Microlab in Eindhoven is a great coworking space. Over 200 businesses and self employed entrepreneurs rent office and working space there. One Friday afternoon Microlab organized a ‘New members Friday afternoon drink’ event. The idea being that new and existing members get to know each other. An ideal event to test QRQuest while they play the game. At least, that is what I thought.
To the bar
The new members were given a tour of the building by one of the Microlab staff. She also mentioned that there would be game at the bar area. By the time the new members arrived at the bar, many existing members were already there.
I had prepared the space by sticking up 5 QR codes for the 5 assignments I came up with. And we had a big monitor, which showed the livestream. The livestream shows all photos and videos that players submit.
Wow, nothing happened
And then… nothing much happened. No one was scanning the QR codes. Some people saw them, but did not scan them. They were happily chatting with each other, not interested in scanning the codes. To get things moving, I asked two existing members to start scanning the codes and doing the assignments. Some assignments were specifically created to bring people in contact with the new members.
Again, nothing happened. After talking to some members, I found out these two things about groups of people.
Making a video is scary
One of the assignments was ‘Find a stranger and make a video of their introduction and the product or service they provide’. It turns out that that is a bridge too far for most people. It is one thing to take a picture. Another to do a video with someone. Although we are constantly exposed to video on our social media, making a video with a stranger is still scary.
So it is best to stick with assignments that only require a photo. Such as ‘Ask someone you do not know what they would like to drink, get the drink and make a picture of you two toasting’.
Nobody knows what to do
Although the Microlab staff mentioned the game, it was not clear enough what to do. Some people did see the QR codes. It even says ‘Scan me’ next to the codes. But the purpose was not at all clear. I noticed that people did see the livestream and were looking for answers there.
So the solution is twofold: players need a clear instruction and a clear purpose. Without the ‘why’ of the game, not many people would want to play. We were giving away a bottle of good champagne to the winner. But they only would know about it once they scanned the first QR code.
Additionally the livestream screen now has a short instruction. Hopefully people will then know what to do
Lessons
In short: game failed, test successful. Hopefully these lessons will help you if you organize events and want people to do specific tasks.
Try QRQuest for free
To give you an idea on how QRQuest can be used, try it yourself. We’ll give you a free quest with the button below.
No thanks. I don’t need a free version.
Photography by Joyce van Hezik
