Phenomblue’s third Bonus Day was held last month, but the idea for this project emerged even longer ago. It all started with a conversation in the office on the ghost hunting experience – sharing anecdotes from our own adventures at Fairview Cemetery in Council Bluffs amongst others. The group was unable to identify a go-to repository for ghost stories or a formal system for ranking haunted places based on evidence.
Ghost hunters visit certain spots based on history and stories they’ve heard. It’s a word-of-mouth phenomenon that has also recently permeated pop culture with TV shows and real life ghost tours in most cities. And thus, the idea for GhostGrab was born – an Android app for capturing and sharing your hunts with others.
“Our team set out to create a new kind of paranormal app in which haunted locations were rated by shared user experiences, as opposed to the traditional rating by historical folklore. GhostGrab offers a unique social experience to casual visitors and serious hunters alike by allowing users to create profiles, locate hauntings nearby, and view or upload videos, photos and audio clips from real experiences.” - Brandi K., intern, design
GhostGrab was strategized and designed; within 24 hours a prototype was created. To best share firsthand stories and experiences, the following functionalities were included: check-ins and badges, Facebook/Twitter integration for social sharing, the option to capture and upload photo, audio and video in real time or later and profiles for following people and locations. The ghost hunting app was also integrated with Google Maps to locate and receive directions to top hunt locations nearby.
GhostGrab was a multifaceted project calling for a variety of skills – here’s who helped:
Sara H., Manager, Account Management and Production
Brandi K., Intern, Design
Jason M., Senior Engineer, Software Design and Development
Megan M., Manager, Quality Assurance
Kate R., VP, Marketing
Brent S., Director, Strategy
Sam W. Junior Designer, Graphic and Motion
Each quarter, Phenomblue goes black for 24 hours, creating a Bonus Day for the agency. Bonus Day gives team members the opportunity to blur the boundaries between roles and experiment with new ideas and methods. The 24-hour period provides individuals or groups the chance to create an idea or work on something they’ve wanted to but were lacking the opportunity.