Flatiron Portal
An Instagram AR filter for the Flatiron NoMad BID's Portal, the live video link between New York and Dublin, where randomized mini-games (rock paper scissors, dance battles, charades) got strangers on both sides playing together.
Strategic Context
The Challenge
The Portal already drew crowds as a live video link between New York and Dublin, but watching is passive. The BID wanted longer dwell time, direct interaction between the two sides, and organic social content that carried the installation beyond the plaza. It had to feel spontaneous and inclusive.
The Solution
An Instagram AR filter that floats a randomized game prompt over the user's head as a crown. Rock paper scissors, dance battles, charades, and freestyle challenges need no shared language and produce shareable moments. The Portal goes from something you look at to something you do.
The Installation
User Flow
Scan
Floor decals and stickers with high-contrast QR codes launch the Instagram AR effect in one tap.
Randomize
A randomizer fires on face detection and renders a mini-game prompt as a crown above the user's head, different every session.
Interact
Strangers on opposite sides read each other's prompts through the live link and play, with no language barrier.
Share
Users record the moment in Instagram and post to Stories, carrying the campaign beyond the plaza.
Campaign
Custom animated GIPHY stickers for the campaign, available across Instagram Stories, Snapchat, TikTok, iMessage, and other messaging platforms.
Technical Architecture
Randomized Interaction Logic
A custom JavaScript randomizer triggers on facial gesture detection. Each new face gets a prompt from a weighted pool that keeps variety across sessions while favoring the highest-engagement games found in testing.
Environmental Design Integration
The crown, text prompts, and particle effects were color-matched to the Portal's paint palette and lighting so the 3D assets read as extensions of the art piece, not overlays.
Multi-Face Tracking
The filter tracks up to three faces at once with independent state per face, so groups of friends each get their own randomized game.
Print-to-Digital Activation
Floor decals and promotional stickers carried QR codes built for reliable scanning in variable outdoor light, doing double duty as wayfinding and AR activation.
Campaign Impact
Engagement
Over 50K impressions and an average of 3.5 minutes per session, well above a typical Instagram filter, so the game mechanics held attention.
Organic Amplification
Users recorded their game sessions and posted to Stories without prompting, extending the campaign past the installation's footprint.
Community Connection
The language-free games met the BID's core goal: real interaction between strangers. The AR layer gave people permission to engage across the Portal.
