Tribute Wall

In 2018, I researched and wrote over 100 stories for the University of Washington’s Tribute Wall. This massive interactive touch wall welcomes visitors, staff, and students—both prospective and current—to the Bill & Melinda Gates Center, the newest addition to UW’s Paul Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (CSE).

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Working with school leadership and subject matter experts, I established content objectives and categories, then presented a detailed content plan with individual themes.

The stories are brief, informative, and vary in topic and template. They feature important milestones in the history of computing, CSE’s ongoing efforts to foster diversity in the field, and our region’s role as a hub for innovation. I collaborated closely with the design team on story templates and features, ensuring the material is legible, cohesive, and visually engaging.

The Tribute Wall serves as both an exploratory, content-rich experience and as an ambient art installation. While in Abstract Canvas Mode, the wall senses and responds to the visitor’s presence, sending ripples of color across the expanse. Large-scale titles appear periodically, suggesting the layers of content beneath. When a visitor approaches, short story previews peek out from between the glowing slats, encouraging the user to touch and access more.

I sorted stories into four unique “issues,” keeping the content fresh with quarterly updates. A custom-built CMS allows the Paul Allen School to toggle between issues and add new stories.

Below, Ed Lazowska (CSE Professor and Bill & Gates Chair Emeritus) and I stand on the Center’s roof during one of our final reviews, in December 2018.

I completed this project as part of my employment at Belle & Wissell, Co.