Social media next challenge for museum app maker

The Jewish Museum and the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City appeal to different demographics, but they have one thing in common: The app that guides visitors on tours of both landmarks — as well as of tours of the Louvre, the 9/11 Museum, the Israel Museum of London, the Guggenheim, and dozens of other museums and landmarks — were created by Acoustiguide.

In business since 1957, Acoustiguide writes the scripts, does the narration, edits the presentations, and does everything else necessary to provide visitors with an experience that, according to the company, rivals what a human tour guide can do.

The US-based Acoustiguide in 2005 merged with Israel’s Espro Information Technologies, and the company is now based and managed from its offices in Kfar Saba.

In order to help museums, municipalities, and landmarks to further enhance tour experiences for visitors, Acoustiguide is branching out into social media, with the formation of a new unit, called FutureM. The new division “will be involved in the future digital development of museums, leveraging our decades of experience to assist with the establishment of best practices in their digital domains,” said Israel Gal, CEO of the Acoustiguide group. “We look forward to helping current and new clients realize their visions of being museums in the digital age.”

Along with the audio presentations, Acoustiguide has also developed devices — called “digital wand players” — which sites provided to visitors to hear the presentations as they went on the tour. One popular device, called the Opus, includes a color screen and provides audio content, images, video, photos, animation and maps, using a keypad or touch-screen interface.

But far more popular now are the app presentations developed by the company, which make the user experience more comprehensive by utilizing the different features of a smart device, such as camera, GPS chip, etc. Thus, an app can include interactive floor plans that keep track of a user’s location using GPS or Wi-Fi, enabling users to search for a specific exhibition or area, and guiding them to that location.

Apps can also include social-network support, enabling visitors to post their experiences on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, and Instagram. To boot, the apps can incorporate augmented reality features that allow users, for example, to view a ruin or artifact in its original state, with the AR imposing an image on the artifact when it is being viewed.

The new unit — which will provide consulting and planning in comprehensive digital strategy for museums and exhibition facilities — will be directed by Agnes Alfandari, the former deputy director of cultural production at the Louvre in Paris.

Alfandari and her team will provide direction across strategic planning, budget appropriation, research, RFPs, conceptualization, and implementation. Recommendations could include creating and managing content for audience development, and guiding institutions in how best to deploy apps, social media, onsite displays and ticket sales channels.

Last month, Acoustiguide was deployed at its newest Israeli site — the recently restored Hospitaller Fortress in Acre. The Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a complex of Crusade-era buildings, with four sections that are built around an open courtyard. The complex includes a large hall, which was used as a dining and gathering room; and halls that served as the knights’ living quarters and as the Order’s hospital. It also includes tunnels, a traditional Turkish bath, and an art museum.

Visitors to the site receive the Acoustiguide Opus device in order to fully “participate” in the Fortress experience. The app syncs precisely with the presentation in 10 languages. Its Radio Frequency sensors are installed unobtrusively throughout the site, blending in without damaging or detracting from the architecture. They automatically trigger the audio on the portable guiding devices when a visitor enters a particular area, providing a visitor-centric experience.

Live actors also interact with the visitors, so the headphones are designed to fit over the ears without covering them, enhancing both the real-time and recorded experience. The system also synchronizes with group tours, accommodating up to 16 groups at a time.

“We take a comprehensive approach to creating a fun, simple, but meaningful and even educational experience that reflects each site’s unique vision,” said CEO Israel Gal. “We coordinated everything with the Acre officials to develop the multilingual content and the delivery, so that nothing would detract from the site itself. Visitors seamlessly experience the audio and video without having to do a thing. All they have to do is enjoy and learn.”