It was crucial to show them that the core of the tour is the same. Of course, they have
to perform new things, but their task is still to give a tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was
a key point to understand.
Throughout the whole time, we were thinking about the design of the app, and we were really in touch with the guides. We were asking them to tell us if they liked this or not and how they felt about certain things. […] They were involved in all stages; therefore, they also feel comfortable with the app.
At a very early stage, we also understood that we needed to stay away from the exhibitions.
Of course, when the museum was closed during the pandemic, entering and showing the exhibitions was possible, but now with the number of people coming here, it would be a total disaster. With this new technology, we don’t really need the exhibitions. […] With the app,
we can give the tour in a more logical order. […] We can talk about Auschwitz in Auschwitz
and about Birkenau in Birkenau. […]
We designed the points of interest that the guide should show. They have a script
and guidelines and, with time, we understood that we needed to give them some flexibility. Sometimes, they can use the personal stories that they like or just elaborate on things that they believe are important, like they do today. The core is the same, but what is being said around it depends on the guide. […] With the app it could have been difficult to have a story being told from person to person, so we had to design a tool in which there would be a kind of contact between the guide and the visitors, just as it is done on a regular tour here on-site. The app has a discussion mode, and it is very important for both guides and visitors. For the guide, because they can understand if the tour is adapted to their group […] and for the group, it is important that it is not just a lecture, that they are also engaged in the tour.
Tomasz Michaldo guiding the conference participants onilne, photo: Press Office