The Possibilities: Endless
Given the flexibility of the media used for this concept, the Ranger in your Pocket Experience has boundless possibilities for its application, limited only by imagination.
The following highlight some of the positives and possibilities generated by our Seeds Interpretations team:
~ Children’s focus: The use of audio files allows kids to interact with a character, designed specifically to engage with them on their level. For example; ‘Barry the Bandicoot’ (complete with his personalized voice), welcomes the children to the site and then accompanies them throughout the site, helping them to engage in activities such as - counting butterflies, smelling scented flowers or finding something special hidden at that point. In this same theme, school groups can be catered for with the provision of educational activity sheets and teaching aids, which correspond with the audio content, and can be downloaded and printed off from the same website.
~ Indigenous Heritage focus: When highlighting an area of aboriginal significance, engage with a member of the local Registered Aboriginal Party, to tell a story of the dream time that relates to the location.
~ Ecological focus: Using audio files of common species of frogs, birds calls etc, to ‘call up’ local wildlife known to frequent certain locations. (I.e. Pobblebonks around marshy areas)
~ Seasonal changes: Develop a series of audio files that are interchangeable, throughout seasons. This allows the visitor to get a different experience depending on which season they attend, potentially, this is like getting to visit a whole new site but in the same location. This change allows fresh information to be delivered, referring to what plant species may be in flower, which butterfly you should expect to see, or use more intangible themes when the environment provides less attraction (i.e. winter).
~ International attraction: The simplicity of storing all alternatives on the internet means that large amounts of information can be supplied with minimal signage. This allows any foreign language translations to be accessible just as easily, broadening the appeal of the site to tourists from across the globe.
~ Pre-emptive interaction: In conjunction with some basic predictions in human behaviour, our virtual tour guide can feel as real as someone standing right beside you. Assuming most signs are placed directly in front of any given attraction, and usually read front on, the virtual guide will assume this (and other behaviours) in the audio recording.
For example: when the visitor is asked 'what can you see.’ their automatic response is to look directly up. With this in mind, our tour guide then prompts further with 'look a little more to your left...’ To the individual, this gives the feeling that they are being personally guided through the park or reserve and can interact with their tour guide, rather than just hear information read to them.
~ Easy feedback: Now you've caught their attention and imagination! You have them right where you want them! Feeling positive and with your website at the tips of their fingers.. Sometimes it can be difficult to extract feedback from your audience. The last thing people want to do when they get back from a nature walk is fill out paper work, and most won’t go out of their way to log on to your website just to leave feedback after they return home.
This application of interpretive signage, can be built straight into the guided walk and allow your visitor to provide feedback whilst they are still amongst those positive feelings! Simply make the last stop on the guided walk, a pleasant spot, perhaps with a park bench. The guide invites them to sit down for a spell (and after all the interaction with their personal tour guide, they are now pliable to such a suggestion). Then they are kindly directed back to the home page to provide comment on what they have experienced.
The value of this feedback can then be fed directly back into the experience by better understanding what people like and don’t like, and easily updated into new audio files.
~ Visitor tracking: By routing visitors through the audio tour website, data is constantly generated, tracking how many ‘hits’ the website is receiving. This provides quality tracking of how successful the signage is in encouraging people to access the website, and how successful the tour is in attracting visitors.
~ Forward linking: The audio experience website can also provide visitors with links to the main pages, of the managing group of the park or reserve. Once they have accessed the audio site, they can then click on forward links to your home page, where they can learn more about friends groups days, open days etc.
Given the flexibility of the media used for this concept, the Ranger in your Pocket Experience has boundless possibilities for its application, limited only by imagination.
The following highlight some of the positives and possibilities generated by our Seeds Interpretations team:
~ Children’s focus: The use of audio files allows kids to interact with a character, designed specifically to engage with them on their level. For example; ‘Barry the Bandicoot’ (complete with his personalized voice), welcomes the children to the site and then accompanies them throughout the site, helping them to engage in activities such as - counting butterflies, smelling scented flowers or finding something special hidden at that point. In this same theme, school groups can be catered for with the provision of educational activity sheets and teaching aids, which correspond with the audio content, and can be downloaded and printed off from the same website.
~ Indigenous Heritage focus: When highlighting an area of aboriginal significance, engage with a member of the local Registered Aboriginal Party, to tell a story of the dream time that relates to the location.
~ Ecological focus: Using audio files of common species of frogs, birds calls etc, to ‘call up’ local wildlife known to frequent certain locations. (I.e. Pobblebonks around marshy areas)
~ Seasonal changes: Develop a series of audio files that are interchangeable, throughout seasons. This allows the visitor to get a different experience depending on which season they attend, potentially, this is like getting to visit a whole new site but in the same location. This change allows fresh information to be delivered, referring to what plant species may be in flower, which butterfly you should expect to see, or use more intangible themes when the environment provides less attraction (i.e. winter).
~ International attraction: The simplicity of storing all alternatives on the internet means that large amounts of information can be supplied with minimal signage. This allows any foreign language translations to be accessible just as easily, broadening the appeal of the site to tourists from across the globe.
~ Pre-emptive interaction: In conjunction with some basic predictions in human behaviour, our virtual tour guide can feel as real as someone standing right beside you. Assuming most signs are placed directly in front of any given attraction, and usually read front on, the virtual guide will assume this (and other behaviours) in the audio recording.
For example: when the visitor is asked 'what can you see.’ their automatic response is to look directly up. With this in mind, our tour guide then prompts further with 'look a little more to your left...’ To the individual, this gives the feeling that they are being personally guided through the park or reserve and can interact with their tour guide, rather than just hear information read to them.
~ Easy feedback: Now you've caught their attention and imagination! You have them right where you want them! Feeling positive and with your website at the tips of their fingers.. Sometimes it can be difficult to extract feedback from your audience. The last thing people want to do when they get back from a nature walk is fill out paper work, and most won’t go out of their way to log on to your website just to leave feedback after they return home.
This application of interpretive signage, can be built straight into the guided walk and allow your visitor to provide feedback whilst they are still amongst those positive feelings! Simply make the last stop on the guided walk, a pleasant spot, perhaps with a park bench. The guide invites them to sit down for a spell (and after all the interaction with their personal tour guide, they are now pliable to such a suggestion). Then they are kindly directed back to the home page to provide comment on what they have experienced.
The value of this feedback can then be fed directly back into the experience by better understanding what people like and don’t like, and easily updated into new audio files.
~ Visitor tracking: By routing visitors through the audio tour website, data is constantly generated, tracking how many ‘hits’ the website is receiving. This provides quality tracking of how successful the signage is in encouraging people to access the website, and how successful the tour is in attracting visitors.
~ Forward linking: The audio experience website can also provide visitors with links to the main pages, of the managing group of the park or reserve. Once they have accessed the audio site, they can then click on forward links to your home page, where they can learn more about friends groups days, open days etc.
