Table Design

The design of the table itself impacts the experience of the Jam-O-Drum greatly. Here are some of the considerations the group dealt with while designing the table:

A four-player device

Past devices had been built with three, six and twelve stations, and the group thought that a four-person device would offer opportunity for team play while also creating an intimate atmosphere for communication between players.

Accessible to all

It was decided that the height of the table surface should be low enough for users in the typical age range of visitors of the museum while still being comfortable for adult use. The height should also conform to universal design principles by being wheelchair accessible. A height of 34" was decided upon to meet those goals.

Integrate four speakers and subwoofer

The tabletop would have to support four speakers mounted to it while containing a subwoofer within its base. The speakers would have to have some kind of covering so that the projections would still appear on their surface. The base would have to be big enough to hold a subwoofer. It would also have to be visually covered yet acoustically transparent.

Visual appearance

In order to give the table a visual appeal, the project group discussed various methods to design the table base and sides. Some of the ideas discussed include curved sides, use of internal lighting, plexiglass panels and other ideas intended to give the device a funky, yet inviting appearance. However, it was decided that since the table itself was not the primary focus of the exhibit, that it would be better to allocate resources to developing the interactive experiences and 'keep it simple' in terms of design.