Attractions Management Issue 1 2011 - TourismInsights

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(Right) Ideum’s use of QR Codes enables owners of smartphones to scan the digital media or signage at an exhibit. This navigates them to websites and source materials so that they can find out more “In the next few years, mobile will become the dominant computing device that individuals use. This trend means more and more individuals have a device capable of multi-media guides and interaction. In time, this will mean the demand for loan devices will lessen, assuming content is available for the consumer devices. Software on a visitor’s own device means a venue’s brand can live beyond a visit, and information can extend beyond the physical venue. For example, a museum could provide tours of public artwork in the region surrounding its facility. Devices such as the iPod Touch could work well as loaner audioguides here. We don’t believe audioguides will become defunct. Their capabilities will evolve like other technologies and will be able to fulfi ll needs that personal devices won’t cover. However, they’ll need to include greater interactivity. Current solutions are mainly passive. As technologies evolve, new experiences and features will be possible, including image recognition and augmented reality. Greater interactivity will also include interactions with other visitors, both at a venue and away from it.” MobileXpeditions’ mobile solutions extend the experience to tours in the local communities Jim Spadaccini, director of Ideum talks about his latest project ast year, we created a multitouch, multi-user exhibit with Adventure Science Center, Nashville, US. We then developed this using QR Codes with links to Wikipedia entries. QR Codes are matrix barcodes that can be read by various QR scanners, many of which are available in smartphones. The codes are small and discreet, so can easily be added to digital media or signage. Any user with a smartphone can use a barcode scanning app to scan the QR code, which can then navigate to websites, source materials, teacher guides and commentary. Users can also choose to share the link with friends via social networking sites or email. They are therefore an easy way to incorporate a mobile exhibit component which allows visitors to he increase in mobile devices is having an effect on audioguides, but it’s very early and I don’t think the effect has been great yet. If the audioguide industry is struggling, it’s due to other factors – mainly economic. The advantage of mobile devices is that apps can be promoted anywhere within the attraction, not just at the front desk, so there’s a higher possibility of take up. Also, the inclusion of video footage makes them a powerful tool. However, fragmentation of operating systems makes it very hard to build one experience that works reliably on all phones, and not all users have free airtime, which can increase the cost. Audioguides have a proven user acceptance, but have a higher cost for the venue, which has to handle the hardware, has the view and share more information about exhibit objects or media items. The codes can be used with a system that links to visitors’ email account. This allows them to receive a custom email with information about exhibits they found interesting. The codes could also be used in some sort of digital scavenger hunt or tied directly into exhibits allowing visitors to comment or vote or interact with stationary exhibits. I don’t know of any other museums that are using this technology yet. If operators provide the devices, they wouldn’t need to rely on visitors owning their own smartphone. We’re currently incorporating QR codes into all of our software modules on Open Exhibits. The Open Exhibits project is a community that creates and distributes free multi-touch and multiuser software for museums. The project has funding from the National Science Foundation and is now underway.” risk of devices being lost and needs to train staff. The operator’s also dependent on production companies to produce content when the exhibition changes. Audioguides’ real strength is in sites that have very large volumes where staff can be dedicated to handling the customers and handsets. They work well in attractions with visitors from abroad who don’t want to use their mobile because of very high roaming costs. Venues with no or poor reception will also rely on audioguides. Producing great content for audioguides is a skill and not many venues have internal capabilities. In time, the industry will create a model which involves a mix of content (created by users/venues/media companies) and devices (the user’s own device or leased devices). Audioguide companies will adapt to a shrinking hardware market by making great quality content. For the 90 per cent of venues that don’t offer any visitor interpretation tools, providing smartphone-based solutions increases their offer, so is something they’d defi nitely benefi t from considering.” 74 Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
omni? www.omniticket.com AM 1 2011 ©cybertrek 2011 Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital 75
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