The design for Dialog was selected through an international design competition in 2002. This is the brief the Walker Art Center used to approach approximately 30 artists, designers, and architects for what was then called the "telematic table": "We are envisioning a human-scaled interface that is neither a standard desktop computer nor a public kiosk, but which viscerally engages the user; encourages social interaction among groups of people, can be networked and adapt to a variety of situations and museum spaces. Like an ordinary table, the telematic table is a space of gathering and exchange. It will give its users access to the Walker's multidisciplinary collections and resources, foster curiosity and inquiry into the museum's information assets, and create a setting for social interaction and dialogue among groups of visitors."

Dialog, as Walczak's team named it, has gone through many iterations. A fully functional table was created to serve as a protoype during the Strangely Familiar: Design and Everyday Life exhibition. The final table was installed April 2005 for the opening of the Walker Art Center's expansion.

Dialog was commissioned by the Walker with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bush Foundation.