Web and mobile

A heritage website that taps into the current fascination with the fantasy genre

The Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre in Stirling has used interactive technology to create a participatory visitor experience that recreates the historic battle as a game in which players compete.

Its website has a big task to fulfil – as well as selling tickets and providing the necessary visitor information, the site also attempts to conjure up a sense of excitement and to encourage people to find out more about the events of 1314.

The site’s black background and red-and-white text make it stand out from other museum websites, as does some of the content; potential visitors are urged to “enlist” and get ready for battle.

The National Trust for Scotland, which operates the Battle of Bannockburn centre, has created digital illustrations of key characters, weapons and maps rather than actors or actual objects.

It’s all very enticing, but it makes it feel more like a theme park experience than a cultural one – maybe that’s the point.

The design also makes the site seem overcrowded with information and options, but if you can overlook this, the content on offer is interesting and well thought out. People can read about the battle and its key players, as well as the history of the site and the visitor centre.

The Battle of Bannockburn has also created a learning micro-site – you have to click a few buttons to get there, but it’s worth it if you do. There are quizzes, even more information about the battle and teacher resources. You can also send an e-postcard, which helps market the centre further.

There’s something about the website that reminds me of the television drama Game of Thrones or the online World of Warcraft game, although that’s not to say the information isn’t historically accurate.

It is more that the centre is tapping into the interest in fantasy games and fiction, and using these to help make things that happened a really long time ago seem pertinent and fascinating.


This app is a useful marketing tool for multiple venues

My Heart’s in the Highlands is a new app that connects visitors to the Highlands and Moray with local museums and galleries, National Trust for Scotland properties and other countryside and heritage attractions. Unlike many tourism apps, users can search for places to visit and forthcoming events based on their interests rather than an alphabetical directory.

The app, which is free on the App Store and also available as a website, has a bold and simple design that makes it easy to use. Some of the categories – such as “clan life and lands”, “the sea” and “wilderness and play” – make sense, but others are a bit vague (“roots” and “hospitality”, for example).

The events calendar is a great idea, although again the categories make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Nevertheless, this is a useful resource for tourists and local people alike, and is a good example of how apps can be used as a marketing tool for multiple venues.


Click through Norfolk Museums’ 87,000 images

Norfolk Museums has launched a new collections website featuring 87,000 digitised objects from its collection that users can search through by theme, artist or maker, date and location.

Many of the entries feature good-quality images, which can be downloaded for personal and educational use for free.

The entries also include a brief description, accession number and whether it is on display or not. The themes show the range of the collections but they are a little confusing – for example, there are natural history and world collections categories, but none for art.

Similarly, the “headliners” theme seems meaningless until you click into it and read that it is objects with groundbreaking stories. The text, however, doesn’t always back this assertion up.

There are other small annoyances (why have the option to expand text when the hidden description consists of just a line or two?) but the website is easy to navigate and focuses on signposting people to the objects rather than trying to be too clever or pretty.