AKQA’s new holiday wish: For parents to share a special moment with their children. AKQA’s team has created an app that puts the magic of storytelling into the hands of children by giving them the power to bring each page to life in their own personalized story.
The app is available to download for free and as you read each page, the illustrations animate perfectly in sync. The best part? At the end of the story, you can create a unique video to share with family and friends.
Mike and Sara gives it 5 stars in the app store with the feedback:
“A blending of beautiful storytelling and art. Interactive storytelling is making a comeback because of technology, however usually limited to using the MIC to read the story aloud. This story invited the reader to become the protagonist creating a lovely meta-narrative between the reader, the character, and the creature. The minimal controls match the lovely artwork creating a cohesive and fluid experience. I hope more stories are created with this platform and approach to storytelling. Bravo!”
Graham Davis, Senior Copywriter at AKQA tells DIVERGE the story behind the app:
Where did the idea come from?
Games, videos and gadgets demand so much screen time in this day and age, and the art of the children’s book has suffered accordingly. With the skill levels and the enjoyment of reading dwindling every year, it’s crucial to capture the attention and imagination of young minds while they still have a chance to be sculpted. The world didn’t need another animated book, but rather a new way to engage children. And giving them the power to bring a story to life with their own words added a dimension of learning and inspiration that didn’t previously exist.
Who is the team behind the app?
Beyond our team here at AKQA, we were fortunate enough to be working with terrific partners who understood the vision and brought incredible thought and craft into the process. Jonathan Dahl brought the world of the Snow Fox to life with his beautiful illustration style. MassiveMusic created an incredible track and sound effects that immersed the readers throughout the experience. Director of Photography Claudiu Voicu brought the charm of the app to brilliant moving picture for our launch film. And voice talent Amanda Urabe ensured all of the little ones using the app felt like a mother was there guiding them.
What feedback have you received from it?
We’ve received very positive feedback so far, including a feature as one of Apple’s “New Apps We Love” and a profile by Fast Company. However, the most fulfilling feedback has come from regular parents who have reached out to say how much they love using The Snow Fox with their children. In fact, we’ve even received a few special notes from parents of children with disabilities or reading challenges who have developed a newfound confidence using the app. We’ve also heard from teachers who have been using the app as a learning tool in their class.
Is this Akqa’s way of wishing others a happy holiday?
For now, it’s a way of helping families and loved ones share a special bonding moment, but we are already working on ways to take this well beyond the holidays. It is worth noting however that the app has a special reward feature at the end that lets the child create a video of the story with their voice overlaid—great for posting on social media or sharing with friends and loved ones living far away.
Do you plan on doing this more frequently?
There are some updates already in the works, and we are planning on taking the learnings and feedback from the initial launch to continue to improve the app and explore new territories.
Why did you choose this specific story?
Given the December release, it felt like it needed to have a wintry theme that’s relatable to families all over the world. Also, snow foxes are super cute and not typically given the star treatment in movies or children’s stories.
Additional thoughts:
This project was made possible by the iOS 10 release by Apple, which for the first time allowed other apps to use Siri technology. Because the technology recognizes the words of the story with near perfect precision, it incentivizes children to read and learn in a way that wasn’t possible even a few months ago. We are really excited about how we can continue to push this further.
