IBM has been tracking virtually every statistic at the US Open for the past seven years. Our challenge was to communicate IBM’s prowess for processing that data to a group of people that came to watch tennis, not crunch numbers. This meant presenting a complex subject matter in a way that was engaging and accessible, rather than disrupting the spectator experience with an overwhelming display of facts and figures. Our objective was simple: turn all of that data into fun for fans.

We designed an innovative, touch-based, digital wall of data that was fun to use and visually witty. Statistical information was visualized as a whimsical 3D tennis machine that counted every serve, displayed real-time scores and analyzed the social-media popularity of each player. An original soundtrack was also developed, that remixed actual sounds from the game to create an immersive audio component to the experience. For advanced-level fans, we developed a dynamically-updated trophy case to reward them for checking-in to the data wall. And when it was time to leave, an animated subway car provided up-to-date information on the transit schedule.

The interesting insights presented in visually creative ways successfully drew in fans at the US Open. There were a total of 350,000 interactions during the course of the tournament, with a daily average of 400 people interacting with the data wall. The wall also had 228 Foursquare check-ins during the course of the week. Video content created to explain the technology behind the wall generated over 6000 views.