When location-based photo sharing app Color launched last month, it arrived to a chorus of complaints – all justified, mind you – about a confusing, puzzle-like design and a terrible user experience. Still, users seem to be confused about what the app is for, as you can often hear people ask “Why do I want to share photos with strangers?” whenever the topic of Color is brought up.
This weekend, Color will partner up with 20th Century Fox to show users one example of how Color, the power of the crowd and proximity can all come together to create a new and interesting experience.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two companies have teamed up for Sunday’s premiere of “Water for Elephants.” As the Reporter explains, “The photos and videos taken using the Color app by attendees at the New York premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre will be instantly shared to those in the immediate vicinity in a Water for Elephants premiere group (or “conversation”), which acts like an automatic feed.”
When the app first launched last month, many people tried to use it by themselves. Since then the app’s creators have come out and explicitly said that the app is not intended for using by ones self, even adding a warning to the iTunes entry for some time. For those that attempted the solitary experience, this weekend’s premiere may offer a glimpse at what’s possible when using Color in a crowd – its intended use case.
For the premiere’s attendees, the photos should be available by using the app, while the rest of us can pay attention on the Web at www.color.com/waterforelephants, which goes live at 1 pm PT on Sunday.
Color co-founder Peter Pham told The Hollywood Reporter that this was likely not a one-off experience and that “Color has received a ‘tremendous amount’ of interest from high-profile musicians who want to use the app for their tours, with possible announcements to come.”
This week, I tried out the app at a Giants game and it did everything it promises. It gathered all of our photos into a single collection, even merging those photos with those of others using the app nearby. Can Color change its perception problem and convince the public its useful with some proper event placement? Perhaps. This weekend will be a trial run.
If you still haven’t seen Color, here’s a quick intro:
Color Demo from Color Labs, Inc. on Vimeo.
