Creating an Interactive Entertainment Experience

The Story

Designing and building an experience like no other.

With the popularity of Top Golf taking the lifestyle and entertainment sectors by storm, two University of Texas-graduates, Nick Hermandorfer and Tyler Bambrick, asked themselves—could there be a different, better experience for fans, friends, work teams and families that maybe aren’t golf fans? Enter Home Run Dugout, a brand-new, one-of-a-kind sports entertainment company with a fresh idea for after-hours activities: a better baseball batting cage! All they needed for success with this terrific idea was a great product and experience design partner to help them evolve it and bring it to life.

Working through our Stakeholder Centered Design process, M3 tested and refined concepts with stakeholders using full scale mock-ups and interfaces before arriving at this unique experience for Dell Diamond (home of the Houston Astros AAA affiliate Round Rock Express) visitors, baseball fans and entertainment enthusiasts.

Our Solution

Designing a unique end-to-end user experience.

  1. A unique immersive experience that caters to the baseball novice as much as it does the baseball pro; creating an atmosphere of light hearted fun and socialization
  2. 20ft curved bay screens and diamond-esque bay decks create an essential ballpark experience enabling the player to hit into any MLB park of their choice
  3. Integrated pitch controls that enable spectators to set the direction of the pitch to try and force the strike out!
  4. An environment references baseball heritage, but more importantly has its own contemporary, inviting and universally appealing personality
"The final environment looks identical to the renders…We love it." The Home Run Dugout Team
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The Details

Gameplay GUI

To complement the unique batting experience offered by Home Run Dugout, a new interface had to be developed from scratch to ensure a cohesive and enjoyable experience. M3 mapped the user journey from arrival through gameplay, carefully considering the customer experience at each step. Multiple screens displaying different information had to be coordinated, creating a unified look and feel that excites players and engages spectators.

UI example on a smartphone
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The Details

System Integration

Repeatedly launching a ball to a precise location so a player can hit it into a monumental curved projection screen is no small task. Countless hours were poured into the details that make up the foundation of the Home Run Dugout experience: fine tuning the pitching machine and controllers, specifying projectors and warping the image for the curved screen, and engineering the screen itself to endure the abuse of thousands of impacts over time.

testing the homerun dugout pitching machine controller

Facility Build

M3 worked with HRD and Ryan Sanders Sports Services, the operators of Dell Diamond, to select the optimal location for the maiden batting bay facility. While site location plans solidified, the M3 design team worked with HRD to refine the digital and physical experiences and flow of the facility.

Maintaining Intent

M3 was on-site to oversee multiple contractors during the batting bay build-out and ensure the final result was true to the original design intent from an experience and function perspective.

Stick to the Schedule

As multiple systems and components coalesced, M3 was able to troubleshoot when necessary and provide quick solutions to keep the tight timeline on track for the grand opening during the home opener of the Round Rock Express.

Finishing Touches

M3 also provided a concept vision of the overall space and exterior, helping to make the HRD space a high-traffic, high-visibility landmark in center field.

"If you're interested in adding this proprietary / patent-pending technology to your facility, please reach out to the Home Run Dugout corporate staff. Tell them M3 sent you! "
Contact Home Run Dugout
The Results

First-of-its-kind baseball batting bay experience

  1. Generated the conceptual vision to help define the target audience and roadmap strategy for the HRD experience that enabled them to exceed funding expectations to build a custom, dedicated facility created specifically for their experience.
  2. Designed the full holistic physical and digital experience, taking into account foot traffic flow, user interactions, game play, ball pitching and collection, bar layout, the physical look of the venue that supports the HRD brand perception, and more.
  3. Designed and engineered a patented targeted pitching system to enhance gameplay.
  4. Managed the construction and buildout of the facility to ensure every last detail matched the concept vision.
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