Summary

Smart home tech can save more than just money. It can save our lives and prevent disastrous scenarios, like CO2 poisoning or coming back from vacation to a flooded home.

To demonstrate this, we created 6 experiential retail space experiences, each telling an emotion-driven story of how smart home could improve their lives beyond the practicalities. From smell and smoke machines to touch screen-reactive running water, we provided a multi-sensory experience from beginning to end.

Details

Client:

A home electronics brand

Agency:

900lbs

Category:

Experiential

Timeline:

8 months

Skills:

Concepting / User Experience / Storytelling / Creative Direction

Objective

Create and execute an experiential retail to bring their products to life

A recognized home electronics brand expanding into the smart home technology space wanted make a splash, get noticed, and beat out the biggest smart home names in the business. Our task was to create and execute an experiential retail space from start to finish that would bring to life a practical category through engaging experiences and storytelling.

Insight

Smart home marketing is practical, not emotional

The White Rabbit. Mad Hatter. The "Bloody" Red Queen. Cheshire Cat...these are all beloved characters that create such a profound sense of joy bring out our inner child. The story of falling down a rabbit hole, wandering through a strange place with odd characters, yet eventually finding a sense of rationality in an irrational world, is something we can all relate to (in a way). So in order to create an experience that people can connect to, I spearheaded the creation of a storyworld where outlandish and whimsical just seems like another day in Wonderland.

Solution

Smart Home Experience Center

At the time the project kicked off, smart home had become a practical category. The messaging was focused on how much money or gallons of water was saved per year...yet it lacked the emotional connection to make people compelled to buy. Since people make 95% of purchasing decisions through subconscious emotions (Gerald Zaltman), the insight was that smart home tech can save more than just money. It can save our lives and prevent disastrous scenarios, like CO2 poisoning or coming back from vacation to a flooded home, thanks to their whole home system.

This insight I discovered inspired all of our interactive experiences via an emotion-driven story of how smart home could improve their lives beyond the practicalities. From smell and smoke machines to touch screen-reactive running water, we provided a multi-sensory experience from beginning to end.

Throughout the project, I led the strategy, ideation, and co-led the creative development of the project alongside the Creative Director. The research I did on the category, their business, and the opportunity revealed the insight that inspired all of the spaces. I also led and facilitated workshops with the company's architectural partner to draft the initial plans, led the creative development of two experiences ("Water" and "The Eye"), worked with technical departments for sourcing AV and the gamified interactions throughout the space, collaborated with designers on the UX/UI, and tag teamed with the producer to find the right fabrication partners for unique engineering challenges.

The experience was divided into 6 main experiences:

The Eye

This surreal multi-sensory experience (complete with projection mapping and choreographed smoke and smell effects) provides the “why” through storytelling. Scenarios included a burning home, flooding, burglary, among others.

Super Connected

Allows guests an x-ray view of their home through transparent screens to show the inner networks within the home, which helps visitors decide which other areas resonate with them.

Water

Allow guests to see “behind the wall” of the pipes of their home and identify issues that happen in real time through clear aquarium-like boxes with real, running water inside controlled by their app.

Air

Guests fight invisible threats that impact air quality (humidity, dryness, odor, sanitation) and the products that directly improve each scenario.

Energy

Guests use mechanical air cannons that shoot real smoke rings at a gamified digital display to solve energy risks.

Security

Explores security scenarios alongside the professionals installing and protecting their home.

Concept

Use AR to animate instructions right off the page for improved context

AR provides two key features that help users further understand their environment. 1) It puts in augmented content wherever the user holds their phone camera and 2) Provides context in the X, Y, and Z axises instead of just two like traditional mobile applications.

Why this works

Use AR to animate instructions right off the page for improved context

IKEA Assembly is a mobile application that uses augmented reality to place animated instructions into the user's environment. The little details and context that get lost in a picture can be clarified by the user walking around, moving closer and away from the model, and iconography representing key tools and actions needed.

Why this works

Brings Emotion into a Practical Category

Converting the messaging from saving money to saving lives in a tangible way

Demos the Product in a Non-traditional way

Created interactive demos that emphasize "show" rather than "tell" of smart home

Demonstrated the company's Innovative Spirit

This experience center showcased their latest tech for customers and clients to see

The Process

behind-the-scenes

Concepting, designing, and prototyping to solve
problems and create exceptional experiences

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Features

Feature One

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Research

https://angelica-ortiz.dropmark.com/643189

Initial Brainstorming and Sketches

Experience Objectives

EXPERIENCE RULES (INTERNAL)
1) The experience should involve everyone at the table
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2) Don’t have them look down; have them look around and talk with each other
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3) Experience is primarily passive, with some interactions during the experience to drink or eat to move the story along
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4) Waiters/Waitresses are called guides. Should have some acting experience to become a character within the experience to guide the guests.

5) Projection is meant to augment the experience, not take away from it - should have just enough intrigue to keep guests interested in their surroundings, but not so much that they don’t eat their food.
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6) The pods for this experience should be in a separate area from the existing restaurant to ensure we can test before scaling up. Make sure the lights and sounds from the pods don’t spill over into the existing dining area

BEST PRACTICES
1) The menu and the story should be seamlessly tied together (ex. when in the forest, you have forest-themed food and drink items).
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2) Bringing in food is timed so when guests are brought in and out of the pod, no one sees people on the outside delivering food.
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3) Preset menu (such as a Prix Fixe) would be best for this type of experience (ex. 3 appetizers, 2 smaller entrees, 2 desserts, and some drinks).
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4) No a la carte to streamline the process and rhythm of the experience. Only a la carte potential might be other alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks ordered at the very beginning.

FUTURE PHASE OBJECTIVES
1) Experience recorded for later viewing (even there being a camera that takes pictures at climatic moments).

2) The pods could be converted into separate rooms, with each room having its own environment (ex. Move to the Forest Room, Move to the Ocean Room, etc.). Would have elements of each to ramp up the immersive feel.
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3) Have guest pre-choose online which experience they want to do, or choose after they’ve checked in to their reservation (ex. Tour of Wonderland, Save the Hare, etc. Experience tiers would be passive, active, or a mix in between).

4) Each guest has a wristband or some other personal device given to them that allows them access into Wonderland (would have RFID tag inside). Could be similar to Disney’s wristband and could even scale for being throughout the property. Predominantly used for tracking what experience they chose, providing access into Wonderland, and sending them photos of their experience.