Website
National Trust
Stunning images, clear information and clean design make the National Trust's new site a winner, says Jonathan Knott
The National Trust’s new website does a good job of providing inspiration and information. It showcases the organisation’s properties in an attractive light, and gives clear practical guidance for people wanting to visit, join or help out.
Spectacular photographs, clean design and slick interface will go a long way towards dispelling any preconceptions of fustiness.
Many people will visit the site looking for ideas on what to do near them or on their next holiday. It’s easy to use: enter a town, county, postcode or place name into the search box and the site quickly returns a list of results.
Click through and you’ll find an overview of each property, accompanied by comprehensive information on opening times, prices, directions, facilities and access. And if you want to delve deeper, there’s a lot more on events, history and activities. The homepage rotates between different examples of possible days out, with large images highlighting the natural and cultural riches on offer.
And there are lists and features on a range of subjects, as well as directions for walks. There’s also a lot of material for those considering volunteering, including testimonials that give the organisation a human face.
The design is fresh and welcoming, and works well on tablets and smartphones. The apparently minimalist use of text disguises a wealth of information.
Nonetheless, the site sometimes feels image-heavy and it can be difficult to get an overall sense of what’s going on. Some aspects verge on the gimmicky, such as fade-in effects and moving parts when you scroll or visit a new page, and could be offputting.
Whatever you think of the website’s style, though, it is underpinned by impressive substance.
App
The Carlisle Cultural Crawl
The youth panel (aged between 14 and 21) at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle, has created an app – the Carlisle Cultural Crawl – to encourage people to explore the city’s heritage on a cultural tour of its historic locations.
Most notable in the app – available both for iOS and Android – is its augmented reality features. The panel have recorded videos where they introduce locations on the route. You can trigger and control these videos by moving your device’s camera in front of images on the map leaflet. This interactivity isn’t just fluff – involving the audience helps generate interest.
The same applies to the iGallery, where you can slide back and forth between historic and modern images of the same locations.
There’s an irreverent streak running through much of the app’s other content, such as the animations added to old photos and additional videos where panel members introduce locations en route. You can also view details of upcoming events at Tullie House Museum.
In today’s busy world, it’s all about grabbing people’s attention in a crowded field. This app’s game-like features, combined with the enthusiasm of the panel, should help to do that for Carlisle’s heritage. JK
Website
Handel & Hendrix Houses, London
A functional site that needs a bit more personality, writes Jonathan Knott
The house at 25 Brook Street in Mayfair, London, where baroque composer George Frideric Handel lived in the 18th century, has been open as a museum since 2001. What’s been less well known until now is that about 200 years later, a rather different musician – rock legend Jimi Hendrix – resided next door at number 23.
Hendrix’s old flat was being used as an office by the Handel House Museum staff, but in February it will open to the public, and there is a new website to introduce people to the home of these unlikely neighbours – Handel & Hendrix in London.
If you don’t know the background, the idea of one museum covering both these musicians might seem odd, but the site explains it well. And it’s easy to find information on opening times, directions, access and tickets (you can book to visit one or both houses). There’s also general interest content such as an interactive timeline, opera synopses and biographies – more on Handel than Hendrix.
It’s all clear and functional – perhaps too much so. A little more personality may have done justice to the musicians it celebrates and entice more visitors.
National Trust
Stunning images, clear information and clean design make the National Trust's new site a winner, says Jonathan Knott
The National Trust’s new website does a good job of providing inspiration and information. It showcases the organisation’s properties in an attractive light, and gives clear practical guidance for people wanting to visit, join or help out.
Spectacular photographs, clean design and slick interface will go a long way towards dispelling any preconceptions of fustiness.
Many people will visit the site looking for ideas on what to do near them or on their next holiday. It’s easy to use: enter a town, county, postcode or place name into the search box and the site quickly returns a list of results.
Click through and you’ll find an overview of each property, accompanied by comprehensive information on opening times, prices, directions, facilities and access. And if you want to delve deeper, there’s a lot more on events, history and activities. The homepage rotates between different examples of possible days out, with large images highlighting the natural and cultural riches on offer.
And there are lists and features on a range of subjects, as well as directions for walks. There’s also a lot of material for those considering volunteering, including testimonials that give the organisation a human face.
The design is fresh and welcoming, and works well on tablets and smartphones. The apparently minimalist use of text disguises a wealth of information.
Nonetheless, the site sometimes feels image-heavy and it can be difficult to get an overall sense of what’s going on. Some aspects verge on the gimmicky, such as fade-in effects and moving parts when you scroll or visit a new page, and could be offputting.
Whatever you think of the website’s style, though, it is underpinned by impressive substance.
App
The Carlisle Cultural Crawl
The youth panel (aged between 14 and 21) at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle, has created an app – the Carlisle Cultural Crawl – to encourage people to explore the city’s heritage on a cultural tour of its historic locations.
Most notable in the app – available both for iOS and Android – is its augmented reality features. The panel have recorded videos where they introduce locations on the route. You can trigger and control these videos by moving your device’s camera in front of images on the map leaflet. This interactivity isn’t just fluff – involving the audience helps generate interest.
The same applies to the iGallery, where you can slide back and forth between historic and modern images of the same locations.
There’s an irreverent streak running through much of the app’s other content, such as the animations added to old photos and additional videos where panel members introduce locations en route. You can also view details of upcoming events at Tullie House Museum.
In today’s busy world, it’s all about grabbing people’s attention in a crowded field. This app’s game-like features, combined with the enthusiasm of the panel, should help to do that for Carlisle’s heritage. JK
Website
Handel & Hendrix Houses, London
A functional site that needs a bit more personality, writes Jonathan Knott
The house at 25 Brook Street in Mayfair, London, where baroque composer George Frideric Handel lived in the 18th century, has been open as a museum since 2001. What’s been less well known until now is that about 200 years later, a rather different musician – rock legend Jimi Hendrix – resided next door at number 23.
Hendrix’s old flat was being used as an office by the Handel House Museum staff, but in February it will open to the public, and there is a new website to introduce people to the home of these unlikely neighbours – Handel & Hendrix in London.
If you don’t know the background, the idea of one museum covering both these musicians might seem odd, but the site explains it well. And it’s easy to find information on opening times, directions, access and tickets (you can book to visit one or both houses). There’s also general interest content such as an interactive timeline, opera synopses and biographies – more on Handel than Hendrix.
It’s all clear and functional – perhaps too much so. A little more personality may have done justice to the musicians it celebrates and entice more visitors.