Overview
In Someone Else's Shoes was an experiential AR campaign for Santander designed to build empathy for the "working homeless" and reinforce the brand platform "Respect Adds Up." The project began as a technology-agnostic concept: how might we help people truly walk a mile in someone else's shoes, and turn that emotional shift into tangible support for a vulnerable group.
Problem
Santander needed to move beyond the perception of a distant, corporate bank toward a brand that demonstrated real empathy and social responsibility. The challenge was to design an experience where the emotional idea — respect through lived perspective — came first, with technology serving as the delivery mechanism rather than the driver.
Role and Responsibilities
As UX Lead, I was responsible for framing and protecting the idea from the outset, before any specific technology was chosen. I defined the end-to-end user journey, documented the narrative flow, and built prototypes that expressed the experience in low-tech terms — story, setting, choices, emotional beats — so stakeholders could align around the core concept. Once AR was selected as the ideal medium, I partnered with external technology teams to translate that idea into a feasible build, providing UX guidance and detailed documentation for designers, developers, and clients.
Approach
The project started with a simple premise: if respect means walking in someone else's shoes, how could we let people actually do that? Rather than starting from "let's do something in AR," we first defined the emotional journey we wanted users to travel — moving them from curiosity, to discomfort, to empathy, and finally to a sense of agency.
Partnering with a local homeless shelter, we interviewed people who were employed but homeless, and used their stories to define our main character and narrative. The authenticity of those stories determined what moments we needed to show, which later informed how AR would be used, rather than the other way around.
Key Challenges
Staying true to the idea: as we explored different technologies, we continually checked decisions against the core concept of "walk in someone else's shoes," making sure AR enhanced empathy rather than becoming a gimmick.
AR marker within brand constraints: we needed an AR marker that both aligned with Santander's brand and had the contrast and structure required for reliable tracking.
Friction in app downloads and permissions: the pedometer app was relatively large and required location access, so we had to design clear, trust-building messaging explaining why permissions were needed and how every mile directly translated into donations.
Solution
Only after the idea and narrative were solid did we select augmented reality as the execution. AR let us immerse users in the constrained, intimate space of living out of a car, while grounding the experience in their own physical environment, layered with the character's reality. Users stepped into the daily life of a nurse's assistant, seeing how she slept, worked, managed limited resources, and made difficult trade-offs. At the culmination of the experience, they were invited to download a companion pedometer app. During the event (October 23–25, 2018), Santander donated $10 for every mile walked, directly supporting Heading Home, a charity focused on homelessness.
Results and Impact
The tech-agnostic, idea-first approach translated into meaningful engagement and measurable outcomes. The campaign quickly hit its donation goal and generated strong awareness and PR around Santander's commitment to respect and social issues.
2,000+ participants in the AR experience
4,800 downloads of the pedometer app
$200,000+ raised for Heading Home charity
While some critics argued the production budget could have gone directly to charity, the experience created a level of visibility, empathy, and brand repositioning that a simple donation would not have achieved.
Reflection
This project is a favorite in my portfolio because it demonstrates how leading with a concept — rather than a specific technology — can produce a more focused, emotionally resonant experience. AR became the right tool only after the story, character, and emotional journey were clearly defined. The result was not just a compelling piece of technology, but a meaningful way for people to literally and figuratively walk in someone else's shoes while driving real-world impact.
