Visualizing the power of the cloud
Microsoft wanted to showcase how their cloud technologies could integrate and improve critical infrastructure and services within cities. To bring this vision to life, they tapped The Atlantic and Triptych to craft an interactive world.
We conceived an immersive, 3D digital cityscape that users could explore. The city would visually demonstrate how Microsoft's cloud solutions can connect and enhance law enforcement, healthcare, education, transportation, utilities, and more. By designing specific city districts and animating their integration, we could showcase a tangible, engaging vision of an urban future powered by the cloud.
To showcase scalability, we developed two 3D cities - a large metro like Manhattan and a mid-size city like Austin. Building two digital urban landscapes let us demonstrate cloud tech powering systems and services across a range of city scales and needs.
Crafting an intuitive user experience
The 3D city environments provided the immersive backdrop, but the UI would guide the user journey. We designed a seamless interface to make exploring the connected cities intuitive.
Clean, minimalist iconography represented each district and system, unifying the experience visually. The icons adapted for both desktop and mobile to optimize engagement across devices. Intuitive navigation kept key site functions accessible as users dove into experiencing different city sections. The UI design facilitated easy exploration, conveying utility and approachability.
To demonstrate integration, we created animations like a helicopter taking off from a hospital, a school receiving notifications, a metro train arriving on time, law enforcement being alerted about a crime, and city officials getting citizen input. The vivid motion graphics let users clearly see how cloud technologies could seamlessly connect urban operations and infrastructure.
Bringing an urban future to life
Through an ambitious collaboration, Triptych, The Atlantic, and Microsoft delivered an exciting vision of smart, connected cities. Our interactive 3D digital cityscapes immersed users in an urban environment enhanced by Microsoft's integrated cloud technologies.
We crafted an expansive world, guided experience, that — coupled with The Atlantic's compelling content — allowed Microsoft to effectively demonstrate their cloud solutions' potential in powering the infrastructure and systems that will shape tomorrow's cities.
