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Digital Trails for Bolton Abbey
Proposal
This proposal is based on conversations with Moira Smith on the 7 February 2025.
I have tried to reflect the topics we touch on in the proposal. It is worth saying however, it is just a starting point! There are many other options in between the two I have shared.
I have worked up two digital trail options:
An Interactive Digital Walking Trails package
A Gamified AR Digital Trail package
One or both can be published on the same app. In addition to your digital trail elements, your app will have space for sharing all the information you have on your paper trails leaflet, plus active web links.
The app's design can match the look of your paper map or other branding. If your brand changes, updating the app will be easy since the main design structure will stay the same.
Once made, your app will be published on the App Store and Google Play so it is easy for visitors to access.
Once downloaded, no wi-fi or mobile phone data services are required to operate your app.
This is a draft proposal with cost estimates. Following a Getting Started scoping exercise or workshop, a full proposal and final costs will be provided.
Information about both digital trail packages are presented below.
An illustration of a GPS guided walking trail with location-responsive reference points.
An AR dragon flying high in the sky over the Forbidden Corner having been released by an avid young explorer.
Digital Trails
1. Interactive Digital Walking Trails
Turn your existing paper walking trails leaflet into an interpretation rich, personalised, guided walking experiences.
Aims
Increase visitor access and learning
Attract and engage diverse audiences
Enhancing visitors’ experience
Offering interactive maps, GPS navigation, and wayfinding to guide visitors.
Personalising the visitor experience by recommending routes based on their user profile, difficulty level, distance, and interests (e.g., historic sites, industrial areas, wildlife).
Enhancing understanding of the landscape by sharing nature facts, local history and conservation information.
Sharing up to date time sensitive nature diary and what’s on information
Benefits
Impacts you will gain from publishing your app.
Increasing accessibility and audience diversify
Sharing details on accessible paths for individuals with mobility challenges.
Including audio and image descriptions for visually impaired visitors.
Providing tips on what to bring and what to expect (like handling cows) for less experienced walkers.
Highlighting visitor services (car parks, toilets, cafes) on trails so visitors feel confident accessing these services when needed.
Helping to protect and preserve the environment
Reducing damage to sensitive landscapes and protect wildlife from unwanted intrusions by directing visitors to use designated trails.
Sharing ‘Leave no trace’ advice and related conservation information.
Updating content and gaining insights
Using a dedicated content management system (CMS) update your digital tour.
Using analytics dashboard to monitor and response to users behaviour and engagement patterns.
Saving time, money and paper
Converting existing paper walking maps into interactive digital walking trails.
Recycling existing interpretation content and visitor information.
Screen shots from Alston Explorer digital trail app depicting - Left to right - GPS guided routes with mapped places of interest; list view of places of interest, example of an audio narrative content type.
Features
Services and experiences users can access when using your app.
Location responsive engagement
Access GPS-guided routes with offline maps for areas without Wi-Fi or phone services.
Utilise GPS, Bluetooth, and image recognition technologies to receive location-based content, eliminating the need to search for information on your phone.
Receive messages tailored to their location and profile. For example, 'Dog owners': 'Keep dogs leashed' and 'Families with small children': 'Stay on the path.' Additional conservation info will explain the importance of these actions.
Engaging interpretation
Use various content types—images, audio narratives, films, and rub-aways—to enjoy learning more about the landscape.
Have the landscape brought to life with stories and voices from rangers, historians, local people and conservationists.
Personalisation
Use route filtering systems to ensure they can easily find a route that best suits your needs and interests.
Manage their engagement experience by selecting content types that match their interests and preferred ways of engaging.
Keep up to date with time-sensitive nature diary and events information.
Optional
AR digital overlays
Use digital overlays and AR technology to see what the landscape would have looked like in the past and what it might look like in the future!
Or to see visualisations of the flora and fauna that are too small or rare to be seen with the naked eye.
Screen shots from Stories of Lynn digital trail app depicting - Left to right - Trail filter feature; range of different content types attached to a place of interest; Example of a now and then rub-away content type.
2. Gamified AR (Augmented Reality) Digital Trails
Enhance your offer with a fun, challenge-driven educational experience that young explorers, families and teachers will love.
Young explorers sitting with AR dragon at the Forbidden Corner.
Aims
Attract families and schools
Increase understanding and awareness of conservation issue
Gamified AR Digital Trails combines the challenge and reward of a treasure trail, quest or scavenger hunt, with the magic and fun of AR.
See the Forbidden Corner’s Gamified AR Digital Trail in action!
AR rewards are digital images, static or animated, that appear to exist in the real world when viewed through a smartphone camera. They can be flowers, animals, insects, or whatever is relevant to your collection challenge and learning goals.
AR Spider crab standing over spider crab exhibit at the Great North Museum, Hancock, Newcastle.
Increasing exploration, discovery and learning
Attaching AR rewards and interpretation content to sites you want young explorers to discover.
Using narrative clues to encourage heads-up exploration.
Visualising rare and hidden flora and fauna with AR to connect players to conservation issues.
Benefits
Impacts you will gain from publishing your app.
Helping to protect and preserve the environment
Using digital rewards to guide players on designated trails.
Creating challenges that educate players about the environment, including 'Leave no trace' advice and conservation facts.
Delivering experiences that are entertaining and educational
Gamifying exploration with challenges, clues, and rewards to engage players.
Using AR to deliver a magical experience.
Increasing social profile and organic marketing
Capturing share-worthy AR photos to boost social media interaction; The Forbidden Corner research shows AR photos get 40% more likes and shares.
Updating content and gaining insights
Using a content management system(CMS) to update your AR digital tour.
Using an analytics dashboard to monitor and respond to users' behaviour and engagement patterns.
Optional
Increasing revenues
Enhancing on-site sales by promoting special offers to app users. Visitors using The Forbidden Corner's AR Tour app spent 12% more in the shop and café, thanks to in-app messages about deals.
Optional
Collecting contact data
Use personalised PDF certificates to gather emails while ensuring GDPR compliance. Then, encourage sign-ups for updates on new rewards to boost repeat visits.
Features
Services and experiences users can access when using your app.
Location responsive engagement
GPS and Bluetooth beacons are to used to ensure only players in the correct location can uncover and receive the AR reward.
Players can't collect a reward if they are not in the correct location!
Gamification
Players are challenged to undertake a defined mission. This provides a sense of purpose and incentive to explore and learn more about nature and conservation.
Players can monitor their progress on their collections display panel.
Entertaining audio narratives can underpin the mission story and sense of fun.
Young explorer playing with the Forbidden Corner’s AR frog !
AR rewards
Once found, AR characters bring a bit of magic and a lot of fun for everyone.
Players are encouraged to set up, take and share dramatic photos with their AR characters.
This is a great way for players to share their experiences with family and friends.
Optional
Personalised player profile & certificates
Players can have lots of fun using AR face filters and decorations (that ‘stick’ to their face) to create and share unique player profiles.
They can mark their collecting achievements by claiming a personalised certificate depicting their player's profile and name.
Optional
Personalised offers
Users are kept informed and can take advantage of special offers and information about future events.
Screen shots from the Forbidden Corner digital trail app depicting - Left to right - List view of clues that direct players to the location of hidden rewards; Extended clue and scanning screen used to seek-out hidden rewards; Collections display and claim certified screen; AR reward screen, player use this to launch AR characters.
Plans & Pricing
Interactive Digital Walking Trails
There are two cost elements to your Interactive Digital Walking Trails package.
1. App production & publication
Payment options
a) Subscription plan - annual contract
£1,200 per year (10% saving) or £110 per month
Or
b) Project plan - three year contract
£3,240 (10% saving)
Includes an option to add additional years as required
All plans cover:
The software licence for*
Up to three GPS-guided trails and offline mapping
Route filtering system
Up to 21 multimedia points of interest (POIs) per trail
Location and user group responsive content delivery
Hosting and publishing your apps and data.
Content management system (CMS)
Analytics dashboard
*Additional trails and POIs can be purchased if required.
Go to Getting Started to find out how we will work with you to produce a fully costed proposal and delivery plan.
2. One-off design and set-up costs
£2,800 - £3,800
This covers:
Creating a bespoke design theme, including branding, individual assets, app store icons and promotion content.
Customising app engagement features and uploading content.
App Store and Google Play listings.
The cost depends on whether you have visual assets for us to customise or if we need to create new ones.
Bluetooth beacons (circa £50 each) will need to be purchased if used in the engagement solution. The cost of creating new interpretation content isn't included.
Learn about Optional extra features
Gamified AR Digital Trail
There are three cost elements to your Interactive Gamified AR Digital Trail package.
1. App production & publication
Payment options
a) Subscription plan - annual contract
£980 per year (10% saving) or £90 per month
Or
b) Project plan - three year contract
£2,646 (10% saving)
Includes an option to add additional years as required
All plans cover:
The software licence for*
One gamified trail
Up to 15 reward locations
Location responsive content delivery
AR enabled content presentation
Collections display
Hosting and publishing your apps and data.
Content management system (CMS).
Analytics dashboard.
*Additional trails and reward locations can be purchased if required.
2. One-off design and set-up costs
£2,800 - £3,800
This covers:
Creating a bespoke design theme, including branding, individual assets, app store icons and promotion content.
Customising app engagement features and uploading content.
App Store and Google Play listings.
The cost depends on whether you have visual assets for us to customise or if we need to create new ones.
Bluetooth beacons (circa £50 each) will need to be purchased if used in the engagement solution. The cost of creating new interpretation content isn't included.
3. One-off AR reward creation costs
Circa £1,600.00
This assumes you have 9 rewards - 4 x 2D static, 3 x 3D objects/2D animation, 2 x 3D animation.
This covers the creation of AR rewards in three states - Unfound, found and AR ready.
2D static rewards £70 - £160 each
3D object / 2D animation rewards £140 - £230 each
3D animated rewards £480 - £800 each
The cost variation depends on whether you provide the content, customise stock content or need to create bespoke content.
Go to Getting Started to find out how we will work with you to produce a fully costed proposal and delivery plan.
Learn about Optional extra features
About our approach
Week 1
1. Getting started
Define the purpose and target audience
Confirm features and interactive elements
Draft screens and content
Produce final scoping document
These tasks can be completed by your team using specification templates. Alternatively, this work can be worked out during a facilitated workshop* on-site or on-line.
OUTCOMES
Final proposal and cost
Confirmation of app architecture, screens and content
We will work with you to create and publish your app in three stages.
Week 2 - 4**
2. Design & Set-up
Confirmation of design theme visual references
Production of design theme assets – icons, headers, footers etc
Design of assets and AR rewards (if required)
Collation and uploading of design theme assets and content***
OUTCOMES
Beta / test version of your app
Cost - 50% of full cost
**The timescale assumes all interpretation content is publication ready.
***Once published you will have access to dedicated content management system (CMS) that will make it easy update content as required.
Week 5 - 8
3. Publish & Promote
App testing and gathering feedback
Make any adjustments and re-test
Produce app store product pages
OUTCOMES
App published in app stores
Access to CMS and Analytics Dashboard
Access to digital marketing resources
Your will activity promote your new app
6 monthly review will be scheduled
Cost - Remaining 50% of full cost
*Getting started team workshop
Great for quickly bringing ideas together and planning the structure and content of your digital trail(s).
£480 for 3 hour workshop and production of final scoping documentation.
Plus travel expenses for on-site delivery.
Maintenance & Support Services
All Digital Trail subscription plans come with the following maintenance and support services as standard.
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You will be assigned a dedicated account manager (a real person, not a chatbot) to help you maximize your Digital Trail subscription. This includes a review every six months to check in, discuss any tweaks or additions you are interested in, and ensure you are satisfied with everything.
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This is an online workspace that makes it easy to update and add new content to your Digital Trails.
Features such as in-app messaging are also accessed through your content management system.
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Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) regularly update their operating systems, which can impact how apps work. To keep your apps running smoothly, we will automatically update them when third-party software updates occur.
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We keep your data safe. This is how:
Our backend and frontend systems are on two separate servers in Paris: one in a Tier 3 data centre and the other in a Tier 2 data centre. Both servers have backup systems to keep them running if one fails, including RAID disks and power backups.
Data is also backed up and replicated between the two servers. They are protected from DDoS and other attacks, with hardware monitoring to check system health. All connections are secure using encryption, either SSH or HTTPS.
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In return for your subscription plan payments we grant you a license to use the Digital Trails Software Services we provide to create and publish your digtial tours.
Optional extra features
AR digital overlays
For Interactive Digital Walking Trails
Enhance engagement with digital overlays and AR technology to present geological and historical view of the past, like old mining sites.
£ pending discussion
Personalised PDF achievement certificates
Only available with AR profile creation feature
Boost GDPR-compliant database contacts by having players share their email for personalised PDF achievement certificates. Include an invitation to join your mailing list.
£ pending discussion
Forbidden Corner Quest
AR digital tour by The Forbidden Corner, North Yorkshire
A short video showcasing The Forbidden Corner's AR digital tour app, featuring interactive experiences that families love.