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Interactive Visitor Experiences for Skipton Castle
Proposal
This proposal is based on conversations with Sebastian and Michelle on the 7 February 2025.
I have tried to reflect the topics we talked about in the proposal. It is worth saying however, it is just a starting point!
I have worked up three digital trail options:
Interactive Self-guided Tours (apps) package
A Gamified AR Digital Trail (apps) package
Whispering walls – A sensory trail package. Motion triggered audio tour package. This can also be published as an app.
Once made, your app(s) will be published on the App Store and Google Play so are easy for visitors to access.
Once downloaded, no wi-fi or mobile phone data services are required to operate your apps.
This is a draft proposal with cost estimates. After a Getting Started scoping exercise or workshop, a full proposal and final costs will be provided for any or a combination of the packages outlined.
Information about all visitor experience packages are presented below.
Skipton Castle
An AR dragon flying high in the sky over the Forbidden Corner having been released by an avid young explorer.
Digital Engagement Trails
Go to About Whispering Walls
1. Interactive Self-Guided Tours
Turn your Come & explore paper guide into an interactive, interpretation-rich, self-guided tours.
Delivery method: iOS and Android apps published on the App Store and Google Play.
Skipton Castle
Aims
Attract visitors with a new visitor experience offer
Enhance visitor engagement and learning
Attracting visitors and improving access
Diversifying your offer with ‘always on’ personalised self-guided tour experiences.
Including audio and image descriptions for visually impaired visitors.
Making navigation easy with location-responsive directional guides.
Benefits
Impacts you will gain from publishing your app.
Optional extra
Advancing engagement
Using digital overlays and augmented reality (AR) technologies to visualise room layouts and scenes from the past.
Improving visitors’ experience
Increasing exploration and discovery with tours that use a sequence of stories to take visitors to the places you want them to discover.
Extending dwell time and deepening engagement with multimedia stories and interpretation content.
Using location-responsive engagement to deliver content to visitors based on their physical location without the need for manual activation.
Keeping content fresh and gaining insights
Using a dedicated content management system(CMS) update your trail experience.
Using analytics dashboard to monitor and response to users behaviour and engagement patterns.
Saving time, money and paper
Converting existing paper guides into interactive digital tours.
Recycling existing interpretation content and visitor information.
Screen shots from Alston Explorer digital trail app depicting - Left to right - list view of places of interest, example of an audio narrative content type.
Features
Features that enhance the engagement experience
Location responsive engagement
Utilise Bluetooth, and image recognition technologies to receive location-based content, eliminating the need to search for information on phones.
And to provide directional guided to users when needed.
Engaging interpretation
Attach different content formats (audio, film, rub-aways, etc) to points of interest to enhance interpretation and diversify engagement experiences.
Have stories brought to life with stories and voices from historians and castle guides.
Personalisation
Use tour filtering systems to ensure visitors can easily find a tour that best suits there needs and interests.
Empower users to manage their engagement experience by selecting content and formats that match their interests and preferred ways of engaging.
Keep visitors up dated with events information.
Optional extras
AR content presentation
Use digital overlays and AR technology to see what the castle would have looked like in the past, and bring stories to life.
Enhanced navigation with AR directions (very tricky, requires a 3D digital model of the space)
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.
Go to About Digital Trails
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.
Delivery method: iOS and Android apps published on the App Store and Google Play.
Young explorers sitting with AR dragon at the Forbidden Corner.
Aims
Attract families and schools
Enhance visitor engagement and learning
Increase social profile and organic marketing
Boost on-site sales (optional extra)
Increase GDPR-compliant visitor data (optional extra)
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
Incentivising exploration by attaching AR rewards to locations you want visitors to discover.
Using narrative clues to encourage heads-up exploration.
Attach memorable stories and key facts to AR rewards to boost learning.
Benefits
Impacts you will gain from publishing your app.
Exploiting the magic of AR
Using AR to deliver a memorable experience.
Using AR rewards to make the finding and collecting of rewards worth the effort.
Bringing stories to life with AR rewards.
Delivering experiences that are entertaining and educational
Making learning interactive, entertaining and fun with a stand-out treasure trail or quest.
Gamifying the exploration of the castle by setting collection challenges and missions.
Using location-responsive engagement to add jeopardy to the collecting challenges.
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 extra
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 extra
Collecting contact data
Using requests for personalised PDF certificates to gather emails while ensuring GDPR compliance. Then, encouraging sign-ups for updates on new rewards to boost repeat visits.
Features
Features that enhance the engagement experience
Location responsive engagement
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, and to follow clues, find and collect AR rewards.
This provides a sense of purpose and incentive to explore and learn more about the caste.
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 extra
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 extra
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.
Go to About Digital Trails
Go to About Digital Trails
Enhance your offer with a mesmerising auditory experience that will thrill and chill visitors as they explore the castle unguided and come across whispered conversations and sounds from long ago.
(There is also an option to add motion sensor-activated diffusers to release smells (e.g., hops in the brewery). I am awaiting feedback from a potential supplier on that option.)
3. Whispering Walls – a sensory trail experience
Delivery method: Motion senor audio players* (iOS and Android app is also an option)
*Motion sensor audio players are devices that play pre-recorded sounds or messages when they detect movement.
Aims
Attract visitors with new visitor experience offer
Enhance visitor engagement and learning
Increasing exploration, entertainment and learning
Making discovering the history of the castle mysterious and thrilling!
Increasing dwell time and knowledge of historical details with first-hand ‘witness’ statements from the past.
Using different audio content types - ambient sounds and dramatic narrations, to keep the experience captivating.
Benefits
Impacts you gain from publishing your app.
Delivering immersive storytelling experiences
Making storytelling immersive using motion sensors to deliver audio content without the need to activate content manually.
Location-responsive engagement
Motion sensors are used to activate the presentation of content that is relevant to the visitors physical location.
Features
Features that enhance the engagement experience
Device free engagement
Visitors just need to be curious, explore spaces and listen carefully to have the history and mystery of the castle revealed.
Immersive sound installation
A mix of audio content types, ambient sound and dramatic narrative, are used to change the pace and delivery of the audio content to keep it engaging.
In a previous project, we collaborated with The Broken Orchestra to create a captivating soundscape for the Fair Winds & Following Seas project along the River Hull. Location-triggered audio brought hidden stories to life through poetry and soundscapes, immersing users in the river’s untold histories.
Type of motion sensor
We will need to research the best motion sensor audio player for this task. We will consider detection range, audio quality, ease of updating content, and installation requirements before making a final decision.
Mobile app option
This experience could also be easily delivered using an app that would interact with Bluetooth beacons. The audio would be automatically triggered when the visitor came within range of the Bluetooth signal. Delivering this way would make content delivery and updating easier to manage.
Go to About Digital Trails
Plans & Pricing
Interactive Self-Guided Tours
There are two cost elements to your Interactive Self-guided Tours 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 guided tour
Route & content filtering system
Up to 21 multimedia points of interest (POIs) per tour
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.
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 interpretation content isn't included as you may have it already.
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
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 interpretation content isn't included as you may have it already.
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
Go to About Whispering Walls
Whispering Walls – a sensory trail experience
There are two cost elements to your Whispering Walls package.
1. One-off audio production costs
Assuming 15 - 20 sound tracks
£1,500 - £3,500
This covers:
Tour and script creation
Audio production
Costs vary depending on the approach taken to produce the audio tracks. E.g. whether we are creating all new sounds, including voice actors in a recording studio, using stock sound, working voice actors managing their own sound production and/or recycling sound you already have.
2. Installation and set-up costs
Assuming 15 -20 sound tracks
£1,300 - £3,00
This covers:
Buying motion sensors (not including installation)
Managing and uploading audio content
Costs vary depending on the price of the motion sensors, they range from £25 - £150 each and how the content uploads are managed, less if you do it yourself.
A fully costed proposal and delivery plan will be produced following a scoping exercise or workshop.
We can discuss the cost of an app version if you are interested in learning more about this option.
About our approach to delivering your app
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.