So much so-called innovation is, as I have mentioned before, an evolution of a product or service rather than revolution.
This new product from WHAIWHAI caught my eye and, I think, provides a good example of where some small revolution has occurred rather than mere evolution.
I’ve not been able to try it out because the cities where this new guide works are, for now, just in Italy. The homepage describes the app as follows:
Any city can become the setting for an adventure where you are the hero. Discover original tales and solve enigmas as you explore the city in a game scenario. Begin your personal itinerary whenever you wish and arrange it however you like. Our guides are unconventional: they are collections of jumbled short stories that become readable one at a time as you solve enigmas and send your answers via text message. Each city has a unique character. That’s why each guidebook tells a different tale, through a collection of short stories about its most fascinating places. The narrative plunges you into the city’s ambience, while the individual short stories are the keys to discovering it and learning about it. With WHAIWHAI, you’ll move away from the beaten tourist track and go where the city’s more unfamiliar spirit is hidden.
So many application ‘guides’ are, in fact, just that. Indeed they are often called eGuides and the reality is that, in many ways, they are no more than a regular paper based guidebook re-purposed and presented in an electronic format. The maps use probably uses GPS location and there’s possibly a dynamic element to adding comments etc. These apps can be very useful – everything is right there on your iPhone – tailored and very convenient. But basically little more than an ‘electronified’ book.
And there’s an inevitability to this type of evolution with people looking at what we already have and seeing how technology could make that a bit better. Often it is a bit better – a bit more convenient or handy with some tech-enabled bells and whistles. And so we march on with incremental improvements offered by the latest technological trends – Augmented Reality being a good example.
Every now and then however, someone takes a step back and considers what might make for a fun and compelling user experience. They throw aside current technology trends and ignore current convention and established ‘business orthodoxies.’
WHAIWHAI have done this with this application. They’ve identified the desire in travelers to explore and find things out and combined this with deeply contextual real life historical and contemporary content.
There is some technology involved but one gets a real sense that this supports and enables the core thrust of the desired user experience rather than being bolted on for technology’s sake.
One looks at travel guides and thinks they could be very useful. One looks at this app and thoughts turn to some real fun and excitement.
I look forward to being somewhere where I can download this and transport myself into a world where I explore backstreets whilst reliving history and solving a mystery or two.
