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Claus Helfenschneider
Interactive Applications & Digital Experiences
BASF

BASF Media Table — Multi-User Interactive Visitor Center System

Agencies:m box, zweimaleins
2013–2020

A large-scale, long-term interactive media table developed for the visitor center of BASF SEOpens in a new tab in Ludwigshafen. The installation enables up to six visitors to explore complex corporate, spatial, and historical information simultaneously through a high-performance multitouch interface.

Designed for continuous daily operation, the system supports both self-directed exploration and guided presentations via a dedicated moderator mode—combining information depth, experiential clarity, and long-term technical reliability in a demanding public environment.

Roles

  • Lead Unity Developer
  • Technical Lead (Interactive Systems)
  • System Architecture & Data Integration
  • Multi-User Interaction Design
  • UI Engineering & Motion Design
  • On-Site Deployment & Technical Coordination

Stack

  • Unity (C#)
  • Custom Multitouch Framework
  • Marker / Token Recognition System
  • Custom CMS & Database Architecture
  • Multi-Language Content Management

Location

BASF Visitor Center, Ludwigshafen, Germany

Attribution

All image and video footage by courtesy of m box Bewegtbild GmbH and BASF SE.

Project Context & Experience Design

The BASF Media Table serves as a central touchpoint within a high-traffic visitor environment, supporting both individual exploration and guided group presentations.

A large-format multitouch surface allows multiple users to interact concurrently, each accessing layered information through independently oriented interfaces. At the core of the experience is a spatial representation of the BASF site, enriched with contextual content such as products, processes, infrastructure, timelines, imagery, and video.

The interaction model was designed to remain intuitive under heavy use while supporting depth and density of information. A dedicated moderator mode—activated via physical markers—enables guides to temporarily take control of the system, focus attention, and deliver targeted explanations without breaking the overall experience flow.

The installation was conceived as a long-term deployment, emphasizing robustness, maintainability, and content scalability over time.

Finger interaction with a timeline-based information panel on the BASF multitouch media table.
Close-up of a user navigating textual and visual content on the BASF interactive media table.
Moderator using a physical marker on the multitouch surface to control and highlight site information.
Close-up of interactive map layers on the BASF media table, highlighting site areas and size comparison features.
Multi-user interaction on a large-format multitouch table showing layered site data, imagery, and informational panels.
Visitors gathered around the BASF media table during a guided session in the visitor center.
Visitor interacting with a large-format multitouch table displaying site data, images, and text panels within the BASF visitor center.
Wide view of the BASF media table installation within the visitor center exhibition space.
Detail view of an information panel on the multitouch table showing site data, images, and contextual text content.

My Role & Key Contributions

I was responsible for the entire technical conception and implementation of the system.

Key contributions include:

  • End-to-end development of the Unity-based multitouch application
  • System and software architecture for concurrent multi-user interaction
  • Design and implementation of a bespoke database and CMS integration
  • Creation of all UI components, interaction logic, and custom animations
  • Advanced text rendering and custom hyphenation to ensure typographic quality at scale
  • On-site installation, deployment, and technical coordination with stakeholders
  • Ensuring performance, stability, and usability for continuous public operation

System Overview & Technical Characteristics

  • Large-format multitouch system (~2 × 1 m) supporting up to 6 concurrent users
  • Multi-screen setup composed of synchronized Full HD displays
  • Spatially aware UI with user-oriented interface alignment
  • Marker-based mode switching for moderated presentations
  • Real-time interaction with layered spatial and temporal data
  • Integrated multi-language content management system
  • Optional mirrored output to an auxiliary display for larger groups
  • Designed for long-term stability, maintainability, and content extensibility
Internal R&D testing of the BASF media table using a connected multi-screen display in the studio environment.
Developer interacting with a high-resolution site map during early interface testing of the BASF media table.
Early hardware prototype of the BASF multitouch media table during development in the workshop.
User testing session around the BASF media table prototype during interaction and usability evaluation.
Assembled multitouch table prototype in the workshop during system integration and testing.
Developer validating interaction and display alignment on the BASF media table during R&D testing.
Interface testing of content layouts and navigation on the BASF media table during development.
  • Close-up of a user navigating textual and visual content on the BASF interactive media table.

Why This Project Matters

This project demonstrates how complex, information-dense domains can be translated into a shared, spatial, and intuitive interactive experience—without simplifying the underlying content.
It highlights the ability to design and deliver mission-critical interactive systems that support simultaneous users, guided narration, and long-term operation in demanding public environments.