1. Leicester Castle tells its story iBeacon-based mobile interpretation
Maria-Anna Tseliou, Research Fellow
Giasemi Vavoula, Principal Investigator
School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester
Take a few seconds to introduce yourself (give people time to note down contact details)

2. NESTA R&D Fund for the Arts
£125k R&D grant to develop ibeacons-based app to improve heritage interpretation
Technology currently used in retail sector. Grant was to develop it for heritage interpretation
Requirement: replicability (many heritage venues experience similar interpretation challenges)
Project partners: School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester (academic partner), Locly (technology partner) , Leicester City Council, Arts & Museums Service (arts partner), Metro-Boulot-Dodo (content developer)

3. Telling the Castle’s story
We wanted the project to provide more engaging interpretation for casual visitors and ensure people left knowing more of the Castle’s rich history

4. Interpretation challenge
Listed building full of court furniture – non-intrusive solution needed
Open once a month and for special events. No permanent staff
Sustainable & low cost
Range of audience types who are often time poor
Personalised visitor experience

5. Why iBeacons? Low cost Low maintenance Invisible (c.f. QR codes)
Accurate
Easy to re-programme
Require no user action (c.f. QR codes)
Require no specialist equipment
Can capture data
iBeacon is a new technology for location recognition, with many benefits compared to other, particularly indoor locative technologies: it is low cost, low maintenance, works while out of sight, gives high accuracy results, it is easy to programme and re-programme, it requires no action on the part of the user other than enabling bluetooth, it requires no other specialist equipment, and it can aid the capture of location-specific usage data.

6. What are iBeacons?
In essence, iBeacon technology allows Mobile Apps to understand their position on a micro-local scale, and deliver hyper-contextual content to users based on location.
Accurate location sensing, indoors and outdoors.
The underlying communication technology is Bluetooth Low Energy
(Just read it out).

7. How does it work? upload content Locly CMS WiFi ID
A quick overview of how it works:
Our system uses Locly’s ibeacon content management system and platform. The heritage site uploads location-specific content, and uses it to structure a user experience. We have installed WiFi in the Castle for visitor convenience (so that they can download the app free of charge). And have placed a number of beacons around the rooms. ID

8. Visitor experience App store download Castle app Locly CMS WiFi ID
When a visitor enters the Castle, (Click to annotate), the can download the app from the iTunes store or Google Play. (Alternatively, they can borrow one of our devices).
The visitor then starts the app, enables Bluetooth on their device, and starts moving around the Castle (Click to annotate). ID

9. Visitor experience content request content delivery Locly CMS WiFi
When they enter an iBeacon’s region, the beacon transmits its unique ID. The app reads that ID and thereby infers the visitor’s location. Depending on visitor preferences that the app already knows about (for example, which tour they are doing), the app then shows the visitor appropriate content from Locly’s content management system.
location ID
profile /
history ID

10. Visitor analysis analyse usage usage data usage data Locly CMS WiFi
At the same, the app stores usage data with a location mark (click to annotate) which the heritage site can then access and analyse to understand how visitors use the app, which locations work and which not, what content is popular, etc. ID

11. Research and Development
All concepts, content and functionality are informed by, and rigorously evaluated and tested on, the public
STAGE 1: Oct 2014 – April 2015 Audience research during Heritage Sundays (observation, survey); Literature review  Requirements
STAGE 2: May 2015 – July 2015 Public testing of app versions: v1.0 in May, v2.0 in June, v3.0 in July; stakeholder / potential adopters; usability evaluation
This is a research and development project, with research closely aligned with development and the aim to inform as well as evaluate design decisions through public trials.
At the moment we have just finished stage 2 of the research. The first stage included a range of surveys with Castle visitors and visitors to other heritage sites in Leicester, visitor observations, and a review of the literature on historic site interpretation. These activities led to a list of requirements for the iBeacon system, which fed into development.
The second stage evaluated three different versions of the app during three Heritage Sundays at the Castle. I will tell you more about these later.

12. Insights from the research (Stage 1)
First, let us have a look at the insights from the first stage of the research.
We found out that the majority of Castle visitors are locals, coming mainly from Leicestershire, with fewer coming from further afield and only the odd international tourist.
The majority are also first-time visitors, with only a fifth of visitors saying that they had visited a couple of times in the past.
And the majority visit in groups of adults, with only approximately a fifth coming with families with children and just over 10% visiting alone.
The majority of visitors are locals, first-time visitors, visiting in groups

13. Insights from the research (Stage 1)
Seeing the Castle and learning about its history are the main reasons for visiting, fueled by a more general interest in historic buildings and the history of Leicester
Tours and trails, storytelling and thematically linking with other Leicester histories would encourage them to learn new things
(Read out the notes next to the graphs)

14. Insights from the research (Stage 1)
More ways to learn, tours of the Castle, more ways for adults to engage, and improved signage would all encourage respondents to stay longer
Historical content, mobile tours and ease of use were among respondents’ top requirements for using a mobile app
(Read out the notes next to the graphs)

15. Insights from the research (Stage 1)
We observed visitors in the two Castle courtrooms and identified a number of locations that were popular stops. We also noted where visitors tended to stop first, as these could make potential starting points for the tours. The stop signs indicate points where visitors tend to stop, and their size indicates the popularity of the stop point. The rings indicate points that tend to be the first stop in a visitor’s path, with their size again indicating their popularity as starting points. Finally, we studies the paths of visitors inside each courtroom.
The pictures on the left show movement in the criminal courtroom of the Castle, and the pictures on the right show movement in the civil courtroom.

16. What have we done with iBeacons?
We have created 4 tours:
Historical Timeline
Family Trail
Green Bicycle Murder
Castle Court Audio Tour
So what have we developed? Four tours, which guide visitors through one or both courtrooms plus the cells in the basement, and which make use of X number of iBeacons.

17. 1. Historical Timeline An Interactive Guidebook
Overview of the Castle’s history with key dates, events and distinguishing architectural features.
Enables user to select information in brief or in depth.
Macro-locative use of iBeacons, at room level.
This tour is an overview of the Castle’s history presented chronologically with key dates, events, and references to distinguishing architectural features.
It targets visitors with an interest in history and utilizes beacon location identification at room-level only, i.e. a range of content items are available to explore once the visitor enters a courtroom. Content is presented in chronological order and is layered, with an overview presented at the first level, further detail at the second level, and further related historical information presented at the third level where available (see Fig 2). This exploration is not bound to locations (beacons) within the room, so the user can view the same, room-specific content, anywhere in the room. Content in this tour includes text, images and audio clips of an interview with archaeologist Professor Richard Buckley.

18. 2. Family Trail Designed to engage children 5-12 yrs
Treasure hunt “task and reward” game format
Provides historical information about the Castle in bite sized chunks
Includes a King Richard III element (including an interactive feature to dig him up from the car park)
This tour targets families with children under 12, and includes a beacon hunt disguised as a ‘find the courtroom location’ activity. The avatar of a fictional historian guides young visitors through different locations in the two courtrooms and reveals to them what historical research involves. At each location the avatar reveals information about one of the significant people from the past who were linked to the Castle: King Richard III, Simon De Montfort, John of Gaunt, Geoffrey Chaucer, and J.M. Barrie. After finding a location young visitors are presented with textual information about that location’s significant person, and are then challenged to complete an interactive activity (solve a puzzle, do a virtual dig, solve a maze, or play a memory game). On successful completion, they see a second layer of more detailed, in-depth content. Finally, the avatar presents a map of the courtroom with the next location highlighted and invites the young visitors to meet him there.
Content in this tour is thus bound to beacon locations, and young explorers are encouraged to find the courtroom locations where content and puzzles are ‘hidden’. The use of the map helps young users to discover the content and, in doing so, to learn what different parts of a courtroom are called.

19. 3. Green Bicycle Murder
Audio tour featuring emotive dramatisation of the Green Bicycle Murder trial that took place in the Castle Courts in 1920
Visitors are invited to enter the dock, sit on the jury bench and stand in the witness box to hear key moments of this infamous trial
Some visitors expressed concerns over a mobile device requiring their attention at the expense of experiencing the site. This tour targets visitors who dislike, or are physically unfit for consuming textual/visual information on a mobile device (e.g. visually impaired). The tour tells the story of the trial for the murder of Bella Wright on the 5th July The story is told as an audio drama narrated by the victim, while a ‘meta-narrator’ guides visitors through different beacon locations in the courtroom.
This is an audio-based tour that visitors are encouraged to follow while wearing headphones. Interestingly, other visitors who are currently in other locations within the room, help the user to visually contextualise the experience: while sitting in the public gallery, listening to Bella Wright talk about the trial for her murder, the user may see other visitors occupying the Judge’s seat or the witness box, serendipitously adding to the atmosphere of the experience.

20. 4. Castle Court Audio Tour
METRO-BOULOT-DODO interviewed 15 members of the public that worked at Leicester Castle Courts from 1962 – 1992.
In this tour visitors listen to those memories related to specific areas of the court.
For example the visitor can explore the cells whilst hearing from retired policemen describing how the criminals were detained.
This tour is also audio-based and focuses on the Castle’s recent history as a Crown Court from 1821, when the Great Hall was divided up into two separate courts (the criminal court where the green bicycle murder case was heard and a civil court), until The tour includes 15 oral testimonies of people who worked there (court clerks, reporters, etc.) As the visitor moves around the courtrooms and comes within a beacon’s range, audio content related to that location is triggered. Although the narrative is linked to location, it is not bound to a specific location sequence, therefore visitors can freely explore the courtroom. Content includes the narrator’s description of a location (e.g. “In the area below the judge, sits the court clerk...”) interspersed with personal testimonies. A content ‘counter’ informs users of the number of content items that remain to be discovered at any time, however, the user is given no guidance or instructions on which location to look for next or how to find it.

21. What have we done with iBeacons?
Four approaches to beacon-based navigation:
Room-level location recognition only (Historical Timeline)
Map-based ordered beacon discovery (Family Trail)
Oral instructions-based ordered beacon discovery (Green Bicycle Murder)
Unaided discovery with visual progress feedback (Court Audio)
We have thus implemented four approaches to beacon-based navigation… (read out from slide)

22. What have we done with iBeacons?
Four approaches to interpretation:
Interactive Guide (Historical Timeline)
Game (Family Trail)
Emotive dramatisation (Green Bicycle Murder)
Oral histories (Court Audio)
Each corresponding to four interpretation approaches… (read out from slide)

23. Insights from the research (Stage 2)
The social profiles of the app trials participants were similar to those of the stage 1 surveys, with comparable percentages of visitors coming in adult groups, families with children, or visiting alone.
What is remarkable is how clearly benefits increase with the degree of completion of the four tours: in the July trial, where all four tours were complete or near-complete, there are significant benefits in terms of on-site dwell-time, perceived learning benefits, and perceived level of enjoyment for visitors who used the app in July compared to visitors who had not used the app.

24. Replicability
Interviews and focus groups with potential adopters from the heritage, cultural and arts sector revealed the further potential of adopting such a digital system:
Available information through Beacons technology both indoors and outdoors 24/7
Available interpretation and learning activities in multiple languages
Layered interpretation and diverse learning opportunities responding to different visitors’ preferences and interests.
Next potential adopter workshop:
26 August 2015, Newarke Houses Museum Leicester
To book, or
I mentioned at the beginning of the talk that one main requirement for the project was replicability, i.e. that we end up with a system that is readily useful and usable by other heritage sites that face similar challenges as Leicester Castle. To this end, we are consulting with potential adopters from the heritage, cultural and arts sectors, through one-to-one interviews, focus groups, and workshops. The consultation has so far told us that:
Potential adopters see the potential of iBeacon technology to offer visitors information 24/7, both indoors and outdoors.
They also see the technology’s potential to offer interpretation and activities in multiple languages.
And they appreciate its capability to offer layered interpretation and diverse learning opportunities to cover different visitor preferences and interests.
Our next potential adopter workshop will include a demonstration and trial of the app, work sessions around technology adoption issues, and a practical, hands-on session where you can design and trial your own tour. If you are interested to participate, us!

25. Conclusions so far A half-finished app is not better than no app.
iBeacon technology can successfully support different approaches to interpretation and different approaches to navigation guidance and support.
Stay tuned for more findings soon 
(read out the slide)

26. Next steps
Further trials, development work and focus groups planned for August
Next focus group and workshop with potential adopters from other heritage, cultural and arts organisations in late August
Available to the public for City Festival at the end of August

27. Questions? For more information contact:
Giasemi Vavoula, (Research Lead)
Sally Coleman, (Arts Lead)
Paul Long, (Content Lead)
Rheinallt Ffoster-Jones, (Technical Lead)