Shake it like a Polaroid picture? Lifeprint set out to make your digital mementos physical again so you can post them, share them, and shake them like it’s 1999, where users can not only print images and video stills to their portable printer, but also use the app to stay connected with their friends and order replacement paper for their printers.
This innovative new approach of a social media ecosystem was built around Zink technology, which has the ink embedded in the paper itself, giving consumers the ability to have a no-fuss printing experience.
Getting the user’s product experience right was important in making the venture funded startup successful. Loft helped Lifeprint shape the idea into reality — from the initial app experience to building a product portfolio around this expanding digital ecosystem.
The 5-year development collaboration included the development of the digital strategy for the ecosystem, designing and engineering the printer hardware, building the entire mobile UX experience, creating a comprehensive branding strategy, and defining the packaging and point-of-purchase experience. All of these efforts had to support a global launch at the Apple store as well as a multi-channel strategy for the US market.
The Silicon Valley based augmented reality startup Lifeprint started as a Kickstarter project and grew all the way to a major accessory partner for the Apple store globally. Lifeprint ultimately grew over included a large mobile team in Pakistan and development offices in the US, mainland China and South Korea.
During the development of this ecosystem, the emerging landscape of social media platforms lacked the ability to share physical photos. Lifeprint set out to develop an innovative wireless printer that gave users the ability to send photos and videos to networked printers across the globe. On top of that, the team developed an augmented reality HyperPhoto technology, allowing users to print a still photo and then use the in-App viewer to watch the video. Now that’s something they didn’t have in 1999!
Lifeprint turned to Loft to help develop the strategy and implement the vision for a global social media platform built on the backbone of a network of inexpensive distributed printers. Users could get a printer, set up their App and start sharing digital mementos and memories across the network with their loved ones.
The products, sold globally at the Apple store, became an instant (print) success. Loft focused on a fun and sleek design language that resonated with the Instagram generation, offering share-ability and ease of use. Lifeprint gained a wide audience across the globe, and the growth of shared photos enabled the sale of refill packs, giving the company a recurring revenue source.
