THE WALKING DEAD - KILL COUNT
COMPANION APP, UI & UX DESIGN
FOX NETWORK GROUP
Design and creation of an award winning watermarked companion app, designed to build hype and deepen audience engagement of The Walking Dead second season to life! (sorry).
With more than three-quarters of UK viewers now using other devices while watching TV , it was clear that ‘dual screening’ could be a strong tool in a broadcaster’s weaponry.
Making dual-screening work for a narrative driven, immersive drama was key to solving the problem: audiences were using other devices, but the main TV screen experience is what makes the genre so successful.
The idea was to create a ‘companion app’: that synchs with the show to deepen engagement and to gather all the online conversations in one place, full of everything any Zombie lover could ever want.
Design and creation of a UK first by using audio-watermarking in the app: technology that meant Zombie kills can be tracked to the second with the main -screen experience, whether it’s live, paused or in catch-up.
Before the game, players make their predictions for number of kills, weapon and killed by whom. During the show the app updates and reveals your score at the end, ready for sharing on social media via the built-in sharing buttons.
THE RESULTS
The companion app was available across iPad and iPhones with the initial response overwhelming:
• Made the Top Ten List in the Tunes App Store during the first week
• 62,000 downloads in the first 60 days
• 300,000 gameplays in the first 60 days
• 37.8% uplift in viewers
• 65.3% jump in audience share