As visitors move around the memorial, the application uses geolocation to determine their position and displays relevant educational material, such as documents, photographs, drawings, or quotes from diaries, on the screen based on their location.
In 2020, using the same database, the memorial developed a virtual visit. We worked on that when we realized that our annual summer school would have to take place digitally.
Our challenge was to provide participants with a way of engaging with and connecting
to the site even though they couldn’t come to be here. […] What I really like about it is that it gives not only an overview of the main camp, but it also shows the loading platform, the POW cemetery, the garrison, etc. It follows the same principles as the tablet app, that is to say visitor-driven, self-guided, non-linear, and exploratory. It offers the opportunity to visit the place remotely, but in Stephanie Billib’s opinion, the purpose of this tool is not clear. It lacks participation and immersion. Maybe adding a degree of riddle-solving or discovery would make sense for this
remote visit.
Ms. Billib emphasized that it is essential to experiment and explore to identify an institution's needs, grasp their understanding, and determine their limits. Also, it is important to not be afraid of failure because it is also a valuable learning experience; to be open to relinquishing control over the interpretation of content; to have confidence in users and their capacity
to derive meaning; and, whenever feasible, provide various methods for visiting a place,
as participants may comprehend it differently. From a cognitive perspective, individuals have diverse ways of processing information, and that's perfectly acceptable.
Stephanie Billib, photo: Press Office