Building a Google News Lab

Google New Lab, now known as Google News Initiative, was planning to debut some exciting new features, at the Online News Association Conference. They wanted an engaging brand activation that would draw in conference attendees for more reasons than cheap swag. The budget? Tiny. The dream? Big. We wanted to build an actual lab, a place for booth visitors to play, explore, and experiment with these new tools—the newest of which was Google Cardboard: a VR viewer made from the humblest of materials.

Following Google Cardboard's crafty lead, our solution was a DIY mix of prefab modular shelving from IKEA, custom printed panels, devices, colored paper, and scientific props to bring the whole experience together.

We designed and built five interactive stations that allowed attendees to learn about and interact with new GNL features on tablets and laptops, cast their votes for the best news source, snap some silly goggle selfies, and take Google Cardboard for a spin.