Empower: Pladia’s visitor-centered product solution for the cultural sector
How the Pladia team adopted a visitor-centered design approach to understanding and solving visitor challenges for the cultural sector to create Empower
As the cultural sector faces evolving visitor expectations and a growing demand for digital integration, Empower offers an adaptable end-to-end product solution that bridges the gap between physical spaces and digital experiences. Whether enhancing on-site engagement and accessibility or providing insights to shape future initiatives, Empower is designed to meet the diverse needs of institutions and their visitors, large and small, ensuring they remain at the forefront of visitor engagement.
In this post, we will provide you with a snapshot of some of the features that have been developed for Empower and how they address different ends of the visitor needs spectrum — from investigative to guided — to create a holistic solution for visitors and the cultural sector more broadly.
A visitor-centered approach to building Empower
Central to our approach is recognizing that visitor needs can change throughout a visit. A visitor may start with an investigative mindset, wanting to explore exhibits and spaces at their own pace, but later on in the same visit seek more structured guidance or information. By understanding this dynamic, we designed Pladia Empower to be flexible and adaptive to these changing modes of exploration.
Empower features on the Investigative half of the visitor needs spectrum
Empower equips visitors with tools to independently investigate exhibits, encouraging discovery and personal engagement. These features are designed to enhance a visitor’s ability to wander, delve into content, and connect with what interests them most.
Curated collections: personalized investigation
Empower’s flexible tagging system allows visitors to view groups of your objects in unique clusters that can match a wide range of interests. In addition to aiding visitors who are in an investigative frame of mind, you can also create a more inclusive environment by catering to more diverse perspectives.
There is no limit to the number of tags you can apply to a single object, so you can re-energize your permanent collection or “slice and dice” a new one in innumerable ways. Visitors can track their visit with the “My Visit” function to keep track of their meandering.
Space and Object Content: contextualized investigation
Providing visitors with commentary about the objects within your venue is important but with Empower’s Space and Object Content feature, you can also provide the curatorial context of spaces within your venue that these objects reside. Add media and links to objects and spaces, turning your whole venue into a “digital canvas” for curatorial insights and information. Additionally, you can highlight key museum areas on the home area on your app, inviting visitors to investigate the best current exhibits.
Empower features to address the Guided needs of visitors
When visitors seek more structure or specific guidance, Empower allows visitors to seamlessly shift into a more guided mode.
Interactive maps: guided inquiry
If a Pladia Empower customer chooses to configure a map (like every other feature, a map is optional and the app will adapt based on what is configured) then it will be presented as a separate tab at the bottom of the Pladia Empower Progressive Web App (PWA) to allow visitors to find specific spaces, objects and points of interest.
Points of Interest: guided utility
Points of interest—which can be anything from the cafe to a stagecan also be plotted out on your visitor-facing map and within your Space and Object Content experience. In addition to being able to search for and find specific points of interest, additional information can be accessed by visitors. A link to the cafe menu or booking system for example.
Grounded in accessibility and inclusivity
Our visitor-centric design philosophy extends to accessibility and inclusivity. We recognize that visitors come from diverse backgrounds and may have different physical, sensory, or cognitive needs. Pladia Empower is designed to accommodate these differences, offering features like audio descriptions, dynamic text sizes, and easy-to-navigate interfaces that follow familiar patterns. Our aim is to provide the tools to make cultural content accessible to everyone, ensuring that all visitors can have a meaningful and enriching experience.
This is just the beginning
Pladia Empower marks the start of an exciting journey in visitor-centered design. By blending exploration features, we’ve built a strong and adaptable foundation that addresses the full spectrum of needs in the cultural sector. This comprehensive approach — featuring flexible tagging, interactive maps, and contextual content — sets the stage for continuous learning and improvement. As we collaborate with our partners, we’re eager to refine and expand Empower, ensuring it evolves to meet emerging challenges and opportunities. This is just the beginning of transforming visitor experiences through an innovative, visitor-focused product solution.
To learn more, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3XpY7PT
