The Team
Alanna Libbrecht
Alex Surasky Ysasi
Ankita Arvind
Hannah Graffeo
Vaishnavi Suresh Kumar
The Challenge
Our challenge was to use technology that is mapping the inside of airports to create a different experience for travelers. We thought that children were an exciting demographic to target, because airports aren't really built to be a world for them. With technology, we realized we could create a digital overlay, a new world layered on top of the existing one that was built around their interests. By doing this, we could create confluences where parents or airlines were looking for certain things to happen - we could build an incentive into this new digital world. We thought that this could even be something that adults might play with if we did it right, so we dug in. Our goal was to create a new story about a family's trip using air transportation.
Behaviors & Incentives
Before beginning to develop the game, the team examined what behaviors different stakeholders are invested in and what incentives could be offered to passengers that would result in those behaviors. This would guide the team as we developed the game.
Imagining a New Story
As the team began to imagine the game, we created a use scenario to think through what it would be like to play our game. Our character, Alex the Plane, came into being as we wanted a companion for the game player. Some one who was on this adventure with them and would need the same kinds of things (fuel, to be ready on time to leave, etc.). With the image in mind, we developed a use scenario to keep a whole family happy during a trip through the airport.
Introducing the Andersons, a primary stakeholder example. Here we have Mom and Dad and their two young children, Andrew, age 12, and Ashley, age 7. They’re traveling today to meet Aunt Angela and they have just arrived at the airport. Alex the Plane welcomes them to Pittsburgh International! Both Andrew and Ashley are excited to see the game they love.
When we developed our scenario, we attempted to create situations in which each of the stakeholders were taken into account, this included vendors, parents, airlines and the kids themselves. We looked to integrate the reality of physical location into the game itself and even brought Alex into the airport to make the two worlds connect further.
Structuring the Game
Once we had laid out an example story, we began to think through the structure of an application including the screens and wire frames. We had imagery and design started for the game, and so we began to think through what would be need to be developed by software programmers in order to move the game forward. We thought through screens that could be the same, but have different overlays or what would actually be a new screen versus what would be merely be a pop up notification in-game.
Final Value Proposition
Through utilization of location-based gaming, micro-mapping technology, and retailer and airline sponsorships, provides customers with interactive flight experiences, complete with airport, in flight, and at home activities. These interactions between airline, staff, brand, and traveler provide the opportunity for authentic relationship-building through mutually shared experiences.