Museum

The British Museum, in your pocket

The British Museum ↗
London, United Kingdom
2022

How do you let millions of visitors explore two million years of human history their own way, in the galleries and from anywhere in the world? Together with the British Museum, we built the British Museum Audio app: a guide to the stories behind the collections and galleries.

What we provided

Mediaguide
Content Platform
concept
design
development
monitoring

A guide that moves with the visitor

Two million years of human history is a lot to walk into. The British Museum gathers the cultures of the world under one roof, more than any visitor can take in at once. The app gives everyone a way in on their own terms: unlock the stories standing at an object, or from home, with no fixed route and no boundary of time or place. People take in the museum at their own pace, their own way.

Open to everyone, in nine languages

A museum that belongs to everyone should have an app that does too. Accessibility shaped the design from the first decision, not as a final check: the app meets the WCAG 2.1 AA standard and was independently audited and approved for accessibility.

It's available in nine languages, including British Sign Language, with support for right-to-left languages, so more visitors can follow the stories in a form that suits them. New languages can be added straight from the Content Platform, keeping the app ready to grow with the museum's audiences.

Paid tours, a model for the museum

The app includes in-app purchases. Visitors can buy a single tour, or a full bundle with all the tours and content in the app. Tours for temporary exhibitions are purchased separately in the app. It gives the museum a way to build on the engagement the app creates and turn it into a sustainable part of the visitor offer.

Always knowing what's on display

Galleries close, and objects move off display. The museum can mark any gallery or object as off-display, and the app lets visitors know the moment they engage with it: a clear notification that this object or gallery isn't on view right now. It keeps people from searching the galleries for something that isn't there, and the interactive map reflects it too.

Serving Chinese audiences

A significant part of the museum's audience is Chinese. That is why we launched a dedicated Chinese version of the app in the iOS and Android stores in Mainland China, backed by its own infrastructure that syncs with the Content Platform so content arrives quickly and reliably. Outside Mainland China, the app switches automatically to the general backend.

The British Museum Audio app connects the museum's ambition — making two million years of human culture accessible to audiences worldwide — with an experience that's interactive, visual, and engaging. Visitors gave it 4.9 out of 5 stars.

It has been a pleasure working with Tapart to build and launch the British Museum Audio app. They are professional, responsive, and knowledgeable throughout the entire app development process. We look forward to working together to provide the best possible experience for our users.
Yiman Lin
Senior Product Manager, Mobile Digital
The British Museum ↗