National Paralympic Heritage Trail App

app development | ux design | accessibility design

The National Paralympic Heritage Trail App was developed as part of a placement for Sam Brady, a PhD student working with the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. The app helps the user explore the local and international history of the Paralympic Games, with its historic origins at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Users experience the area where the Paralympic games got their start through two walking trails: a virtual trail which includes audio, video and 3D model content and an accessible trail with physical signs which was developed to ensure an accessible route for wheelchair users to celebrate the Paralympic heritage on their doorstep.

National Paralympic Heritage Trust

The National Paralympic Heritage Trail App explores the local and international history of the Paralympic Games.

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Challenge

The main challenge for the NPHT app was making sure it was as accessible as possible. This meant making sure that the user experience allowed for enjoyable usage across all abilities and sensitivities.

Solution

We worked with a User Experience student intern from the University of York to help us research and achieve accessibility for users. Along with National Paralympics Heritage Trust, we also led several trials and incorporated user feedback. From this, we have included settings for text size and contrast adjustments, light and dark appearance as well as a setting for dyslexic readers. We have also included a menu that gives users information about the path to the next stop which includes information like wheelchair access and potential loud or busy areas.

Innovation

The National Paralympics Heritage Trail app has helped us to focus on ensuring that our future heritage trails and mobile applications will be as accessible as possible and has really helped us think through the vast and differing experiences that users will have with this kind of product.

“We approached (Experience Heritage) due to their app for Tang Hall, which had the right look and functionality we were looking for. The team at Experience Heritage were able to bring everything we wanted from that project into ours, whilst also adding further functionality around accessibility.  With them, we have been able to turn our ideas for a heritage trail into a functioning app. Both Bethany and Brant have been a pleasure to work with throughout this process.”

Sam Brady, National Paralympic Heritage Trust

Discover Tang Hall Heritage Trail App

App Development | Content Development | Research
| Audio Production

Developed out of a University of York graduate research project ‘reTelling Tang Hall’ and enabled by a Small Community Grant from Tang Hall Big Local, this project sought to create a mobile app to reinforce placemaking and local storytelling.

Experience Heritage partnered with community groups Tang Hall History Group, St Nick’s Urban Nature Reserve & Environment Centre and project manager Claire Boardman from the Digital Creativity Labs, University of York to create this easy-to-use heritage trail app for the Tang Hall area of York. It was rolled out on Apple and Android devices on 8 April, 2020.

Along with development of the application itself, Experience Heritage also provided assistance with research, content development and audio production.

Tang Hall Community Group

Tang Hall Big Local

Discover Tang Hall provides three walking tours to learn more about the historical places, note-worthy people and beautiful green spaces around York's Tang Hall Community.

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Press

The York Press

York Festival of Ideas

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Challenge

The Discover Tang Hall heritage trail mobile application was developed as a community-led project which sought to create a mobile app to bring engagement and education to an otherwise overlooked and misjudged suburban area of York. This area, now consisting of mainly council or ex-council housing, actually has a fascinating history including Roman, Norman and Medieval uses and occupation.

Solution

Content and design were developed through community group workshops and through independent research and development by Experience Heritage. Focus was placed on featuring the historical and environmental richness of the area which was otherwise hidden from everyday perception.

The heritage trail covers this vast history and features three themed trails, People, Places and Green Spaces, as well as a 'Pick a Character' section which introduces users to unique characters (animal, vegetable and mineral!) of the area.

Innovation

With backgrounds in both digital media development and its integration into heritage specific projects, the team at Experience Heritage was able to provide insight into how local histories, character stories and green spaces could be wrapped up into a user-friendly mobile application which encouraged locals and visitors to explore and learn more about this little-understood region of York. They were able to problem-solve how to incorporate ‘look, listen, learn’ points to each stop, provide accessibility for users of differing abilities and supply navigation solutions. Team Leader Bethany Watrous used her background in archaeological research to enhance the trail stop content and developed a user-experience strategy to suit the various groups’ needs.