TMP Worldwide
AABot Drop AR App
TMP Worldwide got in touch with an exciting project that would result in a unique augmented reality app.
They wanted to develop the AA‘s existing 2D robot character, Bot, who was the face of the AA careers website in a fun and engaging app.
The brief was split into three stages…
1. Take the existing 2D vector style head, and create a full 3D robot with a body and more facial expressions.
2. Create 11 animations featuring Bot in various scenarios and environments.
3. This would all need to be wrapped up inside a mobile app that would allow the animations to be accessed via AR. The unique part of this app would be the ability to share videos and images from the app via social media and the plan was for this feature to be utilised for a competition the AA would run.
Character design
Vinyl designer toys and Pixar/Disney films were the main references that we all liked. I tried to keep it nice and simple with lots of room for animation and expression.
World style
I explored some options and came up with a mixed style I called diorama which TMP worldwide really responded to. It involved having the main characters in the same vinyl style as Bot while the background and props were in a 2D/3D paper style. Simpler objects like blades of grass would be ‘made’ out of thin card in the ‘2D’ paper style; more complex background objects such as the stage and speakers in the rock concert scene were ‘made’ in the 3D paper style; then more important props or objects that Bot would interact with like the football, snowboard or scuba mask would be made in the same vinyl style as Bot.
I made some paper examples to make sure the modellers that I worked with were capturing the quirks paper models can create. For example with the crowds in the football and rock concert scenes we wanted the ‘paper’ crowd to slightly warp and bend as thin card would when cut into the proper shape. We also made some 3D cubes and cuboids to study the folds and joins of the paper models.
Character Animation
TMP Worldwide and the AA already had an established character in Bot. He had traits of Moss from the IT crowd, Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy, Mork from Mork and Mindy and Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. It was my job to bring these traits out in the animation, to bring Bot’s awkward bravado and sense of humour to life.
There were also some really secondary characters to animate like the shark and the eagle.
UX
The user experience was a major part of creating the app. Simply put designing UX is making sure that the user has a nice time with the app and doesn’t get frustrated or confused by not having a clear expectation of what to do and the knowledge of how to do it.
I created a detailed wireframe/flowchart to to make sure the were no logic holes or flaws in the app, this was great for the client to get a sense of how the app would turn out in the end. This came before the UI (user interface) stage as designing the UX of the app helped inform us of what UI would be needed.
UI
With so many devices on the market, designing the user interface for the app that would accommodate the layouts of the majority of mobile and tablet devices was quite an undertaking. Newer devices have physical notches, camera holes and in screen menu bars that need to be considered when designing the UI. I worked closely with TMP Worldwide to create a user interface they were happy with aesthetically and one that would work well with the features of modern devices.
Testing,
Testing,
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As with any app development, testing is key. We stress tested the app for weeks to iron out the inevitable bugs that get thrown up. We made a thorough checklist that made sure each feature of the app worked as it should and flagged any issues that arose. With time and hard work we isolated and fixed any bugs and errors that were found until we had a smooth experience using the app.
Competition time
The result was a unique AR app with the capability to record videos and take images of Bot and share these through the social media app of the users choice, something no other AR app seems to deliver. The AA hosted events at shopping centres around the UK to promote the app and launched a competition where users of the app would share their images or videos of Bot on social media using #wheresbotbeen. They had hundreds of entries and some great and imaginative places for where Bot had been.
“Now the AA are using The AA Bot Drop app to raise employer brand awareness and deliver recruitment messages in an unexpected, immersive and engaging way – cutting through more traditional recruitment communications to engage a wider, passive audience and increase their potential talent pool.”
recruiter.co.uk
