LFLA x ALOUD | Re-obtain Strategy
A Member Retention Strategy
behance.net/gallery/200381009/VOXAI-AAC-App-Case behance.net/gallery/200381009/VOXAI-AAC-App-CaseUsing innovative AAC (Augmentative Alternative Communication) technology to listen and understand users' pain points by designing an App and iPad Case that beats the current market's standards of AAC technology.
Vox AI
AAC App & Product Design
behance.net/gallery/200381009/VOXAI-AAC-App-CasePartnership with BMW Designworks to explore the future of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Gozo is an autonomous vehicle ride share service, that brings families closer through an interactive AR game called Gozo Trivia.
Gozo | More than just a ride
Mobility Design
WAVFORM WAVFORMThis performance brings independent DJ, Enraile's music to life through live audio-reactive visual compositions.
WAV//FORM | An Interactive Performance
2025 Senior Thesis
Birgess 2025 • Copyright
a multidisciplined interactive designer with a passion for art, fashion, and music. Driven to create immersive, visually compelling experiences.
Hi I'm
Designs
About
About(brr-jess)
WAVFORM Mobile WAVFORM MobileThis performance brings independent DJ, Enraile's music to life through live audio-reactive visual compositions.
WAV//FORM | An Interactive Performance
BMW Gozo- Mobile BMW Gozo- MobilePartnership with BMW Designworks to explore the future of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Gozo is an autonomous vehicle ride share service, that brings families closer through an interactive AR game called Gozo Trivia.
Gozo | More Than Just a Ride
behance.net/gallery/200381009/VOXAI-AAC-App-Case behance.net/gallery/200381009/VOXAI-AAC-App-CaseUsing innovative AAC (Augmentative Alternative Communication) technology to listen and understand users' pain points by designing an App and iPad Case that beats the current market's standards of AAC technology.
Vox AI | AAC App & Product Design
2023 • Made in Dora
Brand identity development and visual design for a sustainable water bottle company, highlighting eco-friendly materials and sleek aesthetics.
Projects4
a multidisciplined interactive designer with a passion for art, fashion, and music. Driven to create immersive, visually compelling experiences.
Hi I'm
Designs
About
(brr-jess)
Home
Designs
About
Project 3
Project Title
Project 2
Project Title
Project 1
Project Title
Hello! I'm Sophia,a designer for Dora, and I'm using Dora to explore the world of developing apps.
Homepage/ProjectsProjects
Playground
AboutAbout
Lorem Ipsum
Final ProjectApplied AI in Thesis Development
Project Title
Interactive AR ExperienceInteractive AR Experience
Project Title
Interactive AR ExperienceArcheology of the Futures
Project Title
Bowling in UnityBowling in Unity
Project Title
Bowling in Unity2023 • Made in Dora
Birgess 2025 • Copyright
Designs
Homepage/ProjectsAbout
My love of all things creative led me to pursue design. I’ve been painting, and drawing and I have been shooting photography since I was young. From there I learned and experimented with graphic design at a young age too, starting as a freelancer at age 16. Funny enough, how this all came to be because of a popular online gaming platform, Roblox, where I would build, script, and design my own games! Now after taking the time to study product development and graphic design at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), I’ve embraced my creativity even more into leaning towards Interactive design. I am now a part of the IxD program at SMC to fulfill my love for research and detail-oriented design. As a UX/UI designer, I always keep in mind the importance of accessibility, whether that be assisting those with disabilities or secondary languages. My favorite part about solving design problems is identifying the gap and designing solutions to bridge it. When it comes to inspiring my designs I gravitate towards Swiss-style designs that are clean and consistent in design elements.
Hi! My name is Birgess,
linkedin.com/in/birgess-weston linkedin.com/in/birgess-westonBehance
Feel free to connect with me further! ☆ヘ(^_^ヘ)
Applied AI in Thesis Development
Gozo is an autonomous ride share service designed to bring families closer together through conversation, play, and shared experiences.
Connect Through Play
Inside Gozo, passengers can enjoy a variety of interactive games during their ride. One of the featured experiences, Gozo Trivia, is designed to spark connection by encouraging families to build memories and share meaningful moments. To deepen engagement and reduce screen distraction, Gozo integrates emerging technologies such as AR overlay displays on the side windows of the vehicle. These displays allow passengers to participate in games and activities that are spatially and socially immersive—shifting their focus away from individual devices and toward each other.
Huge shoutout to Thanh Quach for 3D rendering!
linkedin.com/in/thanh-quach-4a998620b/Usability testing with BMW Designworks
Concept Trailer
Problem
Solution
Insights
Key Features
In today’s fast-paced world, busy schedules and constant distractions make it harder than ever for families to connect. From our research, we found that 73% of U.S adults prioritize family time, yet families spend only 53 minutes per day; for single-parent households, that time is 5 hours less. (Sources: Pew Research Center, Research Gate, US Census Bureau) We kept this in mind when developing Gozo and Gozo Trivia.
We began the project with field research, taking a ride in a Waymo to better understand the current user journey. This firsthand experience helped us map out the storyboards of the user journey, build an empathy map, and create our personas. We chose to focus on single-parent households, which led to the development of Mia and Farah as our primary users. Guided by these personas, we conducted secondary research to support and inform our design decisions. Usability testing played a key role in helping us refine both our low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes, ultimately shaping the final prototype. One of the most valuable pieces of feedback we received centered on improving legibility and clarifying the visual distinction between the car's native UI and the game interface.
Inspired by current emerging technologies and journeys of users like Mia and Farah, led us to design an autonomous vehicle ride share service that guides riders into meaningful and memorable conversations through play. From creating a space to unplug from phones by storing them in a charging, UV-sanitization compartment in the center console, to allowing users to choose from multiplayer games such as Gozo Trivia. Gozo Trivia prompts players to interact with the world around them using ARCore Geospatial API by identifying landmarks as they get to point A to B. We designed trivia questions around the landmarks you see along your route. From our user testing, we saw how these questions sparked teamwork and meaningful connections.
Rewind the Ride
During key, exciting moments in the game, riders are offered the option to capture in-car photo memories. Safety and privacy are top priorities—no personal data or images are stored in the vehicle after the ride ends. Once the journey is complete, users can access Rewind the Ride, a feature that allows them to revisit their Gozo experience. Here, they can save photos from their ride, track their trivia performance, and see how they ranked on the leaderboard—turning every ride into a lasting memory.
Designed by Birgess Weston, Arthur Jensen, Celia Choi, Lois Kim and Michelle Cheng. In partnership with BMW Designworks to explore the future of autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Birgess 2025 • Copyright
Designed by Birgess in collaboration with Enraile.
Live Audio Integration
Birgess chose to design a modular TouchDesigner network that would fit into Enraile's workflow seamlessly. Enraile uses Ableton and the software's keyboard MIDI capablities, therefore she incorporated Ableton (via TDAbleton) and used MIDI + keyboard triggers for live video switching. It’s lightweight and customizable, so artists like Enraile can adapt visuals to fit any set or venue—without needing a whole tech team.
-Enraile
“Working with Birgess on this collaborative project has deeply inspired how I see my live performance workflow. Implementing Touchdesigner playback through Ableton Live taught me a lot of new techniques I can apply to creating live audio-reactive visualizations for my music performances."
Videos from SMC's CMD 2025 Grad Show
Live in Action
Final Touchdesigner Network with Keyboard Video Switchs linked to visualizer bases, and Projection Mapping inside a container.
Problem
Solution
Insights
Key Features
Network Overview
WAV//FORM was inspired by Birgess’s connection to underground music scenes and her recognition of a critical need: strategic creative support for independent artists. She observed that many emerging talents struggle to balance artistic production with the technical and promotional demands of performance. Hence, outsourcing specialized creative work gives the artist extra time to focus on their craft.
Although Birgess had primarily worked in static visuals, including album artwork and promotional materials. This project challenged her far beyond her comfort zone—teaching herself motion graphics, audio-reactive programming, and live performance integration. Using a mix of TouchDesigner, Python, and Ableton Live, she constructed a performance system that links sound and visuals in real time. Birgess created this work in collaboration with Enraile, and she hopes to expand this support model to other independent artists, enriching their performances and amplifying their artistic reach.
Birgess designed a visual performance setup to sync seamlessly with Ableton, Enraile's preferred music production software to provide control over the live music and visuals at the same time, all in one computer. This setup not only is compact and easy to travel with, but holds the power to control all parts of a live performance into limited equipment such as a laptop, keyboard, and projector. The designed experience aimed to enhance both the artist’s identity as well as the audience’s connection to the performance, and it achieved just that. During the performance at SMC's CMD 2025 Grad Show, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Some guests quoting, "This feels like I’m tripping", “It’s really incredible”, and “Very impressive!” along with frequent “Woahs” and “Wows”. This project accomplished the goal of immersing people as we saw reactions from the crowd; such as recording the visualizer with their phones and connecting with both Enraile and Birgess to see the performance live again.
Projection Performance Ready
Since Enraile is a independant artist who performs at small venues that usually don't offer led screens or visual tech teams, Birgess found it important to help bridge the gap of delivering captivating visualizations. To support artists like Enraile's musical performances she found that projection mapping is an inexpendsive, portable and versitle display method for visuals. Birgess designed projection mapping capabilties within the project file using Kantan projection mapping, a tool offered in Touchdesigner.
Digital Mockup for Exhibit Space
This performance brings independent DJ, Enraile's music to life through live audio-reactive visual compositions. The experience aims to enhance both the artist’s identity and the audience’s connection to the performance—turning each set into a uniquely immersive and memorable event.
Reflection
More to check out!
Applied AI in Thesis Development
Final ProjectThis project solidified Birgess’ passion for visual effects and experiential design for spaces and performances. It marked a turning point, showing her she could step outside her comfort zone and learn complex software within months. But more importantly, it revealed how her creative skills could support and elevate other artists—a realization that aligned deeply with her long-held dream of collaborating within the music and arts community. Birgess feels especially connected to this work for how it bridged her technical curiosity with her desire to contribute meaningfully to others’ creative visions.
Final ProjectBirgess 2025 • Copyright
Hello! I'm Sophia, a designer for Dora, and I'm using Dora to explore the world of developing apps.
Homepage-MobileProjects
Playground
About-MobileAbout
Lorem Ipsum
2023 • Made in Dora
Hello! I'm Sophia, a designer for Dora, and I'm using Dora to explore the world of developing apps.
Homepage-MobileProjects
Playground-MobilePlayground
About
Lorem Ipsum
Contact
My portfolio website serves as a centralized platform where I can showcase my work and share it with a wider audience. It allows me to present my projects, skills, and accomplishments in a visually appealing and professional manner. I believe that sharing my portfolio website allows me to connect with like-minded individuals within the creative community. By making my work accessible online, I hope to engage in meaningful conversations, gather insights, and learn from fellow artists, designers, and enthusiasts.
About
2023 • Made in Dora
Create a simple interactive experience in Unity. It can be based on a simple game mechanic, or emulate a real-world task. The objects in your world can be purely symbolic (e.g. a sphere for a person and a capsule for a dog), but if you'd like more realism you can import objects from Blender or download assets from Unity Asset store. - there are plenty of free ones. Use the example from class to reference how to add Input and make your object respond to mouse clicks. Don't forget to make good use of the built-in physics. Record a screen grab video of the experience and the built-in interactions and post it on your design blogs along with the description of the goal and the making process.
The Brief
Creating a simple 3D interactive experience in Unity based on a game mechanic.
Bowling in Unity
The Brief
As a Unity noob, I wanted to begin exploring the capabilities this software offers therefore I wanted the game to have simple physics. I chose to create a bowling simulator with a bowling ball and pins I found from the Blender asset store. I set inserted my assets as gameobjects then made them prefabs to be able to reuse them, which is important when it comes to resetting/respawning. I then created two TMP buttons with 3 empty game objects to hold each C# script that allows the assets to be respawned and pushed by the click of a mouse using a Raycaster. To make my game function realistically, I set up some physics such as a Rigidbody and Colliders. I used a Sphere Collider for the bowling ball and a Capsule Collider for the pins. After these steps, I had a functioning realistic bowling simulator.
Exploring Unity
Exploring Unity
As a Unity noob, I wanted to begin exploring the capabilities this software offers therefore I wanted the game to have simple physics. I chose to create a bowling simulator with a bowling ball and pins I found from the Blender asset store.
Using Prefabs
I inserted my assets as gameobjects then made them prefabs to be able to reuse them, which is important when it comes to resetting and respawning.
Applying Physics
I set up some physics such as a Rigidbody and Colliders. I used a Sphere Collider for the bowling ball and a Capsule Collider for the pins. After these steps, I had a functioning realistic bowling simulator.
UI & C# Scripts
I then created two TMP buttons with 3 empty game objects to hold each C# script that allows the assets to be respawned and pushed by the click of a mouse using a Raycaster. To make my game function realistically,
Create a simple interactive experience in Unity. It can be based on a simple game mechanic, or emulate a real-world task. The objects in your world can be purely symbolic (e.g. a sphere for a person and a capsule for a dog), but if you'd like more realism you can import objects from Blender or download assets from Unity Asset store. - there are plenty of free ones. Use the example from class to reference how to add Input and make your object respond to mouse clicks. Don't forget to make good use of the built-in physics. Record a screen grab video of the experience and the built-in interactions and post it on your design blogs along with the description of the goal and the making process.
The Brief
Create an interactive scene. You can pick either Augmented Reality and Lens Studio - or Unity and Virtual Reality.
Makeup Lens
The Brief
The Inspiration for the Look
As a Unity noob, I wanted to begin exploring the capabilities this software offers therefore I wanted the game to have simple physics. I chose to create a bowling simulator with a bowling ball and pins I found from the Blender asset store. I set inserted my assets as gameobjects then made them prefabs to be able to reuse them, which is important when it comes to resetting/respawning. I then created two TMP buttons with 3 empty game objects to hold each C# script that allows the assets to be respawned and pushed by the click of a mouse using a Raycaster. To make my game function realistically, I set up some physics such as a Rigidbody and Colliders. I used a Sphere Collider for the bowling ball and a Capsule Collider for the pins. After these steps, I had a functioning realistic bowling simulator.
Exploring Unity
Exploring Lens Studio
For this project I wanted to fullfill my wish to learn how to create Snapchat filters, I've always been curious on how these lens were made. I thought I would recreate one of my makeup looks digitally on Lens Studio and give the user the option to edit colors using a UI color slider.
While my idea didnt come alive this time, I did learn a lot about Lens Studio from trying this, from getting familiar with the UI to finding similarities from other Softwares such as Blender and Unity. I hope to continue to play with creating filters in Lens in the future as I did find it really fun.
Using Lens Assets
I didn't know where to start, so I used two assets in the Asset Libary those being the 3D Makeup Helper and the UI Color Picker. This helped me greatly with the set up of this project. As I was able to easily control settings.
UI Difficulties
When it came time to script and connect the UI to the color properties, I was of course lost as a Lens Studio beginner. I looked through forums and tutorials in hopes to find anything that could guide me on this, but I was even more lost in the directions. Therefore my Lens is incomplete.
Custom Makeup
I wanted to change the silhouette of the eyeshadow, therefore I found the file in my Mac's Finder and editted the mask on Photoshop. After creating the ideal shape, I saved and saw the makeup change to my liking.
Create a simple interactive experience in Unity. It can be based on a simple game mechanic, or emulate a real-world task. The objects in your world can be purely symbolic (e.g. a sphere for a person and a capsule for a dog), but if you'd like more realism you can import objects from Blender or download assets from Unity Asset store. - there are plenty of free ones. Use the example from class to reference how to add Input and make your object respond to mouse clicks. Don't forget to make good use of the built-in physics. Record a screen grab video of the experience and the built-in interactions and post it on your design blogs along with the description of the goal and the making process.
The Brief
Experiment how AI-driven generative work can support your design practice, specifically we will be focusing on your capstone project.
Applied AI in Thesis Development
Utilizing Moises.AI for Auto-Anaylsis
To assist my Senior thesis, I explored how AI can be used to separate a single audio file into channels, used to better refine my audio-reactive visual in TouchDesigner. I discovered Moises.AI is a free AI tool designed for use cases like mine. It was fast and simple to use as well as efficant for extracting data from audio that I needed to insert within my audio-visualizer.
Separating Channels
With Moises.AI I was able to successfully upload my audio file, select and export the file into different separated channels that I needed to add depth into my audio-visualizer. (This took less than 5 minutes!)
Referencing "Seed"
The last step was to reference my Audio Seed I created in my noise operators (Highlighted in Green). After this step was complete my visualizer had spesfic values from the audio file to use resulting in a synced audio-reactive visual.
Creating Audio "Seeds"
After exporting the channels from Moises.AI, I fed them into the Audioanalysis tool in TouchDesigner to gather values of the lows and rhytem in each channel. I simplifed the values to create a seed which can be CHOP referenced to my noise operators in my network.
Final Outcome of using Moises.AI to separate parts of audio for auto-anaylsis in TouchDesigner
Audio-Reactive Visual Results
The Brief
As a Unity noob, I wanted to begin exploring the capabilities this software offers therefore I wanted the game to have simple physics. I chose to create a bowling simulator with a bowling ball and pins I found from the Blender asset store. I set inserted my assets as gameobjects then made them prefabs to be able to reuse them, which is important when it comes to resetting/respawning. I then created two TMP buttons with 3 empty game objects to hold each C# script that allows the assets to be respawned and pushed by the click of a mouse using a Raycaster. To make my game function realistically, I set up some physics such as a Rigidbody and Colliders. I used a Sphere Collider for the bowling ball and a Capsule Collider for the pins. After these steps, I had a functioning realistic bowling simulator.
Exploring Unity
Applied AI in Thesis Development
Connect Through Play
Inside Gozo, passengers can enjoy a variety of interactive games during their ride. One of the featured experiences, Gozo Trivia, is designed to spark connection by encouraging families to build memories and share meaningful moments. To deepen engagement and reduce screen distraction, Gozo integrates emerging technologies such as AR overlay displays on the side windows of the vehicle. These displays allow passengers to participate in games and activities that are spatially and socially immersive—shifting their focus away from individual devices and toward each other.
Huge shoutout to Thanh Quach for 3D rendering!
linkedin.com/in/thanh-quach-4a998620b/Usability testing with BMW Designworks
Concept Trailer
Problem
Solution
Insights
Key Features
In today’s fast-paced world, busy schedules and constant distractions make it harder than ever for families to connect. From our research, we found that 73% of U.S adults prioritize family time, yet families spend only 53 minutes per day; for single-parent households, that time is 5 hours less. (Sources: Pew Research Center, Research Gate, US Census Bureau) We kept this in mind when developing Gozo and Gozo Trivia.
We began the project with field research, taking a ride in a Waymo to better understand the current user journey. This firsthand experience helped us map out the storyboards of the user journey, build an empathy map, and create our personas. We chose to focus on single-parent households, which led to the development of Mia and Farah as our primary users. Guided by these personas, we conducted secondary research to support and inform our design decisions. Usability testing played a key role in helping us refine both our low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes, ultimately shaping the final prototype. One of the most valuable pieces of feedback we received centered on improving legibility and clarifying the visual distinction between the car's native UI and the game interface.
Inspired by current emerging technologies and journeys of users like Mia and Farah, led us to design an autonomous vehicle ride share service that guides riders into meaningful and memorable conversations through play. From creating a space to unplug from phones by storing them in a charging, UV-sanitization compartment in the center console, to allowing users to choose from multiplayer games such as Gozo Trivia. Gozo Trivia prompts players to interact with the world around them using ARCore Geospatial API by identifying landmarks as they get to point A to B. We designed trivia questions around the landmarks you see along your route. From our user testing, we saw how these questions sparked teamwork and meaningful connections.
Rewind the Ride
During key, exciting moments in the game, riders are offered the option to capture in-car photo memories. Safety and privacy are top priorities—no personal data or images are stored in the vehicle after the ride ends. Once the journey is complete, users can access Rewind the Ride, a feature that allows them to revisit their Gozo experience. Here, they can save photos from their ride, track their trivia performance, and see how they ranked on the leaderboard—turning every ride into a lasting memory.
Gozo is an autonomous ride share service designed to bring families closer together through conversation, play, and shared experiences.
Designed by Birgess Weston, Arthur Jensen, Celia Choi, Lois Kim and Michelle Cheng. In partnership with BMW Designworks to explore the future of autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Birgess 2025 • Copyright
This performance brings independent DJ, Enraile's music to life through live audio-reactive visual compositions. The experience aims to enhance both the artist’s identity and the audience’s connection to the performance—turning each set into a uniquely immersive and memorable event.
Designed by Birgess in collaboration with Enraile.
Live Audio Integration
Birgess chose to design a modular TouchDesigner network that would fit into Enraile's workflow seamlessly. Enraile uses Ableton and the software's keyboard MIDI capablities, therefore she incorporated Ableton (via TDAbleton) and used MIDI + keyboard triggers for live video switching. It’s lightweight and customizable, so artists like Enraile can adapt visuals to fit any set or venue—without needing a whole tech team.
-Enraile
“Working with Birgess on this collaborative project has deeply inspired how I see my live performance workflow. Implementing Touchdesigner playback through Ableton Live taught me a lot of new techniques I can apply to creating live audio-reactive visualizations for my music performances."
Video from SMC's CMD 2025 Grad Show
Live in Action
Final Touchdesigner Network with Keyboard Video Switchs linked to visualizer bases, and Projection Mapping inside a container.
Problem
Solution
Insights
Key Features
Network Overview
WAV//FORM was inspired by Birgess’s connection to underground music scenes and her recognition of a critical need: strategic creative support for independent artists. She observed that many emerging talents struggle to balance artistic production with the technical and promotional demands of performance. Hence, outsourcing specialized creative work gives the artist extra time to focus on their craft.
Although Birgess had primarily worked in static visuals, including album artwork and promotional materials. This project challenged her far beyond her comfort zone—teaching herself motion graphics, audio-reactive programming, and live performance integration. Using a mix of TouchDesigner, Python, and Ableton Live, she constructed a performance system that links sound and visuals in real time. Birgess created this work in collaboration with Enraile, and she hopes to expand this support model to other independent artists, enriching their performances and amplifying their artistic reach.
Birgess designed a visual performance setup to sync seamlessly with Ableton, Enraile's perfered music production software to provide control over the live music and visuals at the same time, all in one computer. This setup not only is compact and easy to travel with, but holds the power to control all parts of a live performance into limited equipment such as a laptop, keyboard, and projector. The designed experience aimed to enhance both the artist’s identity as well as the audience’s connection to the performance, and it achieved just that. During the performance at SMC's CMD 2025 Grad Show, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Some guests quoting, "This feels like I’m tripping", “It’s really incredible”, and “Very impressive!” along with frequent “Woahs” and “Wows”. This project accomplished the goal of immersing people as we saw reactions from the croud such as recording the visualizer with their phones and connecting with both Enraile and Birgess to see the performance live again.
Projection Performance Ready
Since Enraile is a independant artist who performs at small venues that usually don't offer led screens or visual tech teams, Birgess found it important to help bridge the gap of delivering captivating visualizations. To support artists like Enraile's musical performances she found that projection mapping is an inexpendsive, portable and versitle display method for visuals. Birgess designed projection mapping capabilties within the project file using Kantan projection mapping, a tool offered in Touchdesigner.
Digital Mockup for Exhibit Space
Birgess 2025 • Copyright