HSBC in Hong Kong: A Virtual Story

CLIENT

HSBC

MY ROLE

UX, UI, Interaction Design, Animation, Visual Design

TEAM

Harry Llufrio, Christina Ahn, Ruth Williams, Maggie Chan, Blippar (AR)

RESULT

Available in Apple App Store and Google Play in three languages

THE CHALLENGE

As augmented reality exploded on the scene, HSBC challenged us to design an experience to celebrate the bank’s 150th anniversary in Hong Kong.
HSBC wanted the experience to echo their digital strategy of “better, simpler, and faster banking” while embracing technology and mobility. We were given a blank canvas—a tremendous amount of bandwidth and creative freedom.

THE SOLUTION

Augmented Reality History Tour

Explore HSBC’s long and rich heritage through a 360° augmented reality tour at HSBC’s Hong Kong headquarters and at home.

VIDEO: Take a tour around HSBC’s 1 Queens Road headquarters in Hong Kong. Every exhibit offers unique stories of Hong Hong’s past and present.

THE INTERACTION

Three simple steps

Each exhibit at the HSBC headquarters is fitted with a unique scannable marker that unlocks a piece of the HSBC history on your phone.

Step 1Hold your phone up to the exhibits below HSBC 1QRC — Step 1
Hold your phone up to the exhibits below HSBC 1QRC

Step 2Scan the marker near the exhibit — Step 2
Scan the marker near the exhibit

Step 3Enjoy a unique augmented reality experience — Step 3
Enjoy a unique augmented reality experience

NAVIGATING & DISCOVERING

Multiple Touchpoints

HSBC is the 7th largest bank in the world, the largest bank in Europe, and continues to dominate the market in Hong Kong, a city of 7.5 million people with over 5 billion visitors a year.

HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters is a popular tourist attraction and remains a fixture in the city's fabric. It is located in the heart of Hong Kong and is uniquely positioned to draw in tourism and foot traffic. Locals and visitors walk through the open-air plaza on their daily commutes. To draw people into our augmented reality experience, we used the power of storytelling, multiple touchpoints, large scale installation, and augmented reality.

Multiple touchpoints: We mapped out touchpoints at HSBC’s headquarters, from awareness to app download, and installations. Image: Harry Llufrio

Grain of Rice: Engraved on the outside of the Grain of Rice Sculpture are hidden objects and people from HSBC’s history. Our app empowers users to discover these uncommon and untold stories.

AUGMENTING REALITY

Geofencing & Triggers

We used beacons to create a geofence around the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters.

When walking within the geofence our application can engage users through special push notifications, and marker scanning that unlocks augmented reality experiences. We worked closely with our augmented reality partner, Blippar, to produce immersive experiences.