ALOHA POP-UP
A delicious branded experience for ALOHA protein bars
An immersive pop-up experience that engages the community, builds brand awareness, and delivers memorable experiences aligned with ALOHA’s mission and values. This experience aims to transport visitors to the spirit of Hawaii by blending community engagement and brand storytelling into an unforgettable experience about protein bars.
Timeline
14 Weeks
(Fall 2024)
Programs
Adobe PS/Ai
Arduino
Figma
Rhino
Roles
Consultant
Content Strategist
Copywriter
Creative Direction
Graphic Designer
Spatial Designer
UI/UX Designer
Skills
3D Modeling
Brand Design
Experience Design
Interaction Design
Lo-Fi Prototyping
Physical Prototyping
Storyboarding
UI/UX
Research
Initial Research & Client Insights
Research
Key Insights
From client and market research, I was able to derive a few key insights that guided the ideation for the branded experience. To view the full research, please click here.
Protein bars that
appeal to anyone
Offering of healthy, plant-based, and nutritious snacks made for all dietary preferences.
Embracing an
eco-conscious lifestyle
ALOHA’s products are sourced from farms with sustainable practices, providing great-tasting products rooted in ethical and sustainable principles.
Hawaiian roots
ALOHA offers diverse flavors, including special-edition bars made with Hawaiian ingredients that distinguish the brand.
The Concept
Delicious Hawaii:
The Power of Pure Nourishment
The experience primarily highlights ALOHA’s Hawaiian roots and ingredients, key factors that set the brand apart from other protein bar companies. This includes a focus on ingredient transparency and the uniqueness of their Hawaiian-sourced ingredients, all of which contribute to the added health benefits of their products and reinforce their commitment to nourishment.
Site and Context
Southside Works
I chose Southside Works in Pittsburgh as the site because it serves as a lively town square with ample greenery, seating, and a central location within the city. It attracts a diverse audience, making it an ideal setting for the experience. The area is also adjacent to a sports court and a dog park, and it sits between retail stores and businesses that focus on fitness and health products, aligning well with the target demographic.
The experience takes place during the fall and/or spring months, when people either long for the warmth of summer or anticipate an upcoming vacation. To attract passersby, I am highlighting the retreat-like, tropical allure of Hawaii, offering an escape that evokes relaxation and rejuvenation.
Spatial Diagram
A mini Hawaii in Pittsburgh
Hawaii at a Quick Glance
Featuring the special edition Kona and Pa’akai bars, get a taste of the greenery and ocean of Hawaii!
Personalization Station
Learn about our transparent sourcing of our ingredients while receiving a recommendation for our bars!
Giving Back to Earth
See the community’s flavor profile in this interactive method of giving back to a tree!
Branding
Signage & Wayfinding
Inspired by traditional wooden panel signs from Hawaii, these branded signs serve as wayfinding tools, guiding visitors seamlessly through the open space.
Branding
Architectural & Environmental Design
The exterior walls feature branded visuals and information about ALOHA, engaging both passersby and visitors with insights into the brand and the pop-up experience.
User Journey
Exterior & Initial Impressions
Here’s a look at the exterior of the experience. While the main entrance is from the sidewalk at the bottom, passersby approach from all directions, making the back walls an essential canvas for ALOHA-branded graphics to capture attention from afar. The open layout provides flexibility, allowing visitors to explore each touchpoint in any order. Visitors are initially welcomed by Hawaii-inspired wooden signage, locating each section on this mini island.
User Journey
Hawaii’s Greenery: Kona Coffee
In this space, visitors can immerse themselves in Hawaii's lush greenery and discover the Kona plant's origins. This area is great for taking photos using the backdrop and seeing the environment in which the Kona plant grows. A station also exists in the center to sample the Kona bar, which contains the Kona coffee ingredient.
User Journey
Hawaii’s Ocean: Pa’akai Sea Salt
In this space, visitors can dive into Hawaii's oceanic beauty and uncover the essence of Pa'akai sea salt. Mirroring the Kona, this area is great for taking photos using the backdrop and visitors can also sample the Pa'akai bar.
User Journey
Personalization Station
One of ALOHA's greatest strengths is their full transparency on the ingredients used in the products—going as far to cite the health benefits of the specific ingredients. This station is an opportunity to learn just that—the ingredients, all while receiving a personalized flavor catered towards your current goals, taste preferences, and more. Inspired by Hawaiian fruit stands, it displays of the actual ingredients used in the protein bars inside. Visitors interact with the digital screen that acts as the window to the fruit stand. Here, you can customize and start your wellness journey at ALOHA through a personalization quiz. And to end this experience, you can even sample the recommended bar on the spot!
Personalization Station
Personalization Quiz
The quiz maps user responses to seventeen distinct flavor outputs, each paired with a customized personality description that embodies the chosen flavor. Users can explore the ingredients in each bar and their associated health benefits, deepening their connection to ALOHA’s commitment to transparency and nourishment. Serving as both a discovery tool and a memorable interaction, the quiz introduces visitors to the brand in an engaging and meaningful way. Upon completion, users receive a sample of their recommended bar, offering them a firsthand taste of ALOHA. Click here to take the quiz!
Based off characteristics of the bar, such as the flavor/ingredients, protein count, and calories, I was able to map each flavor to the quiz.
I also created custom packaging designs for the sample bars using pre-made and custom illustrations.
User Journey
Tree Mosaic Wall
To end the experience, view the visual display of all the different flavors and the community's flavor profile from the personalization station. This tree mosaic wall is where you can add your colored patch of grass received earlier to the wall. The goal is to ultimately create a vibrant tapestry of community tastes, symbolizing ALOHA's commitment to giving back to the earth through their products. Each tree has various heights where participants can place their patches, making it ideal for younger or shorter as well as tall participants.
Physical Prototyping
3D Model
Final Thoughts
Reflection & Takeaways
One key takeaway was the importance of creating an environment that feels both educational and inviting. The wellness personalization station, interactive ingredient booths, and visual wayfinding elements helped reinforce ALOHA’s unique selling points while keeping the experience intuitive and enjoyable. My goal for this branded experience was to increase brand awareness for ALOHA, rather than selling products.
Moving forward, refining the flow of interactions and optimizing engagement at each touchpoint could further enhance the visitor experience. Ensuring that visitors leave with not only a deeper understanding of ALOHA’s mission but also a lasting emotional connection to the brand will be crucial in shaping future activations. I'm glad that I was able to synthesize my research into key insights that align with the different parts of the experience:
ALOHA offers protein bars that appeal to anyone, but it may be difficult for new users to find the flavor they enjoy the most given the diverse range of flavors. We sought to alleviate that in this branded experience by targeting new users through the personalization station.
We emphasized the eco-conscious lifestyle of ALOHA through the tree mosaic wall, in which attendees reuse their colored grass by giving it back to the tree.
And finally, the experience explored ALOHA's Hawaiian roots through its two special edition bars as avenues for the physical landscape of Hawaii, as well as its unique flavors.
