NFL : VOICE ANIMATED VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
PROJECT BRIEF: NFL BRONSON
Voice-Animated Virtual Assistant (NFL)
VOICE-RESPONSIVE VIRTUAL ASSISTANT (MOBILE APP INTEGRATION)
Product goal: The NFL wanted to explore voice-driven device interaction for an internal presentation. They needed proof of concept UI films and avatar options, along with robust R&D on tech and creative pipelines.
What we made: As a creative and production partner, Chapeau ideated on multiple looks and animations for the voice-driven avatar (from abstract to human form). The UI films incorporated those explorations into voice-driven scenarios in which the avatar listened, responded, and transported users to a page or experience within the app which answered their query. Utilizing information we gathered from our tech explorations, we delivered a prototype technology pipeline and UX diagrams in addition to design and animation explorations, several avatar variations, and the demo UI films.
Results: The films and avatar explorations successfully showed NFL leadership the promise of voice-driven UI within their products.
Deliverables
Discovery & testing outcomes and development pipeline for MVP.
Look dev, Design, UI prototyping & animation as well as character development and device integration.
CONSTRAINTS
Voice Activated Assistant
Welcome & Variable Response Video for Voice Factory
Test the possibility of pre-made animations to be used while Assistant is talking.
Chapeau Studios will work with NFL’s Front End/OpenGL engineer to deliver a pre-rendered film that will appear to be driven by the Voice Factory’s response to the demo user’
Personality: Consider and further develop the personality of the NFL Assistant based on the hexagonal shape, color and animation
Determine how inline content is presented to user, while considering multimodal behavior and interaction.
METHODOLOGY: NFL BRONSON
Meet The NFL Assistant
UI DEMO FILMS
Utilizing information we gathered from our tech explorations, we delivered a prototype technology pipeline and UX diagrams in addition to design and animation explorations, several avatar variations, and the demo UI films.
Additional Look Development
TOOLS: NFL BRONSON
Mobile Work Flow - Asset Creation
UX Diagrams
This describes the workflow for the Mobile App Project. There are two processes:
Asset creation and setup
Internal to the app
PROJECT BRIEF: MATTHEW ALEXA SKILL
“Matthew” 3D Avatar
NFL ALEXA SKILL AVATAR
NFL originally approached us while creating their first Alexa Skill, “Rookie’s Guide to the NFL”, with the desire to create an Alexa-linked 3D avatar with a more customized, branded look than offered by the current AWS offering, Sumerian Host. They wanted to keep their Polly→Sumerian Host workflow intact, while raising the production value and unique look of the avatar. We used our unique tech-forward outlook on content display and development, then researched and designed a new workflow to help NFL devise their own face for Alexa — or in this case, “Matthew".
CONSTRAINTS
NFL Alexa Skill Avatar
Football Frank grew up playing and watching football. He has fond memories of it and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the NFL. He loves to chat with people about NFL football.
He’s not supper hip, but he is okay with that. He uses his sometimes “dad-like” sense of humor to put people at ease and to make them engage with the NFL.
He tries to be aware of what people are doing when they chat with him (watching a game, checking a definition etc.)
IN ACTION: Friendly, Reliable, Relatable, Funny and Encouraging
METHODOLOGY: NFL MATTHEW
NFL Alexa Skill Avatar
WORKFLOW
Together, Chapeau + NFL designed a workflow that would take full advantage of AWS's text-to-speech system. Scripts were converted to .JSON format and diverted from Sumerian Host to create our own workflow. In order to create an elevated product with an intuitive workflow, we focused our research and design efforts on pre-production.
There are several layers of visual effects work that need to be built before an avatar begins its look development process. Specific character rigging and a toolkit of ambient body animations are key to making this whole process run efficiently and smoothly.
Character Development
TOOLS: NFL MATTHEW
Alexa Workflow
UX DIAGRAMS
This describes the workflow for the Alexa Project, starting with sound and JSON files from Alexa to fully rendered CG.
THE OUTCOME: NFL MATTHEW
Development End Zone Details
From here, we can plug the Polly exports into our system and generate lip-sync accurate animations on masterfully-rendered avatars. The process of animating lips by hand is a real killer, which can take weeks to nail a 10 second clip. Our system will do it in seconds. Since the devices that support video and images files for Alexa currently require pre-rendered files (much like a traditional video medium), we optimized this workflow and the technology that runs it for speed-to-deliver. We can build and render the hundreds of files needed for a Skill in a production timeline accelerated literally by years. Yes it sounds impossible, but we figured it out. 800 pre-rendered animated films could take 4 years through a traditional animation workflow (roughly the schedule of a PIXAR feature). Through our system, we estimate that the timetable could be compressed to 4-6 months to develop custom avatars for a given Skill.