UX/UI Design
National Air and Space Part II
―Museum
Part II covers interactives designed for galleries that opened at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in July 2026, including TEXTRON How Things Fly, Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air, and RTX Living in the Space Age. I designed the UX and UI for touchscreen games, a touch table, a digital photo archive, a virtual tour, and an illustrated interactive story, each built around a hands-on way to understand flight and spaceflight.
CLIENT: NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, WASHINGTON DC ROLES: UX, UI DESIGN YEAR: 2026 TYPE OF MEDIA: INTERACTIVE MEDIA
INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Design a Rocket
As the lead engineer for a space exploration company, visitors design and test a custom rocket to meet a mission goal: sub-orbital, orbital or escape velocity. They build their rocket part by part, choosing its shape, fuel, controls and stages, and watch how each choice shifts the forces of flight. A preflight check and a simulated launch show whether the design has what it takes.
The attract screen invites visitors to design a rocket and test it for launch.
Visitors pick a design goal: sub-orbital, orbital or escape velocity.
In the Design Lab, visitors swap components and see how each one changes thrust, drag and gravity.
Before launch, visitors run a preflight check on propellant, controls and rocket stages.
Each system is tested one at a time.
Warnings flag weak spots, and visitors can head back to the Design Lab or launch anyway.
During launch, visitors track their rocket's altitude and speed against their goal.
The flight tracker follows the rocket as it climbs through the atmosphere.
If the rocket falls short, visitors learn why and what to try next.
A successful launch celebrates the design and explains the trade-offs behind it.
Visitors compare their final design with real rockets used in space exploration.
INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Design an Airplane
In this companion activity, visitors become the lead engineer for an aeronautics company. They pick a mission goal: fly faster, fly higher or fly farther. Then they build an airplane by choosing its fuselage, wings, engine and material. A live readout shows how each part affects lift, weight, thrust and drag before visitors take their design on a test flight.
The attract screen invites visitors to design an airplane and test it in flight.
Visitors choose a design goal: fly faster, fly higher or fly farther.
The Design Lab starts empty, prompting visitors to choose a fuselage first.
Each component comes with a short description and shows how it changes the forces of flight.
Visitors finish with an engine and a material, like composite, aluminum or wood.
On the test flight, a gauge tracks the airplane's speed against the mission goal.
Results show whether the design met its goal and what to change next time.
Visitors compare the parts they chose with real airplanes from aviation history.
INTERACTIVE TOUCH TABLE
The Battle of Midway
Visitors take command as Commander of the Air Group during the Battle of Midway. From the deck of an aircraft carrier, they receive intelligence from headquarters, study the mission map, and choose the best aircraft for each mission. Archival film and photos show what really happened, and how intelligence, planning and a little luck helped turn the war in the Pacific.
The attract screen invites visitors to take command and help the Allies win World War II.
An intro film sets the scene with archival footage of the fleet.
Visitors learn their role: choose the best aircraft for each mission.
On the carrier deck, an alert from headquarters brings new intelligence.
A mission map shows enemy positions, distances and the time of each report.
Visitors review four aircraft and pick the best one to defend Midway.
Each aircraft has a field card with its role, range, strengths and weaknesses.
Archival film shows the aircraft in action.
When visitors send the right airplane, they learn how it was used in the real battle.
The final screen explains how the U.S. won the Battle of Midway and why it mattered.
INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Period Portraits
It Takes a Nation invites visitors to browse historical color portraits from World War II. Aircrew, ground crew, war workers and posters fill a hangar-style gallery that visitors can sort by category. Each portrait opens with its story, and every image can be zoomed in to see the details up close.
The attract screen invites visitors to explore historical portraits from World War II.
Portraits fill a hangar-style gallery that visitors can page through.
Tapping a portrait opens it with its story, and arrows lead to the next one.
Visitors can sort the gallery by category, like aircrew, ground crew, war workers and advertisements.
Any portrait can be opened full screen and zoomed in for a closer look.
INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Skylab Orbital Workshop
Next to the backup of Skylab, the first U.S. space station, visitors take a virtual tour inside. They move between the living area and the work and storage level, tap hotspots to learn how astronauts lived and worked on board, and try activities like reheating a meal in microgravity. One room, three people, 84 days. Could you?
The attract screen draws visitors in with a question: how did Skylab astronauts shower?
An introduction welcomes visitors aboard the Skylab Orbital Workshop.
Visitors tap or drag to look around the living area and choose hotspots to explore.
Arrows move visitors between the two levels of the station.
The second level shows the work and storage area.
Hotspots open panels with photos, descriptions and related content.
Each hotspot, like the orbital motion chair, explains how Skylab was designed for life in space.
In the meal activity, visitors turn the food tray to begin.
Visitors choose a food from the storage drawer.
They place the food in the heating tray and learn how it worked.
Then they reheat the food, just as Skylab astronauts did.
Finally, visitors grab their silverware and learn how it stayed in place in microgravity.
INTERACTIVE TOUCH SCREEN
Orbital Odyssey
Visitors learn Kepler's three laws of orbital motion by flying a satellite. For each law, they first watch how an orbit behaves, then take on a challenge, adjusting thrust and direction to reach a target orbit. Simple visual cues for velocity and gravity show how the two forces shape every path around a planet.
The attract screen invites visitors to use Kepler's three laws to travel across the solar system.
Each law begins with a short introduction, starting with the shape of an orbit.
Visitors watch how gravity and velocity shape a satellite's elliptical orbit.
In each challenge, visitors adjust thrust and direction to match a target orbit.
A successful attempt explains what the visitor changed and why it worked.
If the orbit misses the target, a hint helps visitors try again.
The next law explains how a satellite's speed changes along its orbit.
The conclusion recaps all three laws.
INTERACTIVE STORY
Where's My Package?
Space systems are always at work in our daily lives. This comic-style story follows Julie as she orders a new telescope, showing how satellites help at every step, from processing her payment to getting her package on its way. Across three chapters, short activities let visitors try each system for themselves.
The attract screen introduces the story: space systems are always at work in our daily lives.
Chapter 1 shows how satellites keep time for modern banking.
Julie wants to buy a new telescope.
She places her order on her phone.
The story zooms out to show how GPS satellites help her bank process the payment.
Atomic clocks on GPS satellites timestamp each step of the transaction.
In a short activity, visitors advance the clock to add the bank's timestamp.
Julie's payment is confirmed, thanks to precise satellite timing.
A shipping company worker is notified and prepares her package.
Julie's telescope is loaded into a shipping container, setting up Chapter 2.
Getting In Touch
If you would like to know more or talk, feel free to DM me on any of my social media profiles.
sebastianyepesdesign@gmail.com