StoryCorps at TED

As the recipient of the TED 2015 prize, StoryCorp were invited create a unique experience sponsored by Citi at the TED conference that year.  The primary program was to build a custom recording booth where attendees could use the new app that had been released to record their own stories and add to the StoryCorp database. In addition, two more experiences were developed to promote the art of storytelling: Your Brain on Stories and Wordless Stories.

Your Brain on Stories was a small kiosk that allowed users to listen to a story and have their heart rate monitored and graphed. At the end of the story, a small postcard would be printed of the heart rate graph that they could then take with them as a reminder of their experience. Wordless Stories was a snappy tablet game that required users to quickly identify famous stories—movies or literature—by only four emoji. High scores were recorded and displayed.

While numerous recordings were made during the conference, others vowed to share the app with their close acquaintances and family when they returned home. Many attendees described the StoryCorp experience as one of the highlights of their time at the conference.

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