Chester Zoo’s Islands attraction adds digital with new app and beacon technology
The ‘Islands’ visitor attraction at Chester Zoo has introduced iBeacon technology and a mobile companion app to support the visitor experience before, during and after a visit.
The biggest and most ambitious zoo project in UK history, Chester Zoo’s Island project recreates six tropical environments of South East Asia in the heart of the UK to provide homes for rare, endangered animals, such as the Visayan warty pig, Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros hornbill.
Designed and built by digital agency Code Computerlove, the new app and digital activities that form part of a visit to Islands are available through the attraction’s responsive website. The app offers visitors a range of interactive features, turning mobile devices into personal hand-held expedition guides. Visitors can prepare for their adventure by applying for a travel visa, giving their expedition a name and packing their virtual rucksack before their arrival at the zoo. They can also use it to book tickets in advance and view the latest zoo news and photographs.
On arrival, the app's interactive GPS map and nine new Bluetooth beacons combine to provide visitors with relevant content relating to the animals and plants of Islands based on a visitor’s location, unlocking special features as they explore different areas. Mini games that help tell the story of each island give visitors the opportunity to learn conservation skills and tackle new challenges, collecting badges as they go to ultimately become an `Expert Explorer.’ The app also features a day planner, talk time reminders and information/fun facts on all of the key species throughout the zoo.
Chester Zoo’s online marketing manager, Simon Hacking, said: “The majority of visits to our website are from mobile devices so we know that there’s a big audience for our app. It’s a great opportunity for us to enhance the visitor experience by engaging with visitors before, during and after their visit. The app will really get people thinking about what’s around them and will help them immerse in the zoo experience like never before.”
Free to download, the app is available now on iOS and Android platforms.
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Code Computerlove
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