United Launch Alliance

Augmented Reality Application

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates rocket vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth and to other bodies in the Solar System.

Challenge

With a new rocket in development, United Launch Alliance needed to engage its target audience at the largest and most influential event in the space industry. This event is sponsored by large, innovative, and competitive brands, so it was imperative to differentiate from the competition with an experience within the event.

Solution

The physical size of a rocket prevents it from being transported and shared for marketing and sales opportunities, but much like a car, there’s a certain impressiveness to a rocket’s physicality.

Kopius* conceptualized, designed, and built a fun and immersive end-to-end experience. The solution included a mobile augmented reality application called ULA Anywhere that created life-sized rockets in virtual showrooms, social media photo sharing, and a mission-based game employing light simulation-based physics to demonstrate the complex rocket trajectories and satellite orbits.

By using augmented reality on mobile devices, Kopius could help ULA engage a diverse audience for sales opportunities and to increase brand awareness and affinity.

Technologies used included augmented reality, iOS application development, and Android application development.

Results

The ULA Anywhere experience differentiated ULA from its competitors, expanded the brand’s reach beyond the event’s walls, and created IP that could be repurposed for future events, increasing total ROI.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

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Space Needle

Virtual Reality Application

Since its grand opening in 1962, the Space Needle is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. This treasured Seattle icon is recognized for its 520′ saucer-shaped “top house”, which offers visitors a 360-degree panoramic view of Seattle and its surrounding landscape.

The Space Needle underwent a multi-year $100M renovation, including a glass rotating floor, to preserve the landmark and inspire the next generation of visitors.

Challenge

Because the preservation and renovation project was prolonged over multiple years, the Space Needle needed to engage and excite the market about the upcoming experience, even when the first-person live experience was unavailable.

To build anticipation for its re-opening, Space Needle also needed to attract media and influencer excitement around updates like the thrilling all-glass rotating floor.

The Solution

Kopius was engaged to create a 4D Virtual Reality immersive experience that blends drone footage, 360-degree panoramas, beautifully detailed models, and digitally triggered physical elements into a custom-built stage.

The experience incorporated advanced VR locomotion techniques to give users the illusion of walking through large-scale spaces, and physical queues such as haptics and windpipes to give users the sensation of standing on a rotating floor or sitting in the open air.

Results

The Space Needle met its pre-launch press and influencer goals, driving multiple articles in technology, tourism, and local publications such as GeekWire, Facility Executive Magazine, King5 News, VRFocus, and The Puget Sound Business Journal.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.

Geekwire

“Seeing is believing, but not really—feeling is believing,” Olson said. “And that’s why we created this.” – Karen Olson, COO of the Space Needle

Nestlé Purina

Virtual Reality Application

As a global leader in pet food manufacturing, Nestlé Purina has several factories located throughout the globe.

Sales staff are required to stay on top of the latest manufacturing innovations that Nestlé Purina deploys to ensure they can properly communicate the value proposition that only Nestlé Purina can deliver on.

Challenge

Nestle Purina historically relied on factory tours and in-person training to educate its sales team. Factory tours for the sales staff require significant advanced planning and the allocation of factory staff for explanation and safety. Additionally, factory visits require costly travel.

The client needed to find a better way to educate its sales team and needed to reduce the hard and soft costs associated with its training program.

The Solution

Kopius* was engaged by Nestlé Purina to design and build a mobile virtual reality application, enabling sales staff to experience virtual tours of factories, immersing them in the environment with 360-degree views, and taking them step-by-step through the manufacturing process.

The process began with user research, UX design, and information architecture. The design team addressed personas of different user types and explored the key moments in the training process to identify key moments and interactions to recreate in the experience.

Next, the engineering team partnered with the design team to execute the concept, developing a virtual reality application.

Results

By using virtual reality, Kopius helped Nestlé Purina train its staff on the latest manufacturing processes at scale, at a lower cost, and with more efficiency.

Nestlé Purina was able to asynchronously train employees, maintain the manufacturing staff’s focus on production, and dramatically save on time and travel costs.

Employees who used the VR training reported higher engagement, and higher retention of material, making the case that the VR training was both cheaper and more effective.

*Kopius performed this work under its previously known business name, Valence.