We could not have been more excited when the team at Google Maps approached us with an opportunity to concept, design and develop an experience that could generate Maps App downloads on iOS. 

Smarty Pins was pitched as a game that would put trivia on the map.  A mobile-first experience with companion desktop and tablet versions, it aimed to playfully showcase the Google Maps interface and design language from within a web browser (avoiding that dreaded barrier for entry, the app download).  Knowing in advance that there would be no paid media driving traffic to the experience, we worked closely with the Maps team at Google to design and balance a game that was accurate, shareable (naturally) and above all, fun.

At its heart, Smarty Pins asks players to answer trivia questions by dropping pins on a map – an immediately approachable task.  To keep players engaged, we wrote over 2,700 items of content and carefully sorted them into six categories.  Each trivia question was tweaked and rated with its own difficulty.  New players were served easy questions to build their confidence.  Advanced players were served soul-crushingly difficult content until only the most seasoned trivia elite could compete for the diamond pin trophy.

Upon launch, the game was an instant success with 3.2 million plays in the first few weeks and average play times of over five minutes.  With minimal banner presence to direct players to the experience, we relied heavily on the press who thankfully jumped on the experience, publishing 416 articles including highlights from Polygon, The Verge, Tech Crunch and The Huffington Post.

Check out the experience at http://smartypins.withgoogle.com/.