Behind the scenes:
How Baboon Media
created the Secrets Resorts & Spas
experience for the iPad.
For this project, Baboon Media worked in close collaboration with Arroba
International to help
bring to life the Secrets Resorts App for the iPad. Our goal was to
create an iPad experience that would reflect what Secrets by AMResorts is all about:
sophistication, upscale experience, unlimited satisfaction. We knew that we had to dig
up some of our best tricks and innovative designs.
This is a look inside the evolution of
the creative process.
- Phase 1
The Concept
Secrets Resorts & Spas are an adult-only collection of resorts that offer unlimited luxury; they are also known as 'gourmet resorts' and are something unique in its industry. AMResorts wanted a way to showcase all of their resorts and amenities through a beautiful application on the iPad.
The Sketch
Following the initial meeting with AMResorts and Arroba International and understanding what they were looking for in the application, we went to our drawing board and started sketching some ideas on how the application should be structured and how the different sections would be laid out.
The rough sketches were presented to the client to make sure we both agreed with the plan.
- Phase 2
Design & Layout
Before we had our developers start coding, we started by brainstorming the design and main layout of the application. Our designers and developers worked together to present the initial layout of each section of the application and how they will "feel" and work.
It's All About Feeling
We believe that a good application is one that makes you feel good when you are using it. It is for this reason that during this stage we do most of the iterations for presentation to the client. We want to know if our application "feels" good before committing to it. This allows us to discuss as many ideas as possible and eliminate those that are not viable.
Design That Matches Your Brand
It's important that
your application matches exactly your brand. For this reason, our
designers were very conscious about the importance
of focusing on the brand's beautiful
imagery supplied by Arroba International and the clever use of that imagery as the centerpiece of the
application.
UX
All members of Baboon Media have
a passion for mobile devices and, for this reason, we
believe we have a very good grasp for what UX
(User Experience) on those devices should
feel like. Developers and designers work together. Our motto is: "Good design means good
UX".
- Phase 3
Tap, Pinch & Swipe
Next, it's time to put our developers to work and let them do their magic by converting our ideas and sketches into reality. In this phase, we piece everything together and is in this stage when we and our clients get to start playing with their new shiny toy as it comes to life.
The Motion Cover
We wanted to make an impact from the first moment the application was launched and we loved the idea of having a moving cover. By using motion, sound and music, we immerse the user in the Secrets' world in the first 15 seconds.
Unlimited-Luxury®
One of the main features of the Secrets brand is the Unlimited Luxury® benefits that everybody receives as a guest at any of the Secrets' Resorts. It was really important to showcase all these benefits and their details in a fun and easy application.
— Unlimited Benifts —
User's can flip to take a closer look at the benefits.The Map
How do you showcase a brand that includes multiple resorts around the world? And, how do you make it so that each resort is individually showcased? This was one of the major issues our designers and developers had to tackle. And the result was a map that lets the user navigate through all the resorts while being able to take a deeper look at any of them.
— Tap The Map —
Take a glance at all the resorts and tap on any one of them for more details.— Quick Overview —
Read more about the resort and take a quick look at its images.— Full Details —
Look at the resort in full detail using full screen images and an interactive factsheet.- Phase 4
Technology
Titanium by Appcelerator At Baboon Media, we rock around with Titanium by Appcelerator. The Titanium framework gives us a really solid foundation which allows us to create native applications that run really smoothly on the iPad and other iOS or Android devices.
Pagination / Tricks for a smooth experience
Every app has a limited amount of resources available. We need to be sure we do not exceed these limits. Our developers have worked out a technique that allows for the application to constantly load and unload content in the background to create a smooth, seamless experience.
- Conclusion
The Final Product
Download from Appstore
Secrets Resorts & Spas for iPad The Secrets Resorts app was a really fun and challenging project that took a lot of teamwork effort, sweat, sometimes blood and a huge amount of coffee. We feel that it was all worth it and, more importantly, we are glad to have given AMResorts an app which they can be proud of and hugely benefit from.