We are breaking new ground with the Alpenzoo App. Environmental topics are on the top of the list.
We access the target group of young people via gaming elements. Within the app, they solve quests related to the mission of the Alpenzoo. Other functions making the Alpenzoo app a perfect tool for zoo visitors are the audio guide, scannable signs at the enclosures and a 3D visualisation of the entire zoo grounds.
Together with our friends of the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck, we developed an app for the zoo. It is not any app but an app with the the title CARE: Conservation, Awareness, Research and Education.
For generation Thunberg, but for all others too, these are topics of special relevance. Zoos are shown from another perspective and their role preserving species becomes clear.
CARE
Conservation
Awareness
Research
Education
We put emphasis on the detail. There are not only illustrations of all animals, but also graphics showing their size, videos that show the animals at their enclosures in the zoo and close-ups of fur and feathers.
For an appealing sound design, there is each animal's sound. The gaming part is wrapped into a chat system, an interface specifically familiar to young people.
Collecting content took some time. For the filming, we had to think of special circumstances like the animals' winter break. Fortunately, we also had the opportunity to scan some replicas of animals within an exhibition.
The scans provided the data for the AR content of the app. There are four 3D models of animals that can be placed in space and that can be shared via photo.
Developing a sophisticated chat system was a bit of a challenge. Users not only find the usual text messages there, but also quizzes, calls to action such as scanning images and video or sound messages.
The chats are triggered at suitable spots within the app. That way, users get both, a sense of interaction and challenge.
The quests required some intense testing, off-site as well as on-site. Another challenge the zoo/we faced was poor internet connection.
We reacted by developing an offline version that guarantees full functionality even when there is poor coverage.