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Message TED Genetic Symphony Genentech is a biotech company that tackles difficult-to-treat medical conditions across the globe by creating innovative—and increasingly personalized—treatments. As a sponsor of the 2012 TED conference in Long Beach, CA, the company approached IDEO to partner in creating a Genentech “social space” for the TED exhibit hall. The Genentech “Infinite Variations” exhibit at TED2012 created the world’s first “genetic symphony,” enabling cheek-swabbers to rock out to their genetic code and learn more about epigenetics and personalized medicine. Of the 1500 TED2012 conference attendees, 1200 joined in the genetic experiment in music. What do the genes of a 1000+ people sound like? Listen to the TED Symphony here to find out. Scientifically accurate, individual, engaging, and fun, “Infinite Variations” is designed to immerse people in an innovative experience with science and spark novel, approachable conversations about genetics. Those people interested in boosting scientific research on an individual level were connected with the Harvard Personal Genome Project, a partner in this exhibit. The digital brand team at Genentech was tasked with answering this provocative question: How might we make leading-edge science accessible to mass audiences? This led the team to the provocation: What if we could turn genes into music? Like the music of individual instruments, each person’s genetic code is unique. With this provocation in mind, IDEO worked closely with Genentech on rapid prototyping to determine the scientific feasibility of overnight gene analysis. Could a TED participant leave a gene sample (cheek swab) one day, and return the next day to discover that it had been analyzed overnight and turned into a unique song? The answer was yes. After rapid prototyping over the course of four weeks, the Genentech exhibit was unveiled at TED2012. At the heart of the experience is music, including 6500 unique musical combinations and a symphony track composed to reflect the genetic diversity of the entire TED community. To participate in “Infinite Variations,” an individual would first select a unique trait button pinned to the packaging of a “swab kit,” then swab the inside of their cheek to collect a genetic sample and place the swab back into a protective tube. Then, the anonymous sample would be collected at the exhibit and shipped to Genentech’s lab for overnight analysis. Four genes were analyzed in order to compose a unique music track: Muscle Performance, Caffeine Sensitivity, Food Preference, and Short-Term Memory. The next day, an individual would use the code on the back of their button to reveal their music track. After ‘remixing’ to include environmental factors that affect the expression of genes—i.e. epigenetics—individuals could download and share their unique song. (Some people choose to use it as their mobile phone ringtone.) On the final day of TED2012, a professional DJ remixed all of the TED musical tracks to unveil the world’s first genetic symphony of TED. IDEO’s end-to-end stewardship of the TED2012 exhibit includes concept design, iPad app development, experience design, packaging design, and digital design. Because of this exhibit, 1200 individuals learned about how genes and the environment combine to make their traits, and that it’s really not scary to give a genetic sample. The infinite variations of the entire TED community can be heard here. http://www.ideo.com/work/ted-infinite-variations-genetic-symphony