Clifton Suspension Bridge

After trialling an InfoAktiv system in our exhibition space, we were convinced it was the right solution for our new permanent exhibition, ‘Hawkshaw and Barlow Untold’. The system is Windows based, so is compatible with our own office software, meaning that we can easily generate content on our own desktops and then upload it to the touchscreen, which has a simple customisable interface that was easy to match to the style of the exhibition panels. Since the opening of the exhibition in spring 2018, we have continued to add new content and have created simple games and interactives in-house which have been successful with our younger visitors.

Our system tells the stories of the engineers John Hawkshaw and William Henry Barlow, as well as the history of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. We have included PowerPoint slideshows, games, quizzes and interactive maps which we created in-house; 360 degree panoramic views which were created for us by the InfoAktiv team, and ‘Victorian Engineering Connections’, an interactive spider diagram designed by one of our volunteers which is installed on our machine but runs though Internet Explorer.

InfoAktiv is extremely reliable. Out trial of the system gave us the confidence to invest in our own (more advanced) unit, and over one year of constant use it has performed brilliantly.

Updating content is as easy as adding a new file to a folder on a Windows PC. Once the file and the picture icon for the content have been put in place, there are some simple instructions to follow to choose options on how the content will perform and which buttons you would like to be available to the visitor. If you forget to action this on installation, it is very easy to go back in and select the options. Anyone with a decent understanding of a Windows PC could do it – IT dept not required!

InfoAktiv have been very generous with their advice and support and we cannot thank them enough for helping us to choose the right hardware and showing our exhibition designers how it should be installed. The training we have received on content creation has been extremely helpful, and in the early stages when telephone support was required, the team went above and beyond to make sure our system was working properly again.

Our touchscreen is in constant use by visitors and we know that our quizzes, panoramas and photo presentations are used very frequently. There is an option to collect data from users through the screen itself, but we have chosen not to action this as we have other established methods of collecting feedback.