The Challenge

The Portland Holiday Hunt wasn’t a client project—it was a passion project conceived by SLIDEFACTORY as a way to give back to the city. We aimed to create a unique, AR-powered holiday experience that would spread joy throughout downtown Portland. Our vision was an interactive adventure where participants could follow clues, unlock festive AR scenes, and experience the magic of the season.

However, this ambitious idea came with its own set of challenges. Portland’s notoriously unpredictable winter weather made it difficult to scan locations accurately for AR anchor points, and we were operating under a tight timeline with a limited budget. Despite these hurdles, we were determined to bring our vision to life in time for the holiday season.

Our Approach

SLIDEFACTORY set out to create a whimsical holiday scavenger hunt using Augmented Reality (AR) to immerse participants in a magical journey through downtown Portland. We utilized 8th Wall, a leading WebAR platform, to build this cross-platform experience that required no app download, ensuring accessibility to anyone with a smartphone.

• AR Development with 8th Wall: We built the AR experience using 8th Wall’s web-based platform, allowing participants to interact with festive 3D scenes directly through their mobile browsers. This made the experience easy to access without the need for an app.
• Location-Based AR Scenes: We scanned key locations across downtown Portland to create anchor points for the AR experiences. Despite the challenges of scanning during the cold, rainy weather, we successfully mapped out six hidden holiday scenes, each forming part of the hunt.
• Immersive 3D Christmas Scenes: We designed and developed Christmas-themed 3D scenes, featuring twinkling lights, hidden gifts, and playful holiday elements. Participants unlocked these scenes by solving clues, adding a sense of discovery and wonder to their journey through the city.
• Custom Progressive Web App: SLIDEFACTORY created a custom progressive web app (PWA) to guide participants through the hunt. The PWA provided instructions, clues, and a map, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish, regardless of device.

Overcoming the Hurdles

Building the Portland Holiday Hunt presented a series of challenges that required creative problem-solving:

• Weather: Portland’s winter weather made it difficult to accurately scan and anchor AR locations. Rain and cold presented obstacles, but our team adapted and refined the process to ensure the AR experiences were properly placed throughout downtown.
• Tight Timeline and Limited Budget: With a tight deadline to launch by early December and a limited budget, we focused on delivering a high-quality experience within the project’s constraints. Balancing the scope and budget, SLIDEFACTORY made strategic decisions to ensure an engaging and festive event.

Despite these challenges, we completed the Portland Holiday Hunt on schedule, offering a delightful experience to participants during the holiday season.

The Results

The Portland Holiday Hunt successfully launched, offering an enchanting AR-powered treasure hunt that brought holiday magic to downtown Portland. Key outcomes include:

• Community Engagement: The hunt attracted participants of all ages, encouraging exploration of downtown Portland while unlocking AR holiday experiences.
• Seamless Cross-Platform Experience: Through the progressive web app, users were able to easily participate in the hunt without needing to download an app, making it accessible to a wide audience.
• Festive Fun in AR: The hidden 3D Christmas scenes added an element of surprise and delight, with participants discovering festive moments scattered across downtown Portland.

Conclusion

The Portland Holiday Hunt was SLIDEFACTORY’s way of giving back to the community, creating a magical AR experience that brought festive cheer to downtown Portland. Despite weather challenges, tight deadlines, and a limited budget, we successfully delivered a holiday experience that merged technology with tradition. By leveraging 8th Wall’s WebAR platform, we brought holiday spirit to life, allowing participants to rediscover downtown Portland in an interactive and joyful way.

This project not only demonstrated SLIDEFACTORY’s expertise in augmented reality but also showcased our commitment to innovation, even under challenging conditions. The Portland Holiday Hunt became a cherished holiday activity, bringing people together and creating lasting memories during the most wonderful time of the year.

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