GlowInTheDrip

The Client

Meow Wolf, a company whose mission is to inspire creativity through art, exploration, and play. They want their physical exhibitions to unlock people's imagination and transform their worlds. SMC IxD was challenged to create a product for Meow Wolf that bridges both physical and digital mediums.

The Challenge

Problem:

Meow Wolf visitors typically end their experience once they step outside of the doors.

Insight:

Outside of their venues Meow Wolf doesn’t have much of a presence apart from their limited social media pages, resulting in a lack of awareness of their brand.

Solution:

An eye-catching glow in the dark clothing line that brings the brand off of the screen. It promotes social engagement from one fan to another or to people curious about the clothing’s origin. Once the clothes are scanned they are added to a digital wardrobe and show the product’s story.

Research

POEMS Map

We mapped out the "People, Objects, Environment, Message, Services" (POEMS) to understand the existing environment within Meow Wolf.

From -> To Chart

We charted out the five desired project outcomes vertically. We evaluated the current outcomes and then ideated on possible opportunities for innovation within them.

Culture Map

We researched how people use clothing and how it intersects with activities and cultures. We decided to create a clothing product and named it "Glow in The Drip apparel" that can interact with a Meow Wolf App.

Flow Chart

We created a flow chart showing the experience that a potential user would go through when encountering Glow in the Drip apparel out in the world and how they would interact with the wearer, the apparel itself, and the webpage.

Storyboard

We illustrated the journey through the storyboard. Here you see a guy wearing his Glow in The Drip sweater at a bar. He’s approached by someone who’s curious about the eye-catching design, and is pointed to the QR code. Once he scans it, he’s taken to the landing page where he learns about the clothing line and buys the sweater. Then a little later, there he is at the bar rocking GITD.

Journey Map

We outlined a user journey with Glow in The Drip apparel and how it can exist both physically and digitally. Once the customer sees the clothing they are able to learn more about the art on the clothing and Meow Wolf by scanning the QR code with the Meow Wolf app. Once the customer has read the prompt, they are directed to create a profile, which continues user engagement with Meow Wolf and Convergence Station.

Design

Design Mock-Ups

We started sketching out concepts of different designs to figure out how we could incorporate characters, exhibits, and themes from the Meow Wolf Experience into the glow in the drip clothing line. We decided to focus primarily on shirts and hats to start, with the eventual goal to include a full apparel line of pants, shoes, and accessories.

Alternate Garments

For the items of the Glow in the Drip apparel line that featured more complexity in their physical design such as the backpack, we created 3D models in Fusion360 that were used for creating exploded views and a parts list for our BOM.

Prototyping

After our rough prototypes we pushed into high fidelity prototypes using iridescent heat transfer vinyl, with the goal to use a screen printing process when actually manufactured. Here our process included plotting out the vinyl, assembling the separate layers of the design together, and adhering the graphics onto the apparel using a heat transfer process. A custom hat mold was created so we could more efficiently apply the designs onto the curved surface of the caps.

Wireframes

Our wireframes helped us get a general idea of positioning and the hierarchy we needed to properly display the information.

Screen Mock-Ups

Our mock-ups allowed us to continue testing to decide on what information was needed on the screens as well as further refining positioning of content.

Heuristic Evaluations

Through our heuristic evaluations we were able to receive direct feedback from classmates and implemented what we felt was appropriate and fit within our design goals.

Bill of Materials

One of the best selling points of the GITD apparel line is the relatively inexpensive bill of materials and the ease of sourcing the materials needed. Our BOM includes QR code/collar tags, the shirt fabric, the sewing material, and the eco-friendly water based screen printing ink. All readily available and cheap to manufacture.

Final Results

Physical Garments

The dazzling glow in the dark properties when worn in the dark are sure to get anyone’s attention in whichever setting they are worn and generate interest in Meow Wolf, while users familiar with the GITD experience will easily recognize the pieces of the collection from across the room.

QR Code Scan

The doorway to our solution; It provides the entrance into the digital world of our product. Scanning it takes the user to a Meow Wolf landing page.

Digital Closet

The "Digital Closet" allows any of the clothes in which you purchase to be added to an avatar closet to allow digital character customization.

Reward System

This reward system encourages users to interact with one another by scanning other Glow In The Drip products to receive redeemable points.

Future Possibilities

Physical

Continuous limited collection releases within the “Glow In The Drip” line, that correspond with current exhibits.

Collaborations with other brands and artists outside of the current Meow Wolf circle.

Diving deeper into the idea of wearables and creating more “experimental” clothing garments which fall into the category of wearable technology.

Digital

Adding AR features to the website; particularly the ability to “try on” the clothes from a person’s closet or the product page.

Adding the ability to mint the garments within the closet feature and create NFTs with the avatars.

Develop a mobile app independent of the web page.

Reflection

This was an interesting project as our client was out-of-state (although we partnered with Meow Wolf, the specific location we were working for was the Convergence Station in Colorado). There was no consumer demographic information available from the client, so we had to create our own target audience. On one hand this was a challenge because we wanted our solutions to be actionable, however, on the other hand it allowed us to really unleash our creativity. For myself, this was the first project I held the position of project manager and I found it as a great opportunity to grow within that position. It was interesting to dive into the actual cost estimations of each individual piece as well as the manufacturing process behind clothing and similar accessories. Overall it was a great project with a unique client.

Christian J. Suarez

Glow In The Drip

Sponsored Project: Meow Wolf + Macher

Duration

Main Roles

Team 5D