New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation came to us with an opportunity: build a unique mobile user experience that gives people access to New Orleans, from anywhere. While designing and building the app, we knew that the user interface would be key to its success. Interactive Creative Director John Pucci and Senior Interactive Developer Matt Kyte used navigation to create an app that focuses on user experience.
GO NOLA became more than an app—it became a guidebook, navigator, entertainer, restaurant guide and event calendar rolled into one. With customizable options for discovering where to eat and what to do, GO NOLA allows users to dictate their experiences inside the app while on the streets of New Orleans. Augmented reality adds a hip factor to finding that hole-in-the-wall place a tourist will tell his friends he “discovered” on his travels. And with a built-in GPS feature, “going off the beaten path” doesn’t have to mean getting lost.
New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation’s commitment to building a resource for New Orleans allowed us to include real-time updates and offline availability. The app pulls information from the source of all things tourism: NewOrleansOnline.com, New Orleans’ Official Tourism Website. With New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation’s collaboration, GO NOLA can truly live up to its title as the Official Tourism App of the City of New Orleans.
Peter Mayer is most excited about the app’s Celebrity Walking Tours, since they’ll teach even a native New Orleanian a thing or two. Emmy-winning actor John Goodman strolls along the picturesque riverfront while Wendell Pierce, star of HBO’s Treme, connects his award-winning series’ TV neighborhood with the authentic street corners it represents. This star power sets GO NOLA apart from popular guide apps to other cities and even from other New Orleans-focused apps.
Peter Mayer Advertising’s attention to the user experience and incorporation of celebrity swag made GO NOLA a one-of-a-kind tourism app for a one-of-a-kind city. GO NOLA is currently available for iPhone and will be available for Android this summer. It’s a unique way to experience New Orleans—whether you’re from here, visiting here, or can’t wait to get here.