Here we provide an insight into the current range of functions and the features planned for the near future.
The station is the smallest organizational unit. Tours can be put together from individual stations. How exactly a station is used, e.g. whether it is dedicated to just one exhibit, a display case, an entire room or a space, is up to you. Within a station you can use texts, audio, videos, images (with enlarged detail views), image galleries and much more.
Immersion levels help to focus on the essentials of the station while offering additional layers of information for those who want to delve deeper. In this way, original documents, original sounds, interviews, interesting details, references to people or simply more in-depth information can be offered in an excursive way. Icons at the top of the station allow you to give the user hints about the type of information available. For each immersion level you have the same options as for the general station.
Users have the opportunity to make personal notes on each station in the form of photos, videos or text. Stations can also be marked as favorites. monamu compiles then a retrospective for the users (more on this below). The data is stored on the user's smartphone in compliance with GDPR regulations. It is also planned that user-generated content can be shared with friends and acquaintances and/or other exhibition visitors in the future.
With the showcase station type, as the name suggests, you can display the contents of showcases. For this purpose, each exhibit within a showcase can be described in its own sub-station. This function is also perfect for explaining details of ceiling murals or explaining individual exhibits within an entire room, for example.
monamu works best with headphones, but what if a visitor doesn't have headphones? In this case, the headphone detection prevents the audio from being played through the smartphone speaker. The user has to hold the smartphone to his ear to hear the audio guide, and it starts automatically, just like a phone call. This way, all visitors can enjoy the exhibition without being disturbed.
With "Walking hints", you can give your visitors hints on how to get to the next station between stops on a tour. Just like a skilled museum guide, you can point out special features that can be seen along the way, and, of course, the “Walking hints” are also particularly suitable for enabling accessible tours. Various route symbols, text and, if you wish, audio files are available to explain the route. The "Walking hints" work with all of the with all the navigation modes described below.
monamu offers various ways to help visitors find their way around. The simplest and most effective is visual orientation, where prominent features of a station are simply displayed in a large image. Together with the "Walking hints", this is the easiest way for users to find their way around, as long as they are following a tour or the exhibition has a manageable number of exhibits.
If users are not given a tour, it is possible to provide interactive maps in the indoor area. The monamu workspace offers a map management feature, where you can upload maps and assign them to different floors or parts of buildings. You can then assign the location of individual stations by simply clicking on the map.
In the outdoor area you can rely on GPS-based navigation. The background map is provided by monamu workspace for this purpose. You only need to mark and assign the locations of the stations on it.
Of course, you do not have to display your offerings in sequential tours. Visitors can also move around freely in an exhibition and use monamu as needed. To find the description of an exhibit, a full-text search is available. Visitors can simply search for a term or enter alphanumeric codes, which are then typed in, as is common in many audio guides. A QR code scanner is not yet available, but is planned for implementation. The corresponding QR code generator will then also be available in the monamu workspace.
When visitors favor a station or take notes, monamu automatically generates a retrospective. The data for this is stored exclusively on the user's smartphone. The nice thing is: even if the tour is deleted for storage reasons, the retrospective remains. There is still potential to expand this feature. For example, to share the review or, as mentioned in the first tile, to create a postcard from it.
With monamu, users can selectively load the tours that they want to take. The information on the individual institutions is always available, even if individual tours are deleted again for storage reasons. Once started, tours can be resumed at the same point if interrupted, and if something has changed in the tour, users are offered an update without having to update the entire app. If videos are included, users can choose whether to download them or stream them online, ensuring that tours can be fully enjoyed offline regardless of the connection quality on-site.
In the info section, you can inform users about everything that is important to know for their visit. From opening hours, directions, check-in, restrooms and contact information to house rules and dining options. In addition, visitors can make their own notes on details that are relevant for their personal visit planning. A picture gallery can also be used to convey impressions of your venue.
monamu is currently available in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and German. However, new languages are constantly being added. The monamu workspace therefore offers an easy-to-use language management system. A tour can be offered in several languages. This means there is no need to create separate tours for each language. If the language set on the visitor's smartphone is available, it will automatically be displayed. If not, they can specify a default language that will be used instead. Regardless of this, users can also select the desired language for monamu themselves via the "Language" menu item displayed on the right side.
The monamu map is equipped with familiar features that users know from other applications. It can be zoomed, panned and centered on the user's own location with the usual gestures. Additionally, there is also a search function available to find specific offers. We already categorize offerings, ranging from nature guides to monuments and galleries, so that we can also introduce corresponding filters in future versions.
When a user opens the app near a monamu (as we call the markers on the map), monamu notifies them of the nearby offer and actively invites them to visit. This is especially helpful when users have already arrived at your location. Once monamu is installed, there's no need to explain how to find or install the multimedia guide. One touch is enough.
With the highlights displayed at the bottom of the map, you can easily draw attention to events or special occasions. The highlights always refer to the selected map section, so users can also establish a regional reference here. Whether it's a special exhibition or the magnolia blossoms in the castle garden, you can easily draw attention to it.
When monamu is freshly installed, we take the user by the hand and explain the most important functions in simple words and pictures.
The following features are currently in implementation or concrete planning.
We would like to provide a donation module that allows users to easily donate directly to their institution.
In the future, it should be possible to guide a tour through outdoor and indoor areas and combine the appropriate orientation modes for each. For example, GPS routing for the outdoor area and audio-visual orientation for the indoor area. The concept and specification are already done, the function is ready for implementation.
For example, to allow people with limited mobility to experience areas of a tour that can only be reached via stairs, a 360º module will make it possible to view them from a distance. This feature will also be suitable for otherwise inaccessible areas or locked rooms.
Currently, monamu is available in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and German. By mid-2024, we plan to add Portuguese and Ukrainian. However, new languages are continually being added, so the number of available languages could increase significantly within the same time frame.
We want to enable 3D object recognition so that users can, for example, visit a garden and simply point their smartphone camera at objects such as statues to learn more about them.
We plan to develop credits feature for tours. It's important to acknowledge intellectual property within an application. However, copyright notices typically apply to images and videos, leaving the creators of texts or those who conceived the tour concept unmentioned. The practice of small print copyright notices doesn’t necessarily enhance the recognition of the individuals behind the camera for specific images or videos. Often, however, a clearer attribution is not possible in the context of the use case. That's why we're developing a module that can be used at the end of each tour, functioning like credits in films or podcasts, to list the people involved in creating the tour and detail their specific contributions.
A module is planned that will allow users to test their knowledge with a multiple choice quiz.
The following features are being considered, but are not yet in concrete planning.
To make it easier for visitors to choose what they would like to learn more about, a QR code scanner is planned that will lead them directly to the right station. A corresponding QR code generator will be available in the monamu workspace.
An extension is being considered that would allow visitors to purchase electronic tickets or pay fees. The validity of the ticket can be checked electronically and the ticket can be marked as used. This would enable visitors to plan and manage their visit with a single application.
We are planning a module that uses augmented reality to make parts of the building that no longer exist visible to visitors.
