Visitors' app

We are incredibly proud: the first real Madurodam app is live! The new application for iOS and Android not only gives you all the important information about the amusement park and the thumbnails, but also offers surprising routes through the park and an interactive map. Discover the unique stories behind the countless attractions, things to do and thumbnails with the Madurodam app!

Madurodam had all kinds of wishes for the development of the mobile app, and we ourselves quickly came up with the most diverse ideas during a brainstorming session. Together we came to the core, focusing on the best app experience for the end user and the possibility to expand the app in the coming years in terms of innovation, information and practical convenience for the visitor.

The core
Every successful app needs a good foundation. Although there were lots of great ideas about experience, interaction and practical information, we first wanted to focus on what visitors really need. These core needs are the main reason why people install an app at all during their visit.

The following principles have therefore been guiding in the development process:

• Enrich. The app must enrich the attraction visit, not replace it. The app provides guidance and background information where necessary, but the visitor must leave the screen and enter Madurodam as quickly as possible.
• Relevant. The app helps visitors to find their way around the park where they can do everything and see what they came for. We do this through clear routes with step-by-step information and landmarks, a well-arranged map and additional collection information about where you are.
• Flexibility. There is customized content for various target groups, for school classes arriving after a bus trip, but also for families, foreign tourists, and so on. The app is also flexible in terms of editing: the fixed routes can contain a lot of information, but a temporary route must also be able to be created quickly.
  

Making a good impression with version 1.0
As a goal for a first version, we wanted to impress with a number of core functionalities: object information, routes and a map.
Numerous facts and background stories can be told about the models in Madurodam. In the app this information can be accessed via a map and via a search query or a number. So we did not choose a location that should be very precise with all those miniatures in Madurodam. Instead, the numbers of the objects can be searched in the app to see more explanation, images and the location on the map. We knew from experience with the Rijksmuseum app that end users prefer to simply enter a number if they are standing in front of a work of art.
You will also find ready-made routes through the amusement park in the app. Routes are objects that are linked to each other within a certain theme. Two routes are already available at the launch, one along the highlights and one for families. Madurodam is now busy adding more tours quickly. Because we have enabled the editors to create (temporary) routes very easily.
Finally, a beautifully illustrated map not only stimulates you to discover the amusement park, but also offers practical information about, for example, toilets and restaurants.

Visitor app for multiple institutions
We have built the iOS and Android app from Madurodam on a generic technical architecture that can also be used by other attractions and heritage institutions. Overarching components thereof include the concept of objects and object information, of routes and navigation, a CMS in which the routes are managed and a publishing mechanism. This construction provides a major financial benefit because the development of the app is spread over several institutions. After Naturalis in Leiden, Madurodam in The Hague is the second institution that uses this. Soon more museums and amusement parks will follow that will launch their own app with our new framework. If you want to know more about the possibilities of our visitor app, send an email to Martin: martin@q42.nl.