Imagemakers launch app engine to help heritage sites go digital and save money

Heritage interpretation consultants Imagemakers have launched ‘i-explore’, an app engine designed to help the heritage sector embrace digital technology and increase learning and participation. 

i-explore is not an app in itself, it is a new engine specifically designed to power heritage apps. Based on the much-loved game of I-Spy, i-explore combines visitor information and multimedia with game dynamics, in order to engage audiences. It is this game element that sets i-explore apart from other visitor apps, which often have static information or images (like a digital guide-book). An independent research study(1) on our Wildspace app for the London Borough of Havering, showed that the game element drives participation and learning by tapping into people’s natural curiosity and desire to succeed.

And because i-explore has already been developed by Imagemakers, organisations get the advantage of a system that has been tested and evaluated without the large budgets and time allowances that come with research and development.

For heritage organisations, an app powered by i-explore will help them tell inspiring stories by offering extra layers of interpretation like stunning photography and video, an immersive audio guide, GPS map trail or geo-cache trail and integration with social media. They can use the app content to encourage visitors to follow a specific route to discover and learn about a place or object they may not have otherwise been found. i-explore can also be customised to integrate with existing brand designs or to include extra features like near field communication chips, QR codes, data collection or in-app purchasing to help with revenue generation.

For visitors, an i-explore app will enable them to explore a heritage environment or object on a deeper level, control what form they would like the experience to take, have fun playing game elements with friends or family, share their experiences on social media and follow-up a visit with app ‘extras’ available for download. Customer feedback on the Apple store re our Bugs Count App for the Natural History Museum is 5 star(2).

Imagemakers has recently launched apps powered by i-explore for a range of heritage sites such as museums, city regeneration projects, visitor attractions and nature conservation areas like the Natural History Museum, Edinburgh - World Heritage City, Bridgewater Canal Trail, Chester Renaissance and the London Borough of Havering