What a year! With big ambitions for year one of our innovation lab – Mīharo – things haven’t disappointed. During an already tough Covid year, we’ve delivered three unique innovation events with a fourth poised to start in the next few weeks.
With so much achieved, it’s time to share.
Firstly, we’ve learned heaps! The teams have all risen to the challenge and presented some stellar ideas. Each team (and individual) has jumped into the innovation space and applied existing skills and learnt new ones to deliver some clever solutions.
And we haven’t made it too easy.
If you remember, we planned on exploring challenges like imagining spatial opportunities, addressing the global water crisis; and creating ‘the most wonderful client experience’.
With unique challenges, come unique outcomes.
For our spatial project we’ve built a working prototype that allows architectural models to be upload and then customised – without any technical barriers. A space can be viewed through basic web-browsers, as either a navigable 3D models or experience via AR or VR. Both seamless to interact with. With commercialisation conversations underway, we’ve already started to use what we’ve developed on our own client projects. Super simple. Super effective.
The water challenge took our problem-solving skills global. After we grappled with the inevitable how do we make a difference question, we delivered some world-class ideas around creating awareness. From data-driven sculptures that inform and surprise, to full end-to-end experiences that engage users within an educational and interactive environment. Our favourite though, is an animated pick-your-path type adventure where our lead character discovers the many water-saving innovations from around the globe to then apply locally. Wonderfully illustrated stories that target and engage children by allowing them to create their own narrated story. As we tackle innovation’s ever-present funding challenge, we’re reaching out to Netflix, Neon and others who represent the perfect place for this to be hosted (wink,wink).
Lastly, as an agency who pride ourselves on providing the best possible experience for our clients, we felt it appropriate to explore what more we can do to elevate our client engagement. A ‘sprint event’ designed to challenge the status quo and push beyond the expected. Results inspired conversation and led to a clever solution that’s been put into BAU for the team to advance over the year ahead.
We’re proud of our results but it’s been tough. We’ve learnt a tonne. We’ve made mistakes along the way – some minor, some not so. We’ve learnt from them. We’ve challenged our team to think differently, to apply new lenses to problems and collaborate more. We’re encouraging them to explore, prototype, trial and test – and make mistakes. We’re embracing the happy accidents, the learning opportunities and the new possibilities that arise from them.
As we draw closer to the end of the year, we’re quietly confident by the potential Mīharo has. We’re inspired by every idea put forward; and excited by the challenges to come.