The Penguin Academy kiosks at Living Coasts allow users to choose their own penguin to nurture, grow and teach skills to survive in the wild. Users learn through play about a penguins’ lifecycle of feeding, breeding and evading predators. Penguin fanatics can also play online, but can only get to a certain level of the game before they have to visit the Living Coasts attraction and enter a secret code to unlock the final levels.
“We really had a fantastic experience with HMC, the whole purpose was to come up with a concept that was lively, interactive, but that also taught our visitors about marine pollution issues and they’ve really managed to do that for us!” Elaine Lambert — Director, Living Coasts
Dwell time at Living Coasts has dramatically increased in the area at Living Coasts in which the Penguin Academy is situated. Hundreds of penguins are still competing for top spot on the leaderboards.
I also setup a Facebook page for one of Living Coasts’ penguins to support the online games. Bizarrely (I guess everyone wants to be friends with a Penguin) Ping at Living Coasts now has over has 1,000 friends on the account. Living Coasts use the Facebook site in a very clever way; telling people about special offers, inviting people to events and telling stories about how the other penguins are getting on.
Role
Project management, UX, Design, Development, Install
Length
3 months. Completed in 2008
Team size
Creative Director, Project manager, 2xDesigners, UX, 2xDevelopers, 2xInstall crew
Deliverable
3xKiosks, Web games, Facebook site
Design process
Interaction audit, concepting, UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
Hoyts is one of the largest cinema chains in Australasia with 450 screens across 40 Australian and 9 New Zealand cinema complexes.
I worked on a complete back and front end redesign which included a quick ticket module where users could view trailers and book and buy tickets from the homepage, competition systems, membership schemes and for Hoyts’ exclusive cinema screens such as La Première, Halfpipe and Xtremescreen users could book their own seating arrangements.
The site has since been redesigned but I’m pleased to see many of the user flows I orignially set out are still being used: http://www.hoyts.com.au/
Role
Project management, UX
Length
6 months. Completed in 2007
Team size
Creative Director, 2xProject managers, 3xDesigners, 2xUX, 5xDevelopers
Deliverable
Website
Design process
Interaction audit, competitor research, concepting, UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
The Express Visual Check microsite is primarily a training tool for Volkswagen Retailer staff. As a user enters the site they are presented with an explorable landscape which includes a number of interactive areas. The ‘cut-up’ style of the interface is deliberate, compiling the key areas that are present within each Volkswagen Retailer across the UK in one succinct representation.
I designed the microsite to present otherwise dry information in an engaging and interesting way. Videos and animation are utlised heavily to catch a users attention and illustrate the training material. Users are encouraged to view every site section, but the order in which they do this is not through a prescribed linear route. This increases the number of return visitors as users dip in and out of the information they require.
Volkswagen Retailers nationwide have loved using this microsite to keep them up to date with current Volkswagen procedures. To see a copy of the site click here: http://www.demo.twofourdigital.net/evc/stub.html
Role
UX, design and development
Length
4 weeks. Completed in 2006
Team size
Project manager, 2xDesigners, UX, 2xDevelopers
Deliverable
Website
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
The Volkswagen Business Forum delivers consistent and coherent messages to the geographically dispersed Retail network and to staff at Head Office. Fortnightly broadcasts are filmed, edited and encoded. The video footage is backed up by facts, figures and graphics to achieve maximum impact and value as a communication tool, then streamed the following day to Retailers.
The site is secure and measurable – with online reports available to show how many people are accessing each area, who they are and when they are viewing. I managed the site and the production of the webchats, discussion forum, product launches and web broadcasts; this included building slides, synchronising video content to these slides and rigorous cross platform testing.
Role
Software project management, UX, design and development
Length
6 weeks. Then monthly broadcasts through 2004-06
Team size
2xProject managers, 2xDesigners, UX, 4xDevelopers
Deliverable
Extranet
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
I designed and built the interface for the Audi A4 USB project which included five minutes of video and many interactive features to show off and explain the design, the engine, the lights, the interior, the grille and the chassis of the new Audi A4.
“It is a tough act to follow the many memorable car marketing initiatives… the campaign, with its video and interactive content oozes class and innovation, living up to Audi’s reputation.” Paul Handley, MD of Rhythmm in Marketing magazine
The biggest challenge was to strike the perfect balance between including the best possible video and setting it into the kind of highly polished interface that the first-rate brand identity of Audi demands. With the video taking up 42MB of the 64MB of space available on the USB, I used a combination of authoring software knowledge along with intelligently selective compression and inspired optical illusion to force each and every byte of the spare capacity to yield incredible value.
The A4 USB is a highly desirable object. Branded with the Audi name and logo it extended Audi’s brand values over another new platform, reinforcing its reputation as the UK’s most innovative car brand whilst providing extensive exclusive information about the new A4 to a hand picked audience.
“That’s what we are looking to achieve every time – create stories.” Gary Savage, Head of Marketing, Audi UK
The USB Sticks were direct mailed to a selected database of customers and prospects in a stylish black box. This was the first time USB keys had been direct mailed in the UK with such sophisticated content to promote a new product.
Role
Software project management, UX, design and development
Length
2 weeks. Completed in 2005
Team size
2xProject managers, Designer, UX, 2xDevelopers
Deliverable
Branded USB stick
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
I was commissioned to produce an exciting and user-friendly media pack to be distributed to press at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Developed as a new and innovative delivery method the USB sticks provided a useful re-usable resource, which, with the appropriate branding, provided marketing longevity long after the content had been used. The sticks contained press releases, profiles, a gallery of photographs and logos, contact details and an interactive garden tour featuring an Attractometer.
The Attractometer game gave users the opportunity to build their own virtual garden online and run the ‘attractometer’ to see how attractive it might be to birds. It also provided tips on the kinds of features that could be used to attract birds into a garden. The USB media packs proved to be extremely popular at the show with 500 given out to journalists.
Role
Software project management, UX, design and development
Length
2 weeks. Completed in 2005
Team size
2xProject managers, 2xDesigners, UX, 2xDevelopers
Deliverable
Branded USB stick
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
Initially Audi’s internal communications came in the form of monthly VHS-based business updates. Owing to the size of the dealer network however, this became a cumbersome and difficult to monitor method of communication. As a solution to these difficulties, I helped develop an online, intranet-driven communication platform. With video and synchronised slides available online within 24 hours of filming, Audi TV allows the brand to deliver the “Audi Experience” to customers by bringing all Centres on side and to deploy training and sales information across Audi’s new extranet. Audi TV revolutionised the ability of Audi UK to keep their dealers informed.
“Audi TV provides me with communication across the network with a very fast turnaround. It means I can deliver a direct, undiluted message to all the dealers while the information is still totally fresh and topical. What’s more, by combining the video message with sales figures and product information, the message is far more accessible and impactful than a straightforward e-mail. It’s also a highly contemporary medium – and that sits well with the Audi brand. The results – in terms of traffic on the extranet and improved sales performance, have already been impressive.” Allan Rushforth, Head of Operations, Audi UK
Audi TV contains archives of past broadcasts, feedback options and a fully functioning discussion board. I designed the site and managed the production of the web broadcasts; which included building slides, synchronising video content to these slides and rigorous cross platform testing.
Role
UX, design and development
Length
6 weeks. Then monthly broadcasts through 2003-06
Team size
2xProject managers, 2xDesigners, UX, 4xDevelopers
Deliverable
Extranet
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
Following the merger of two Lottery distributors, the Big Lottery Fund aimed to pioneer methods of public involvement, offering would-be applicants for Lottery funding and other stakeholders the chance to share their views of how Lottery money should be spent.
“Having a discussion board is a bit of a leap of faith for any organisation – providing people with a platform to criticise us if they wish. As communicators we are used to managing and controlling the messages that appear in the media. Here we are handing over control to our customers.” Huw Thomas, Big Lottery Fund
To help with this developed and managed the Big Lottery Fund Consultation Forum. The site contained video case studies, feedback options, a live webchat and was also presented with a second Welsh language version.
“A good demonstration of streaming video as an engaging communications tool. The video content adds an emotional element to the subject matter enhancing the visitor experience.” IVCA judges, Silver in the WEB TV category
In the first 3 months, the site attracted 11,343 visits and 14 hours of video were streamed. 173 postings on the discussion board were stored in the moderator’s inbox.
Role
Software project management, UX, design and development
Length
4 weeks. Completed in 2004
Team size
2xProject managers, 2xDesigners, UX, 2xDevelopers
Deliverable
Website
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements
The Nationwide AGM Webcasts were a series of 7-camera live events, which lasted for 3 hours and included presentations with synchronised slides and live video. I was project manager for the software build and created the microsite which broadcast the live video of the AGM and subsequently the archives of footage for on-demand viewing.
The events were so successful that now regular online talkback events were organised giving members the chance to question the Board.
I have also produced webcasts for Scottish Widows (CiB Gold award), DMGT, Compuware and ACCA.
Role
Software project management, UX, design, css and html development
Length
1 week yearly from 2004-06
Team size
2xProject managers, 2xDesigners, UX, 3xDevelopers, 6xInstall crew
Deliverable
Live webcasts
Design process
UX and visual design, user testing, design refinements