WayWays

Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted cultural production and consumption, as government regulations curtailed public gatherings. OpenDoek, a non-profit championing amateur theatre, had innovatively utilized QR codes on outdoor public benches to broadcast audio stories, creating an immersive experience as though the narratives had occurred right where the listener was seated. This concept gained traction, prompting an interest in further leveraging public spaces for interactive experiences.

Problem Definition

The core challenge was to design interactive public space experiences that evoke the essence of theatre using only the technology readily available to the average person, with minimal physical alterations to the environment. The solution was to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test the hypothesis that a chat-based interface, where users interact with virtual characters through a combination of text, photos, and videos—coupled with QR code scanning—would foster diverse creative applications in the theatre and heritage sectors. The design needed to be easily replicable and deployable across multiple cities.

Ideation & Validation

We selected Yarnspinner as our story editor, which facilitated the creation of branching, interactive narratives without substantial technical complexity. These narratives were then compiled in React Native, allowing for seamless mobile app integration across platforms. Assisted by our team, theatre maker and director Jo Jochems crafted "The Society of Odd Birds," a narrative for audiences aged 8 and above. This story, set around the conflict between two fictional societies—the black cats and the odd birds—explored themes of identity and belonging. It was partially accessible through engaging chats with virtual characters and enhanced with physical props and QR codes scattered across designated urban areas. Players initiated their adventure by scanning a QR code, which led them through a series of puzzles and tasks. Following thorough play-testing and participant feedback, we refined both the user interface and the puzzles. The WayWays app was subsequently launched in the Apple and Google app stores, with the experience being rolled out in approximately eight cities across Flanders, Belgium.

Insights and Iterations

The MVP illuminated several technical and user-experience complexities. It became clear that including a map feature in the app was essential to aid in-game navigation and prevent user frustration from disorientation. The mechanics of using QR codes for puzzle-solving were too complicated for some users, prompting considerations for integrating more intuitive on-screen interactions and tangible electronic gameplay elements to enhance the user interface and overall experience. A critical issue was the maintenance and long-term deployment of the interactive elements, as volunteers who hosted QR codes and props did not consistently maintain them, leading to missing elements that impeded game progress.