Miko

Miko is an AI powered companion that is specifically designed to engage kids through interaction, emotional responsiveness, and learning based experiences. Some of its major capabilities include aspects like voice recognition, mood based responses, and adaptive interaction. Due to this, Miko is able to function as both a learning aid and a social companion for children as well.

When the brand Miko approached D'Art, it had one specific expectation from us: design a unique and highly effective retail display experience for Miko that could be executed at all the Hamleys stores that are based within the geographical boundaries of India.

The brief provided by the brand did not just revolve around drawing attention through design and execution. Instead, it mainly focused on implementing things in a way that allowed visitors to have meaningful interactions with the product and encouraged them to consider purchasing it, that too, while staying true to the brand's core attributes.

Challenges Faced!

• Showcasing Miko's advanced emotional and artificial intelligence in a physical retail setting.
• Closely considering the constraints of a busy retail environment while designing and simultaneously ensuring clarity and visibility.
• Both children and parents should be considered as stakeholders because they have different expectations and their decisions are influenced by various factors.
• Apart from ensuring aesthetic appeal, encouraging customer engagement by enabling experiential understanding of the respective project.

Solutions Provided

When the D'Art team started working on this respective project, they adopted a very comprehensive approach. They blended marketing and design strategy with campaign thinking in order to develop and establish a cohesive presence within the retail outlets.

The design was created and implemented in a way that focused on interaction, adaptability, and companionship. This clearly highlighted Miko's ability to connect with children on an emotional level. Integration of visual and spatial elements that complemented these qualities further shaped the visitors' perception and informed them about the fact that Miko is not just a conventional toy but actually goes beyond that.

We also established a multiple display concept that helped reinforce familiarity and promoted brand recall. In addition to this, it also highlighted how Miko supports factors like child learning, interaction, and attentiveness.

To maximise engagement, we further introduced a dedicated Miko Friendship Bench. It was an immersive space where children could interact with Miko and socialize with peers at the same time.

Results Achieved

• We established a structured retail presence for Miko that clearly communicated both its purpose and capabilities as well.
• Executing the Miko Friendship Bench enabled high quality interactions and also encouraged the children to directly engage with the product.
• The design elements focused on boosting familiarity and encouraging emotional connection, which further supported brand recall.
• The delivered retail design framework is scalable and can be seamlessly deployed across multiple locations.