meant that there were fewer quantitative measurables to track progress with.  In the final report to the funders,  the evaluation in this respect had to be reported in terms of 'hope' rather than 'fact'.

Resources Required

A partner or advisor with science centre/museum experience and preferably contacts.  

The Sodarace stall.

Top tips

1. From the very beginning, speak to the science centres and find out when they can pencil you in - though it's a bit of a chicken and egg problem as you need a degree of certainty about your exhibit before they'll book you
2. Give consideration to the logistics of hiring lorries and insurance; this is often overlooked but one of the practicalities of a touring exhibition.
3. Take physical objects to handout (pencils, magazines etc.) at an exhibition - these are vital in securing follow-up after events, especially when promoting virtual products.
4. It's important to use the right people for face to face engagement.  With children you might want to consider taking PhD or younger students to break the mould of "mature academics" and discourage the thought of being an active researcher as too far or difficult a leap. 

"Soda can organise themselves a bit like a mission impossible where they bring in their system specialist- they were able to bring in someone who had a contact or skills.  For example, contacts in the science centres.  Having that expertise there was absolutely critical, otherwise you are knocking at doors trying to make a 'cold sell'.    If you can go in there with someone who is already known and successful in doing something that they thought was useful - that really helps".  

"With kids, first impressions count - if they don't get pulled in by the story or the pictures at the beginning then you've already lost".