Capturing Magic Moments: How Premagic Transformed Photography at the Discover 2024 Conference ???

Scenario 1 - Wicked Problem ??

Imagine attending a relative's wedding. The bride's parents have arranged for wedding photography, paying a significant amount. The pictures taken during the wedding serve two purposes: one, to create lasting memories for the bride and groom, and two, to capture joyous moments with friends and relatives. Guests would be thrilled to receive the pictures taken of them on stage with the bride and groom. Typically, around 3,000 photos are taken at a wedding. Since all the photos are digital, it doesn't cost much in resources. However, sharing these pictures with friends and family is practically impossible.

Scenario 2 - Wicked Problem ??

Imagine attending a conference where you are on stage for a presentation or receiving an award. You want the photographer to capture these special moments and also take candid shots of you interacting with fellow attendees during breaks. Naturally, you want these pictures in your mailbox as soon as possible. However, the camera crew often takes a few days to upload thousands of photos to the cloud and share them with event organizers. The organizers, exhausted after the event, might go on vacation. Expecting them to share your pictures is unrealistic. Even though substantial amounts are spent on event photography, the photos may not reach the right people. Some attendees may chase organizers for their pictures for over a year, but the organizers often dodge these requests due to the time-consuming process of identifying and sending the photos. Sometimes, the pictures get inadvertently deleted, wasting the money spent on photography.

Possible Solutions

1. Mobile Phone Workaround ?? Many close friends give their mobile phones to the camera crew to take pictures. They immediately share these photos with their WhatsApp groups. However, this workaround is cumbersome for wedding organizers as the stage queue moves at a snail's pace. Many in the queue get annoyed as the photographer takes more than five minutes per group on stage. Additionally, the photos taken on mobile phones may not match the quality of those taken by professional photographers.
2. Selfie Booth with Printer ????? Nowadays, photographers set up a selfie booth with a printer. Once a picture is taken, one can get a printout in a few minutes. However, this approach has challenges:

Best Solution with Latest Technology ??

Considering these pain points for event organizers and professional photographers, a startup named Premagic has developed a practical solution using modern technologies, specifically artificial intelligence (AI). The camera crew needs to pay a license fee to the company and install the app on their desktop. They then share a QR code with the event organizers, who, in turn, distribute the QR code to invitees via various channels (WhatsApp, standees, LCD screens, etc.). All the invitees need to do is register for the event by providing their name, email ID, WhatsApp number, and uploading a selfie—a critical step. This process takes just two minutes.

Once registered, the magic begins! As the camera crew uploads photos to the cloud, the AI system starts recognizing the faces using facial recognition software. The moment a picture is appropriately recognized, it is shared with the respective person on WhatsApp. No hassle! During the event, pictures may be uploaded twice or thrice. Finally, the person eager to receive their pictures is served on the same day, without having to chase anyone.

Personal Experience ??

Yesterday, I attended the first day of Discover 120 the annual conference of Toastmasters District 120, where the organizing team used this facility. Chennai-based photographers Big Screen Audio Visuals were engaged for the event. The attendees were delighted to receive their pictures before the end of the day. The system even identified individuals in large group photos.

I extend my gratitude to the event organizers for arranging this facility. I'm still amazed at how technology can solve such a complex problem. The founders of the startup have genuinely used a design thinking approach by empathizing with organizers and developing an innovative solution. I'm sure they went through several iterations to create a mature product. I consider this a classic design thinking case study and will use it as an example in all my design thinking workshops. ???

Happy to share some of the pictures from yesterday's event.