CIBC Ambition Centre
CIBC’s experiential bank branch in Toronto’s, Yorkdale Mall, where XR technology helps make customers ambitions a reality.
Background
CIBC, one of the largest banks in Canada, undertook a full-scale rebrand which focused on helping achieve customers ambitions. Strategies focused on technology-driven customer service experience help make CIBC’s brand stand out amongst the big 6 Canadian banks. This rebrand included a first-of-its-kind experience centre, which CIBC approached Astound Group to help create.
Four unique digital experiences integrated CIBC’s brand promise of making ambitions, reality; a virtual reality(VR) mission to mars, a projection mapped immersive theatre that inspires consumers to think about the ambitions they have for their own lives, a touchscreen app where customers design their dream home and view it in augmented reality(AR), and a transparent OLED touchscreen app for kids to sketch their dream career.
Client
CIBC
Studio
Astound Group
Partners
PEAK Technologies
IA Interior Architects
Diversified Canada
Roles
VR Developer (Explore Mars)
UX/UI Designer (Home Builder/Kids Colouring)
A/V Installation Maintenance (Immersive Theatre)
Timeline
UI Design- 2 mo. (Oct 2022 - Nov 2022)
VR Development - 4 mo. (Dec 2022 - Apr 2023)
Testing/Debugging - 1mo. (May 2023)
A/V maintenance - January 2024
Location
Yorkdale Mall - Toronto, Ont.
360 VR Concept
Initially, CIBC pitched using the Cyberith VR platform for 360° movement on the Mars exploration experience. Using an integration API for Unity’s OpenXR toolkit,I paired Cyberith’s platform with the Valve Index. This included character rigging, matching the users foot, waist, and head motions to the model, creating C# scripts, and a portion of the 3D modeling and animating.
This prototype was unveiled to CIBC executive team in Toronto, Ont. during March 2023 where it was approved for install. This capacity was reduced at install due to nearby construction interfering with the platform sensors. VR users will be temporarily seated until reinstallation, scheduled for Q1 2025.
Test footage taken in Unity (2 months to launch)
Kids Colouring OLED Screen
An experience for younger bank patrons was proposed so children could be entertained while their parents meet with financial advisors. The concept was a series of colouring-book sketches played with on an OLED touchscreen. A transparent screen was chosen to allow for sightline for parents and security staff, given the high volume of traffic within a mall setting.
My contribution was creating the user experience and interface elements of the experience. A playful and simple layout, familiar to MS Paint, was designed that incorportated CIBC’s brand of font style and colour palette.
