This Year’s Digital Day with City Academy Bristol

We kicked off the day with a short icebreaker and a presentation, before introducing the brief to our teams. This year, the challenge was sponsored by Vue, who tasked the students with creating a digital incentive for young people to choose the cinema over other entertainment sources.

To begin, we introduced the students to the concept of a discovery phase, guiding them through the process of identifying challenges across the cinema industry and how a digital product could provide a solution. They were encouraged to consider complex issues such as the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Once they had narrowed their ideas down, they began the design phase. Each team collaborated amongst themselves and came up with a digital product which targeted a specific problem or gap in the market.

There were some core values the teams were asked to think about when designing their digital products:

• Inclusivity: Will this product be easy to use for people who are comfortable using technology and those who aren’t? Will it help excluded groups such as neurodiverse individuals or people with motor disabilities?
• Practicality: Can the product be easily launched into the business?
• Clarity: How will it work? What does the user experience or journey look like for the customer?
• Creativity: Think outside the box!

After preparing their pitches, the teams presented their ideas to us, the ‘Torchbox ‘Dragons’. We were all impressed with the innovative ideas each team had and how confidently they delivered their final products.

Some of the ideas that the teams presented included:

• A chair that immerses customers by creating a multi-sensory experience to mimic the events within the film. The chair also included a built-in screen, which allowed customers to make predictions about the film and compete with their friends.
• A TikTok advertising campaign where influencers share discount codes with their followers to use on in-app purchases of film tickets. Customers are encouraged to continue using the app with a personalised wish list where they can find film suggestions based on their viewing history.
• A spin-the-wheel feature that allows customers to win prizes each time they book a ticket. The prizes range from discounts and free popcorn to free tickets for future trips. The app would also have mini-games related to recent films which customers could play and win more opportunities to spin the wheel.
• An interactive advertising campaign focusing on using carousel ads and videos that would get people thinking about their ideal Vue-ing experience. Interacting with the ad takes people to the app where people can create a curated movie wishlist for their next visits to the cinema.

Overall, it was a hugely rewarding experience to share with City Academy pupils. As part of the Torchbox Academy, this was a brilliant opportunity to see how we can inspire young people in our community while also gaining creative insights from the brilliant students. We hope they had as much fun as we did and that we might see them for work experience in the future.