Anonymous: AR mystery game

Project Goal

A startup team approached us as they transitioned into their first physical office. They wanted to create an exciting way for their team to connect in person and get to know each other better as part of their back-to-office program. To help them celebrate this milestone, we developed a fun augmented reality (AR) mystery game designed to bring the team together in a lighthearted and engaging way.

The goal was straightforward: make the transition into the office memorable, encourage team bonding, and help employees feel comfortable and excited in the new space. The AR game provided a unique opportunity for employees to explore their environment, collaborate on puzzles, and build relationships in a relaxed and playful setting.

Methodology

To kick off our team’s new adventure in the office, we designed an augmented reality (AR) mystery game that brings the workplace to life in a playful, engaging way. Employees used their mobile devices to explore the office and uncover clues hidden in plain sight, all while solving puzzles together in small teams. The game created a sense of excitement as employees navigated through the office, discovering not just their surroundings but also new colleagues.

Here’s how it worked:

AR Clue-Hunting: Teams used their phones to scan the office for hidden AR elements that unlocked fun clues and puzzles. Every new discovery was a chance to work together and share ideas.
Team-Based Fun: The game encouraged friendly competition and collaboration, with teams racing against time to solve puzzles and find answers together. It wasn’t about winning—it was about coming together and having fun as a team.
Playful Surprises: The game included quirky, unexpected elements, like puzzles with funny twists and moments of pure absurdity, adding to the light-hearted and joyful atmosphere of the office.
Virtual Game Master: An in-house virtual assistant guided the teams, offering lighthearted hints and keeping the momentum going throughout the game.

We used Meta’s Spark AR platform to bring the magic of augmented reality to life, ensuring the game ran smoothly across both Android and iPhone devices. To make the experience even more interactive, we built a Slack chatbot that welcomed teams, provided fun prompts, and kept track of time as the game progressed. The interface was designed to be easy to navigate, playful, and fast, ensuring that everyone could focus on having fun and getting to know each other

Success Metrics

After the AR game, we noticed a number of positive shifts in how the team interacted with each other and settled into the new office space:

Better Familiarity with Colleagues: Many employees shared that they felt they got to know their colleagues better, especially those they hadn’t worked closely with in the past. The game provided a casual, engaging way to connect and break the ice.
Increased Comfort with the New Office: The game helped employees feel more at home in the new office, making the space feel less unfamiliar and more inviting. It allowed everyone to explore the environment in a fun, interactive way that eased the transition.
Improved Team Interaction: While the team had always collaborated well remotely, a number of employees mentioned that the game helped them feel more comfortable with face-to-face interactions. It was a good opportunity for people to engage with colleagues they hadn’t spent much time with before.
Positive Office Atmosphere: The game contributed to a more relaxed and dynamic atmosphere in the office, helping to reduce any initial awkwardness that can come with moving into a new workspace. It made the office feel more like a space for collaboration and fun.
Overall Employee Feedback: The game was widely appreciated as a fun way to kick off in-person work. Employees enjoyed the lighthearted nature of the activity and felt it helped set a positive tone for future in-office interactions.

Individual contribution

Design lead, co-narrative designer and non-code development

Team

7 (including 1 UI designer, 2 AR developers, 1 3D designer, 1 QA tester, and 1 narrative designer, 1 UX lead)

User flow

Prior to the commencement of the game, players are required to complete a Google to form teams. During the game, team leaders initiate communication by sending a #hello and subsequently receive instructions. Teams are then required to send #sendmeclue to obtain a set of clues that lead them to the final. The game is facilitated by timely reminders from the bot every 15 minutes throughout the one duration. The rules of the game stipulate clues are hidden in four images, and players are required to stay connected and refrain from picking or scanning any physical objects. Victory is achieved when all team members are present together with the final answer at the finish line.

Game activities

There are 2 elements in the activity - Visual cues and AR Games

The visual cues are chosen according to character’s traits and considering distinct factors like location, nature of crime solving, timeline, etc.

The AR Games focus on providing a prominent clue so that the player can decode a significant trait of the character and eventually decode the final answer

On the right is an example of how a character's clues were created.

Visuals

The detectives are iconic fictional characters

We had decided on a comic-style due to the fact that all the the 3d assets would be not very realistic in AR due to system limitations. It was thought to be a wiser decision to roll with the “cartooniness” rather than fight system limitations.

Instruction boxes

Rectangles
Outline 6pt “inside”
Corner radius 30
FFFEE8 Background colour
Font- Montserrat/ Bold/ 64pt (000000 80%)
Halftone png for subtle print effect yet maintain clarity of text.
Drop shadow effect (Blur removed and offset x-20pt y-20pt

Buttons

When need user input is needed.

Rectangles
Outline 6pt “inside”
Corner radius 30
Font- Montserrat/ Bold/ 48pt(Adjust to fit)
Drop shadow effect (Blur removed and offset x-20pt y-20pt)

Used for Games that have letter re-arrangement

Front

Background colour - DADE0B
Text - 000000 80%
Square 250x250
Outline 5pt “inside”
Corner radius 30

Under

Background colour - 919403
Offset by x 8pt y 8pt
Outline - 3pt
Corner radius 45

Final output

The client team shared with us imagery and videos of the game taking place. Which we then combined as part of our capability deck. The following video showcases an amalgamation of various moments captured with the players.