Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) is an Air Force / Army installation in Tacoma, Washington. With over 35,000 individuals stationed on base and assorted support and family resources, JBLM is the third largest employer in the state of Washington. JBLM and the local county are eager to increase awareness around local activities both on base and beyond the gates. They decided to build a native mobile app as a resource guide for soldiers, airmen, and community members.
The JBLM 360 app (in both the Apple iOS App Store and Google Play App store) was designed and developed by the Liberta team with three main functions in mind:
A news and events feed which securely pulls information from the existing installation website to deliver a fast loading, scrollable snapshot of what is happening next on base and in the surrounding community.
A locations area which provides both an interactive map and a category tree of facilities and resources available on base.
The Challenges and Rewards section which brings the power of gamification to the “new in town” experience. Challenges are short collections of tasks that can be achieved by visiting websites or scanning QR codes with your phone. Local businesses and JBLM can partner together to offer package deals to new customers who might not venture off base on their own. Having content divided into smaller achievable tasks similar to a video game makes a much stronger connection with today’s younger audience than a boring powerpoint during orientation.
The JBLM 360 app has been well received by service members and local businesses alike. An early beta-test has resulted in hundreds of people visiting a local golf club so they can mark the challenge as complete.