Sean Rooks

Integrated Digital Marketing Strategist and User Experience Director — VA

Mobile App: Colonial Williamsburg's Explorer

In early 2012 we recognized that a mobile app to help guests find their way around Colonial Williamsburg would be a helpful addition to the printed map and guide. The problem was our timeline: 8 weeks from zero to the App Store. We decided to modify an existing platform, simplifying and enhancing it for use in mobile. The app was available for the summer season in 2012 and will be upgraded to version 2 by Q2 2013.

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The app is built in HTML5, and we used PhoneGap to build the native version. It was specifically designed to help guests find points of interest in Colonial Williamsburg, which itself is a mile long and half a mile wide and filled with hundreds of buildings.
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A simple menu allows guests to highlight the type of site they're interested in, whether historic, or dining, hotel or recreation.
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Details on each point of interest are a tap away.
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We also built in the capability for custom tours. The app launched with a first-visit tour, and a historic trades tour.
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Tours include step-by-step instructions with directions on how to get from point to point.

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