Interactive Digital Activations
I have produced and product managed a wide variety of interactive applications including VR, AR, touchscreen and gesture-based experiences.
Developing a deep understanding of the client’s brand, audience and goals is essential to successful conception and completion of a custom interactive project. During the initial design phase, I work closely with the client to develop an overarching design strategy which informs the main project direction. During production I balance the client’s business, brand and user needs with technical feasibility.
Here are some of my examples of previous projects:
The Druva Challenge
Druva approached Helios to create an engaging experience to aligned with their marketing campaign “Conquer your mountain of data” featuring Game of Thrones actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson aka “The Mountain”.
Initially the client was interested in a VR experience, but as we worked through the design strategy it became clear that VR would not give the kind of wider audience engagement and low barrier to participation that they were looking for. Instead, we came up with a gesture-based climbing game, with side by side playing stations to allow guests to compete with each other or even “The Mountain” himself. An external leaderboard fueled competition and at the end of each day the highest scoring players were awarded prizes. Guest information was collected on a tablet at the beginning of the experience and stored for future promotional use.
My role: Design strategy, account management, product management, production.
Bank of the West
As the sponsor of the BNP Paribas Tennis Open, Bank of the West wanted a fun activation to generate social media shares. The Helios team devised a way to track tennis racquet swings, and we used that in combination with the tournament’s floral branding to customize guest selfies.
The app collected guest contact information and social media engagement was tracked via a client-accessible dashboard. This was one of our most-visited activations of 2019.
My role: Design strategy, account management, product management, production.
Microsoft Landmark
Conceived as the centerpiece of a show floor, “the Landmark” is not only a show stopping structure, but also a showcase for Microsoft’s most cutting-edge innovations. The whole installation is portable and customizable, and the structure is designed to physically represent Microsoft’s Intelligent Cloud, Intelligent Edge system of IoT devices linked with AI.
The first application developed for the Landmark touchscreens is an interactive simulation explaining how Microsoft’s technologies are changing the future of farming. We worked closely with the client to learn about the work they are doing on precision farming - integrating networks of IoT devices with cloud-based AI to increase efficiency and crop yield and address food shortages. We then translated that into an interactive presentation featuring custom animated environments, informational panels and interaction points to keep guests engaged.
As well as the LED screen ring, our fabrication partners DGTL created a kinetic sculpture of moving rings around a central circular medallion, and customizable lighting that can be adapted to suit an event or sponsor.
The Landmark has traveled to trade shows and events across North America. It was featured in the 2018 keynote at Microsoft Ignite in Orlando and won the Freeman Design Impact Award for 2018.
My role: Associate digital producer, video producer & director
Atlassian
Atlassian was looking for a way to engage attendees at Atlassian Summit 2019. The goal was to create an experience based on attendee data. Helios created a large-scale data visualization station featuring a variety of polarized screens. Attendees were asked to answer questions on the tablets provided and then were handed polarized sunglasses. When the attendees put on those glasses, they were able to instantly see results from the surveys in real time — what was a blank screen before was now a real-time data visualization.
The activation created an opportunity for Atlassian to gather insights from attendees while also providing them with an insightful and memorable experience. The survey questions focussed on attendee’s understanding of building and maintaining strong effective teams. By the end of the event the top quality that guests across all sectors value in their teams was trust.
My role: Digital Producer (inc account management, product management and project management)