Digital Guided Tour – Overview

The Digital Guided Tour is a web-based experience developed to enhance visitor engagement with the 48th Highlanders Museum, whether they are physically in the museum or exploring from home. Designed as a Progressive Web App (PWA), the tour allows seamless access to curated displays, artifact details, and historical narratives from any device—no app store required.

Target Audiences

• On-site Visitors: Individuals or small groups touring the museum independently.
• Remote Users: History enthusiasts, researchers, students, and family members of Highlanders unable to visit in person.
• Museum staff: Assist with training of new guides. Aide to experienced guides.

Why a PWA?

Implementing the tour as a Progressive Web App (PWA) gave us:

• Ability to structure a virtual or in person visit to see artifacts.
• Consistent experience for all those taking the tour.
• App-like experience without requiring downloads or updates.
• Offline capability for use in areas with poor reception (e.g., heritage buildings).
• Cross-platform consistency, working on iOS, Android, tablets, and desktops.
• Easy updates—content and features can be updated instantly without user intervention.
• Add-to-home functionality, offering users quick return access like a native app.

How It Works

Visitors can access the tour by downloading the app from the Digital Guided Tour app page which is on the main menu under Visit us.

Once launched, the tour loads as an app that:

• Hides the usual header and footer for immersive viewing.
• Offers customized navigation for forward/back, return to tour list, and help.
• Allows for links to external web addresses (i.e. web pages outside of museum.48thHighlanders.ca.

It is important to note that very special maintenance is required to ensure that the tour information remains up to date. The only maintenance required is:

• Displays. This custom post type is listed in the ‘Display Listing’ on the Tour overview and display list page. (Note that only ‘Published’ displays on in this list.)
• Tour filters taxonomy. This is a list of the possible “filters” (pills) that appear on the ‘Tour overview and display list’ page.

Key Features

• Curated ‘Display’ Cards: Each card represents a physical exhibit and includes artifact photos, historical context, and deeper dive links.
• Live Filtering by Interest: Visitors can filter displays using interactive “pills” by theme (e.g., battles, people, time periods).
• Persistent Tour Navigation Bar: A custom navigation bar offers Back, Forward, and Close App functions—mimicking app behaviour.