For the NTR tv series 'The Story of the Netherlands,' with Daan Schuurmans as the presenter, Elements developed and designed the podwalk app. Mobile apps with location based audiotours and a high-end design. It allows viewers to become part of Dutch history through Podwalks.
Het Verhaal van Nederland is a journey through Dutch history. It consists not only of a TV documentary that tells the story but also a mobile app that allows you to become a part of the story. We do this through various Podwalks: GPS-guided audio tours that lead you through the history of the Netherlands at different locations. Elements, as the digital partner of NTR & Tuvalu, is responsible for the design, geofencing technology, and the development of the Android and iOS mobile app.
The NTR & Tuvalu were looking for a mobile app that provides the right experience and interaction while your phone is in your pocket. While we normally focus on user-friendly screens, this time it was mainly about the experience of the Podwalks. The app contains 10 historical stories, each linked to a location in the Netherlands. For example, you can experience the time of hunters and gatherers in the beautiful Drenthe landscape of Anloo. And you can learn about the early Middle Ages and the legendary story of Bonifatius in Dokkum.
The user downloads the mobile app but then puts the phone away while using it. Daan Schuurmans tells the whole story, and along the way, you'll encounter visible traces and features from the past. When you walk a route, the right audio is started at the right time based on your location. This is done through geofencing, the mechanism implemented by Elements. Never before has our history been so tangible to experience.
The mobile app was developed by Elements for both iOS and Android. Based on the designs we created, the various screens were developed. This required close collaboration between our design, iOS, and Android teams. Together, we implemented geofencing. Geofencing involves monitoring regions. For this geofencing, regions were defined: a coordinate with a radius around it, creating a geofence. The device's location service monitors, with permission, the user's location when they use the app or when it runs in the background. When the user's location coordinates fall within a geofence, a method in the code is triggered. This allows location-related tasks to be performed. In this case, playing a specific audio clip for a particular point on the route. This mechanism must work perfectly to ensure that users receive the correct information and can complete the Podwalk without any issues, all while their phone is locked in their pocket.
This case won a Golden DIA award in the Content category and 2 Spin Awards at the Dutch Creativity Awards.
The Podwalks have been made accessible to all target groups, young and old, and are also wheelchair accessible. As a user, you have insight into this accessibility. From February 2, 2022, "Het Verhaal van Nederland" was broadcast on NPO 1 for 10 weeks. The associated Podwalks are available in the app during and after the series of broadcasts.
Adding a mobile app to a TV concept is a typical example of translating traditional media into a digital solution. In the whitepaper "apps for media," we explain how traditional media and the audience have changed in recent years and how media companies can respond to this.
Also want your own podwalk app? Check out our white-label podwalk options or contact us.
We
build
your web &
mobile applications
Wij
bouwen
jouw app.
Voor mobiel en web
