AR: Another Way of Storytelling to Build a Real and Intriguing Brand
A case study of the Patrón Experience App, which demonstrates how to elaborate on a different brand image with the aid of the AR.
With the extensive development of mobile applications in the current days, a variety of problems comes to optimize the user experience. Given that the space of mobile space is limited compared to the desktop’s, it requires a various point of view to build an App to make it more accessible, understandable, and accountable. By this time, I choose the App, the Patrón Experience, a tequila brand, to measure its usability and practicability.
Introduction of the App
A brief glimpse at the use of the App. By using the power of AR kits, the background of the scene is what the mobile camera reflects, and it starts with a single Weber Blue Agave plant, which the user can put it by preference. After planting the plant, the user will trigger a flourishing and lifelike model of the Patron Hacienda, where Patrón Tequila is produced. With a tap on bottles or barrels, the speaker will explain the tasting note and aging process of each type.
Evaluation of the App
Pros
In total, it succeeds in creating an immersive and educative environment for me to get familiar with the brand. After I finished the journey of this App, indeed, I learned sufficient information on the history of the brand, its products, and the making process of tequila. Thus, the implementation of AR is impressive and entertaining, since it designs as a game-letting user plant their plants and see how plants grow up-and it invites vivid humankind to guide knowledge consistently. Importantly, the release of details in the working process is also an active strategy to build the brand more transparent and authentic. Such a way of design would devote to attract and engage new customers but won’t help to retain the long-term buyers due to the limited and necessary offerings in the App. On the other side, in the left bar, it appears a hamburger menu that allows users to restart the game and access to the website and buying channels. This part is a more practical side, which serves the business purpose for the App. The layout of bottoms and contents are easy to understand, and the size of bottoms is applicable for fingers to touch. Most of them are oblivious for users to recognize; however, some issues exist that interrupt the UX.
Cons
The font of content for the explanation part appears to be less significant than I’ve expected, so I would suggest enlarging the font to make them more readable. Unfortunately, the lack of navigation is one of the drawbacks of this App. Some hidden bottoms appear at the beginning of the scene, such as bottles and barrels, so I didn’t have the chance to obtain information as supposed to have for the first time. It took me a couple of minutes to find those “tricky,” which disinterested m. The purpose of the App is to provide information, even though it is a gaming experience, it shouldn’t make users get lost.
Remarkable? I can’t agree more. From the side of brand recognition, the concept of this App is unprecedentedly novel and different from the others. Instead of listing all information into specific parts, it takes advantage of AR to contextualize those messages through a nurturing process, and it WORKS! That might trigger people to download the App to have a basic idea of the brand and have memories of its product with rapidity. However, attractiveness is temporary, which means that people will be less motivated to keep it on the phone all the time because users can’t purchase products on the App. All business activities will be directed to the website. Due to the lack of functionality, the App won’t be worthy of taking space on the phone.
