a Project
TIME TRAVEL
RUBBER DUCK 2.0
Small & Mighty
Become One-of-a-kind
ENGAGED @ WORK
MERRY MISSION
HAPPY SEAT
CLEAN FUN
History Redefined
Staffing Solutions
Delightful Divas
Game On!
A Day in the Life
Behind the Pixels
New Digs
BUILT TO COLLABORATE
Hexes and Henchmen
WHERE INNOVATION SHINES
FROM DIGITAL TO PHYSICAL
ENHANCING YOUR UNIVERSE
Hello, Let's Begin
Ready to make something amazing?
We’re here to listen, collaborate and create with you. Think of us as an extension of your team. Together we’ll create experiences, products and services to delight your customers—and take your business and brand where you’ve never been before.
Want to work with us?
If you like what you see and enjoy working with talented people, check out our open positions listed below. Also, feel free to submit your information to us even if you don’t see a position that fits your specific skills. We’re always looking to work with talented people like yourself!
Plow Digital 325 East St. Joseph Street
Indianapolis IN 46202
TIME TRAVEL
Indiana Historical Society
Destination Indiana Experience
At the Indiana Historical Society, visitors can explore Indiana’s history and every corner of the state in the Destination Indiana exhibit. The Plow team collaborated with IHS to create stories and experiences to transport visitors through time. Gesture-based touch-screen controls and immersive displays put visitors in the driver’s seat as they swipe, pinch and tap their way through history. The result is an interactive experience with eight time travel stations that highlight 300 journeys. Through stories, visitors can experience the Civil War, social justice, women’s suffrage and other historical moments.
How we did it
Developed in Unity, the display uses a server-side backend and runs on Linux. The Plow team wrote an external program to handle multi-touch.
RUBBER DUCK 2.0
Edwin the Duck
Smart Toy & App
Plow and pi lab worked with educators, musicians and cognitive specialists to create the Edwin the Duck app, a smart toy that’s compatible with Bluetooth-enabled devices. Edwin looks like a rubber ducky, but he’s also a waterproof wireless speaker ready to splash and sing songs in the tub. He’s a nightlight and a sound soother at bedtime. He takes children on interactive journeys—thanks to Plow-developed Bluetooth integration for Android and iPhone. Edwin’s content grows along with children, from infancy to preschool, and frequent updates keep content fresh. Edwin recently earned a KAPi Award for outstanding kids’ interactive media.
How we did it
Plow created proprietary plug-ins to allow Unity to interface with the hardware in the Edwin toy using BTLE and classic Bluetooth technologies.
Small & Mighty
Riley Hospital For Children
NICU Nest App
The NICU Nest at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, one of the nation’s top-ranked children’s hospitals, provides support tools to people with a baby in a newborn intensive care unit. Plow helped the NICU Nest reach its goal of empowering families with a new app. The NICU Nest app makes it easy for parents to track their baby’s progress with a breastfeeding and pumping timer and tracker, a dirty diaper output log and a skin-to-skin session tracker. Custom charting and analytic software make it easy to track results over time. The app helps families navigate the hospital too, with a glossary and patient stories.
How we did it: Plow developed the app using web technologies (JavaScript, HTML5, CSS) and deployed it to iOS and Android with Cordova. The original app was developed in Unity3D.
Become One-of-a-kind
Audi Exclusive
Audi of America
Audi exclusive is a program that allows Audi buyers to choose unique options and colors and have the vehicle built accordingly, mixing or matching more than a dozen shades of leather and stitching for their seats, armrests, door trim, inserts and virtually any exterior color the customer desires. Based on a dealer training app Plow had developed, Audi asked Plow to develop a full-featured version.
The new app enables Audi salespeople to walk customers through the choices and order an Audi exclusive model, right from a tablet. The Audi exclusive app enhances the premium retail experience, increases the accuracy of orders and streamlines communication between dealer and manufacturer.
ENGAGED @ WORK
Eli Lilly & Co.
Connect@Lunch Website & Mobile App
Eli Lilly and Company knows that when the right people get together, great things happen. Of course, that’s only half the battle. You also need to make sure the right people find each other. To tackle this challenge, Eli Lilly turned to Plow. Plow’s answer is Connect@Lunch, a digital connector that helps Eli Lilly employees meet, foster new relationships, share information and trade ideas. Used as part of the onboarding process for new employees, the system has three parts: a web-based administration site, a web app where users search for events and an iOS app for smartphones and tablets. The result? A system that connects employees to their employer—and each other—in unexpected ways.
How we did it
The core system was built using PHP. A server-side program securely accepts and processes incoming matchmaking requests and returns an API response to the iOS application.
MERRY MISSION
Build-A-Bear
Santa's Merry MissionTM App
Creating a Build-A-Bear toy is a personal experience. So when Build-A-Bear and local ad agency CVR wanted to engage families at Christmastime, Plow delivered an experience that, like the company’s toys, is directed by the user. The Santa’s Merry MissionTM app builds on the story of a Christmas when Santa’s “nice list” is so long even his elves can’t keep up. Who comes to his rescue? His faithful reindeer. The premise leads users to a series of games. The app also features daily surprises, a Christmas countdown, songs and an audio family Christmas story. During the holiday promotion, it was downloaded more than 160,000 times during the holiday season.
How we did it
Plow used Unity to create three games in a modular format. Metaio and Viewforia create AR experiences that unlock content. 3D character models were made and animated in Maya.
HAPPY SEAT
Humanscale
Consumer App
Humanscale is an award-winning designer and manufacturer of ergonomic products for the office. The company’s chairs, lamps, monitor arms and sit/stand work stations are as beautiful as they are functional, yet photos can’t capture how they work in real life. That’s why Humanscale partnered with Plow to create a consumer-facing app so users could preview products through interactive images and 3D models. Product information, shop access and ergonomics education are part of the menu too. And people can use the app’s Active Workspace Builder to create a custom workspace of their own. The app has become a valuable tool for the Humanscale sales force as well.
How we did it
Plow integrated CMS content and Salesforce single sign-on credentials to create a seamless experience for users, who can switch between the consumer-facing app (Unity) and the dealer-facing app (Xcode).
CLEAN FUN
Indiana Dental Association
Drinks Destroy Teeth App
Plow is helping the Indiana Dental Association show educators, students and dentists the hidden dangers in our favorite drinks with an interactive science lab. Users can test their knowledge in virtual pH and sugar science labs, and use interactive sugar spoons to guess how much sugar is in specific drinks. Then, to get a sense of what sugar does to teeth, users can examine a 3D model of human teeth, rotating, pinching and zooming to discover hot spots. Activated by tapping, the hot spots deliver an animation with close-ups as well as callouts with information about tooth decay, fluoride, acid, plaque and more.
How we did it
Plow used Unity to create the app; 3D teeth were modeled in ZBrush and imported into the app. Existing client videos integrated with Plow-designed games and activities.
History Redefined
Indiana Historical Society
Corporate Website
The Indiana Historical Society museum in downtown Indianapolis has a vast archive of important documents and artifacts that are publicly available both on site as well as on the web. The website in particular is an important tool for researchers, teachers and academics. With built-in access to WorldCat, the site allows researchers from around the world to access documents that have been curated by IHS’ staff of archivists.
How we did it
Plow oversaw the redesign, re-organization and republishing of the site to make it more streamlined for visitors to the site, site administrators and the archivists who maintain the records. The site fulfills the needs of marketing, membership services, operations and archive departments by offering a range of tailored solutions to meet each of their needs.
Staffing Solutions
Forefront Solutions, Inc.
Brand Development
Today’s employers face a shortage of skilled workers, and their attempts to find good workers often leave them frustrated, as staffing firms send them people who are not qualified, do not fit with the employer’s organization or do not stay. Forefront is setting out to change this scenario with a web-based app that connects employers to the right people and people to the right jobs. It will allow employers to search for candidates based on criteria they choose, and its training module will allow employees to increase their value and map out career paths focused on growth and advancement.
How we did it
Plow partnered with JTPR, Inc. on strategy, positioning and naming; developed the brand with brand toolkits for the holding company and three subsidiaries; and designed + programmed the holding company website.
Delightful Divas
Build-A-Bear
Adventures Game, Featuring Honey Girls
Working with Build-A-Bear brand managers and local ad agency, CVR, Plow helped create a cross-platform game that would let the client tell their products’ stories in an organic way through engaging game play. Players get to play as their favorite Build-A-Bear Workshop characters and explore two charmingly illustrated worlds full of activities as they save Christmas and explore New York City.
In the game, players compete against computer-controlled opponents to collect different items hidden on the game board. Along the way they play mini games and meet various Build-A-Bear characters that send them on missions. The game also features engaging video content and product information that helps build the stories and the world of Build-A-Bear Adventures.
How we did it
Built using the Phaser HTML5 game engine, kids can play the game on their desktop PCs, tablets and even mobile phones. The game was played more than 100,000 times during the holiday launch.
Game On!
Indiana Historical Society
Indianapolis Colts: The Exhibit Games
IHS approached Plow to create two interactives for their new Colts Story exhibit, a two-year long exhibit showcasing the history and impact of the Colts on the city of Indianapolis. We created an ADA-compliant Kinect controlled game in which the guest controls a player running down an endless football field, dodging defenders and obstacles to run the greatest distance possible. We also created a photo booth experience that allows guests to take their pictures with scaled images of Colts players from the past and present. For both exhibits we helped IHS create design requirements for the installations. The exhibit will be at the Indiana Historical Society for 18 months.
How we did it
Kinect Game: This interactive exhibit was built using the Kinect API for Unity. Visitors to the museum can control the game by jumping and moving right and left as they dodge the opposing team. An ADA-compliant mode allows visitors with limited mobility to control the game with basic arm movements.
Photobooth: Built with Unity, this exhibit allows visitors to take a picture of themselves next to a Colts player they choose. The app takes four pictures which the visitor can email to themselves. Using the front-facing camera on an installed 10.5″ iPad Pro, users can line themselves up in the shot and get visual feedback from the app without an expensive camera and CPU rig.
A Day in the Life
ABOUT PLOW
At Plow, we create software, develop apps, and dream up interactive experiences. If it’s digital, we do it. We create installations, websites, augmented and virtual reality. We go beyond the traditional, tapping into our passion for immersive technologies to elevate products, services and brands in unexpected ways. Our friendly team of tech magicians is practiced at listening and learning. We want to hear where you’re coming from and where you want to go. Together we’ll create environments and experiences that will delight your audiences—and take your business and brand where you’ve never been before.
Audi, Volkswagen, Harley-Davidson, Heil Trailer, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Humanscale, Eli Lilly and Company, hhgregg, Hammermill Paper, John Deere, Riley Hospital for Children, OFG, Carrier Corporation, Volvo, Guinness World Records, Firestone, Allison Transmission, Bryant, ARO, Indy Fuel and many more.
Plow is an approved government contractor currently working with the U.S. Department of Justice.
A Day in the Life
ABOUT
What we do
At Plow, we create software, develop apps, and dream up interactive experiences. If it’s digital, we do it. We create installations, websites, augmented and virtual reality. We go beyond the traditional, tapping into our passion for immersive technologies to elevate products, services and brands in unexpected ways. Our friendly team of tech magicians is practiced at listening and learning. We want to hear where you’re coming from and where you want to go. Together we’ll create environments and experiences that will delight your audiences—and take your business and brand where you’ve never been before.
Audi, Volkswagen, Harley-Davidson, Heil Trailer, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Humanscale, Eli Lilly and Company, hhgregg, Hammermill Paper, John Deere, Riley Hospital for Children, OFG, Carrier Corporation, Volvo, Guinness World Records, Firestone, Allison Transmission, Bryant, ARO, Indy Fuel and many more.
Plow is an approved government contractor currently working with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Visit our other website Plow Games
Services & Process
How we roll
At Plow, we empower you to be part of your project. Through a collaborative, agile process, we invite you to share your best ideas with us. Our designers, programmers and animators work with you to brainstorm and sketch out ideas, then transform them into demos you can see, touch and experience. Be prepared for a process that exceeds your expectations. Throughout the life cycle of a project, we keep you informed about where things stand, so there are no surprises along the way.
Strategy
Creative
Development
Analytics
Branding
Social
Process
Behind the Pixels
Strategy
Plow will help bring your vision to life. We’ll work closely with you on a strategy and plan for your digital project, then execute that plan with precision. From wireframing to prototyping to UX, we can work with you to make your idea a reality. // Strategy & Planning; Prototyping, Wireframes, Storyboards, UX, Technical Specifications, Website audits
Creative
At Plow, we understand the significance of quality. Our crew of creatives gives each product and brand a distinctive and original look and feel through graphic, web and interface design. We plan and strategically work through all creative processes—without restricting creative development. // Website, Mobile, Responsive Design, User Interface Design, Games (Online, Mobile, Installation), AR/VR/360, Installations (Trade & Museum), Motion/Animation, Illustration, 3D, Gamification, Identity
Development
Our goal is to make complex technical processes user-friendly. To develop cross-platform solutions, we work with trusted practices and state-of-the-art technology. To bridge functionality and design, we create comprehensively arranged user interfaces for your project.
Capabilities Web Front End Development, Responsive UI and UX Design, Back End Development, Software Development, Mobile Application Development, Content Management System Solutions, Global Website Support, Database Modeling, E-Commerce Solutions, API Connectivity Solutions, ADA Compliance, Maintenance & Support, Mobile Device Management
Software HTML5 / CSS3, SASS, JavaScript / jQuery / AJAX / XML / JSON, Java C#, C++, PHP / MySQL, .NET, SQL, Twitter Bootstrap framework, Angular JS framework, Unity, Unreal Engine, Phaser HTML5 Engine, PlayCanvas, eCommerce: WooCommerce, CMS; WordPress, OpenText TeamSite, Umbraco, Bluetooth LE integration, Xcode, Android, Cordova, Vuforia AR, MobileIron, API Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, other, Python, SAML/SSO, Piwik, Google Analytics
Hardware Oculus, HTC Virtual Reality headsets, Leap Gesture, KINECT for Windows, SQUACK interactive hardware, TANVAS Surface Haptics, Touchscreen hardware
Analytics
The goal of every project is to achieve our clients’ goals. Plow monitors analytics and tracking, adjusting content to build traffic. // Web Analytics, Usability Testing, A/B Testing, Conversion Tracking, Google Analytic
Branding
At Plow, we provide consulting to help you develop a strong brand strategy. Good communication, expert advice and creative collaboration are the foundation of every project. // Strategic Planning & Analysis, Creative Brand Consulting, Brand Development, Project Management
Social
At Plow we take care of digital marketing services—from communication strategy and content marketing to community management. // Social Media Strategy, Community Management, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Social Media Management
Process
The Plow Digital team takes a modified Agile approach to our projects. During the Planning and Creative stages of the project, the teams will work hard to gain consensus on the project requirements, the user experience and the user interface for the software being developed. Once the teams are aligned on the project direction, iterative development will begin.
Testing and QA Process Our testing and quality assurance process primarily revolves around Story Testing, User Acceptance Testing, Regression Testing, and is entwined with our overall SCRUM Process. We utilize an agile development tool called PivotalTracker to manage our user stories, monitor project flow, organize sprint iterations, and report bugs.
New Digs
Toys to Games
What’s old is new – and hot again!
Plow Digital is excited to call the St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood our new home.
Our building at 325 St. Joseph was built between 1887 and 1898 and has served a number of uses. Originally, it had a third story which was lost in a fire sometime around 1969. In 1898, a commercial laundry occupied the “basement” or first floor, a machine shop was on the second floor, and the Kindergarten Toy Company, which made Wood-Bildo toys, occupied the third floor. It was fully-renovated in 2012 with an urban, industrial vibe in mind. Being in our new space allows us to creatively display our cutting-edge gallery of AR, VR and interactive experiences with large groups in mind.
When visiting you’ll pass through some of Indianapolis’ most rare architecture that spans the entire history of our city since the 1860’s. You’ll see a set of extremely rare row houses, Civil War-era cottages, grand Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Tudor Revival homes, not to mention early Nineteenth Century Commercial buildings. The neighborhood has a concentration of twenty-three structures that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Just the sort of place for a bunch of creatives to stay inspired.
We’re within walking distance of interesting eateries such as English Ivy’s on Alabama, St. Joseph Brewery on College and Axum Ethiopian on Pennsylvania. Please contact Greg or Derek if you’d like to host a fun, tech-event here.
New Digs
New Digs
Toys to Games
What’s old is new – and hot again!
Plow Digital is excited to call the St. Joseph Historic Neighborhood our new home.
Our building at 325 St. Joseph was built between 1887 and 1898 and has served a number of uses. Originally, it had a third story which was lost in a fire sometime around 1969. In 1898, a commercial laundry occupied the “basement” or first floor, a machine shop was on the second floor, and the Kindergarten Toy Company, which made Wood-Bildo toys, occupied the third floor. It was fully-renovated in 2012 with an urban, industrial vibe in mind. Being in our new space allows us to creatively display our cutting-edge gallery of AR, VR and interactive experiences with large groups in mind.
When visiting you’ll pass through some of Indianapolis’ most rare architecture that spans the entire history of our city since the 1860’s. You’ll see a set of extremely rare row houses, Civil War-era cottages, grand Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Tudor Revival homes, not to mention early Nineteenth Century Commercial buildings. The neighborhood has a concentration of twenty-three structures that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Just the sort of place for a bunch of creatives to stay inspired.
We’re within walking distance of interesting eateries such as English Ivy’s on Alabama, St. Joseph Brewery on College and Axum Ethiopian on Pennsylvania. Please contact Greg or Derek if you’d like to host a fun, tech-event here.
BUILT TO COLLABORATE
PLOW CULTURE
Welcome to our playground.
At our office in the historic St. Joseph neighborhood in downtown Indianapolis, our team of creatives and tech gurus solve problems and dream up new worlds. At Plow, we don’t draw a line between work and fun. We love what we do. That’s our secret to consistently producing quality work that exceeds clients’ expectations and wins consumers’ hearts. Our agency partners amp up their capabilities with software and digital innovations. Museums amaze visitors with cutting-edge user experiences. Brands reach new audiences with engaging apps and games. Reignite your imagination. Come work—and play—with us.
Fueled by dreamers.
Plow is all about technology, creativity and innovation . But we wouldn’t be Plow without our people. Our designers, illustrators, animators, 3D artists and programmers rev up their unusual intelligence and talents to keep our creative engine running. We communicate, build trust and set expectations together. We’re friendly. And we love what we do. We’ve heard that’s why our clients like us. They get to be part of the team.
BUILT TO COLLABORATE
BUILT TO COLLABORATE
PLOW CULTURE
Welcome to our playground.
At our office in the historic St. Joseph neighborhood in downtown Indianapolis, our team of creatives and tech gurus solve problems and dream up new worlds. At Plow, we don’t draw a line between work and fun. We love what we do. That’s our secret to consistently producing quality work that exceeds clients’ expectations and wins consumers’ hearts. Our agency partners amp up their capabilities with software and digital innovations. Museums amaze visitors with cutting-edge user experiences. Brands reach new audiences with engaging apps and games. Reignite your imagination. Come work—and play—with us.
Fueled by dreamers.
Plow is all about technology, creativity and innovation . But we wouldn’t be Plow without our people. Our designers, illustrators, animators, 3D artists and programmers rev up their unusual intelligence and talents to keep our creative engine running. We communicate, build trust and set expectations together. We’re friendly. And we love what we do. We’ve heard that’s why our clients like us. They get to be part of the team.
Skullduggery Galore
Hexes and Henchmen
Skullduggery Galore
“Hexes and Henchmen” is the latest board game designed by the Plow Games team. Each player assumes the role of an evil mastermind with a cadre of mindless, but loyal, henchmen. Send your minions across the board quickly and be the first evil genius to wreck your rival’s lair!
Coming soon to Kickstarter.
WHERE INNOVATION SHINES
WHERE INNOVATION SHINES
Tech Events
We believe in experimentation. That’s why the team at Plow devotes time and energy to trying out technology that isn’t yet mainstream. We travel the world to discover stuff that blows our minds. Throughout the year you’ll find us at conferences and events like Indy PopCon, the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Toy Fair, Gen Con, the Southeastern Museums Conference, UIUX Chicago and others. We love to get out and discover what’s new, then test ideas in our Lab. How do you benefit? What we know, you know.
FROM DIGITAL TO PHYSICAL
FROM DIGITAL TO PHYSICAL
3D Printing
With 3D printing, Plow people can create virtually anything in three dimensions. We’ve built a 3D clock for augmented reality tracking, parts for Nerf gun battles, custom game pieces and miniature transmissions for client interaction.
ENHANCING YOUR UNIVERSE
ENHANCING YOUR UNIVERSE
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality turns the environment around you into a digital interface by placing virtual objects in the real world, in real-time. We’ve brought this tech to the forefront for our clients, creating augmented reality 3D tracking, interactive posters, video and 3D-animated environments. The augmented reality platforms we work with include mobile phones, wearables, tablets and installation-based environments.