GuideNow Multimedia Guide System
-
Museums are struggling with budgetary problems and have difficulties keeping up with technological developments due to their high cost worldwide. Therefore, our system has been designed to minimize the resources which are necessary for its installation, and to offer a transparent, easy-to-follow and cost-effective solution. Our aim was to create a state-of-art system which provides all the features that are expected from today’s systems. We have designed a modular framework that be continuously and dynamically expanded with new developments.
Development of GuideNow was launched in late 2016 by the app designers of the suIT SOLUTIONS Ltd. specialized in delivering innovative IT solutions to multinational financial service providers. Development lasted about 6 months, involving altogether 10 junior and a core team of 5 senior developers. During each stage of the app development process, we have kept the end user (both visitors and museums) in mind. GuideNow is still being upgraded and is subject to continuous improvement and function extension due to user feedback and specific museum requests and contents–including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
The GuideNow multimedia guide system debuted at a temporary exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. The exhibition, entitled Anna | Fictitious Female Fates from Székelyföld was held between November 30, 2017 and May 20., and enjoyed great success among both visitors and museum experts. Soon, in July, 2018 GuideNow became a distinguished laureate of AVICOM F@IMP Prize for Mobile Application Gold.
GuideNow was an invited exhibitor at the 2017 and the 2018 international MuseumDigit Conferences on Digital Cultural Heritage held also in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest, Hungary. - http://www.guidenow.eu
GuideNow Multimedia Guide System
GuideNow – Your art, your guide, right now!
GuideNow is a complex, dynamically expandable, easy-to-use multimedia guide system. It can be quickly and inexpensively set up at any exhibition. Visitors can easily access all exhibition contents on their own usual smart devices. They no longer have to queue and adapt to old-fashioned audio guides. Our interactive audio guide offers them a more comfortable, personal and engaging experience, as they can visit exhibitions at their own pace and interest. Audiovisual and multimedia content may contain text, sound, photo, 360-degree image, animation, video, and 3D models. GuideNow makes museum adventure much more memorable, enjoyable and superior. Our multimedia guide system provides full performance on both iOS and Android platforms, and can be downloaded free of charge.
In 2018 GuideNow received a gold medal in mobile application category at the F@IMP 2.0 (Festival of Audiovisual International Multimedia Patrimony) organized by AVICOM (ICOM International Committee for Audiovisual, New Technologies and Social Media) in Germany.
GuideNow is a complex, dynamically expandable, easy-to-use multimedia guide system. It can be quickly and inexpensively set up at any exhibition. Visitors can easily access all exhibition contents on their own usual smart devices. They no longer have to queue and adapt to old-fashioned audio guides. Our interactive audio guide offers them a more comfortable, personal and engaging experience, as they can visit exhibitions at their own pace and interest. Audiovisual and multimedia content may contain text, sound, photo, 360-degree image, animation, video, and 3D models. GuideNow makes museum adventure much more memorable, enjoyable and superior. Our multimedia guide system provides full performance on both iOS and Android platforms, and can be downloaded free of charge.
In 2018 GuideNow received a gold medal in mobile application category at the F@IMP 2.0 (Festival of Audiovisual International Multimedia Patrimony) organized by AVICOM (ICOM International Committee for Audiovisual, New Technologies and Social Media) in Germany.
Most available guide services are relatively uncomfortable and cumbersome. We, however, strongly believe that the age of queuing and depreciating audio guides has ended. Our key aim was to develop an efficiently manageable multimedia guide that has all the functions one would expect from today’s systems. As a result, GuideNow offers a simple, easy-to-use, transparent solution that respond fully to the current needs of both visitors and exhibitors.
The Use of Mobile Devices
Visitors can reach related media contents through their own smartphones or tablets. We have created an unified and transparent interface in the form of a mobile application, through which all related exhibitions are equally accessible, so there is no need to develop customized applications for each exhibition or museum.
Easy Installation
The system can be set up extremely quickly and cheaply in any museum. A small server at the entrance or at the checkout provides the content for the visitors’ devices through a Wi-Fi connection, which is also provided by the same computer. Therefore, there is no need for internet connection, or Wi-Fi coverage for the entire area of the exhibition. It is enough to provide access at the entrance.
Centralized Content Management
Museums connected to our service can centralize uploading materials via a transparent administration interface at their disposal, greatly simplifying the management of any changes of the exhibition materials. It is enough to changes contents in one place to ensure that each visitor access the modified content afterwards.
Security
The system ensures that the exhibition content can only be accessed at the exhibition; access is not possible from another place. This way, the protection of the media contents is guaranteed, as they will be deleted after leaving the museum. The application also provides an opportunity to differentiate categories of visitors (and to adjust basic or advanced content according to the result of profiling).
Visitor Statistics
Museums receive continuous feedback on visitor habits, as their activities are precisely logged. The app records e.g. how many visitors connected to which exhibition, what language they chose, which audio materials they listened to, as well as the exact time and length of their connection. Statistics and graphs are available on the administration interface which helps to further optimize the exhibitions and to collect data for success communication.
Exhibition Reviews
Visitors can evaluate exhibitions by responding to questions, created by the museums, about their experience and opinion.
Targeted Messages to visitors
The application allows museums to send Push Notification messages to the visitors who, in this way, can receive news, information about new exhibitions, activities, campaigns and other important issues. This may effectively expand the circle of returning and new visitors.
The Use of Mobile Devices
Visitors can reach related media contents through their own smartphones or tablets. We have created an unified and transparent interface in the form of a mobile application, through which all related exhibitions are equally accessible, so there is no need to develop customized applications for each exhibition or museum.
Easy Installation
The system can be set up extremely quickly and cheaply in any museum. A small server at the entrance or at the checkout provides the content for the visitors’ devices through a Wi-Fi connection, which is also provided by the same computer. Therefore, there is no need for internet connection, or Wi-Fi coverage for the entire area of the exhibition. It is enough to provide access at the entrance.
Centralized Content Management
Museums connected to our service can centralize uploading materials via a transparent administration interface at their disposal, greatly simplifying the management of any changes of the exhibition materials. It is enough to changes contents in one place to ensure that each visitor access the modified content afterwards.
Security
The system ensures that the exhibition content can only be accessed at the exhibition; access is not possible from another place. This way, the protection of the media contents is guaranteed, as they will be deleted after leaving the museum. The application also provides an opportunity to differentiate categories of visitors (and to adjust basic or advanced content according to the result of profiling).
Visitor Statistics
Museums receive continuous feedback on visitor habits, as their activities are precisely logged. The app records e.g. how many visitors connected to which exhibition, what language they chose, which audio materials they listened to, as well as the exact time and length of their connection. Statistics and graphs are available on the administration interface which helps to further optimize the exhibitions and to collect data for success communication.
Exhibition Reviews
Visitors can evaluate exhibitions by responding to questions, created by the museums, about their experience and opinion.
Targeted Messages to visitors
The application allows museums to send Push Notification messages to the visitors who, in this way, can receive news, information about new exhibitions, activities, campaigns and other important issues. This may effectively expand the circle of returning and new visitors.
Extra media
