Out and about with young adventurers in the Zuidrand
Key takeaways
Walking is fun! Unfortunately kids don’t always agree with that statement. The interactive Zuidrand walking app takes care of this lack of motivation by turning a regular walk into a playful adventure.
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Client
De Zuidrand
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Services
Immersive and creative concepts — Data storytelling — Game design —
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Links
View iOS app View Android app
Thrilling storytelling
If you were to describe a walk through the towns surrounding Antwerp, would your kids be excited and dying to get going? Probably not. But ask them to solve mysterious riddles by going on an adventurous walk… and there’ll be no holding them back.
The (free) Zuidrand walking app takes this premise and makes it a reality. Our main protagonists are the young detectives Noor and Lukas, who are tasked with solving fascinating puzzles in the neighbourhood. Children can help them get the job done by collecting clues in the scenery and heritage.
Motivating game design
The mini detectives receive a personalised detective certificate at the end of the walk/mission, provided they solve the mystery, that is!
We’ve also added a sticker book to the app as a little extra source of motivation to complete the expedition. Collect the stickers of all Zuidrand-mystery characters: the lord of the castle, the winegrower, the police inspector… and even a ghost! Kids happy, parents happy, regional tourism stakeholders happy.
React Native
The Zuidrand walking app came together thanks to a textbook example of co-creativity. Four towns from the Zuidrand region — Kontich, Boechout, Edegem and Aartselaar — took care of the touristic input. Bits of Love developed the concept and the app (using React Native) and Paul Nauwelaerts, a city councillor of Edegem, created the character designs and illustrations.
The result?
A touristic tool that not only turns each walk in the Zuidrand into an adventure, but also encourages visitors to return to the area as the app gets updated with new stories regularly.
Rather than sitting by and waiting to get recognised as a touristic region by the government, the towns took faith into their own hands and boosted their touristic value by themselves, with a little help from Bits of Love!
We braved stormy weather to personally test the walking app. It received full marks from our young detectives, even despite the wind and rain.
A few not-so-young detectives confessed they had a lot of fun too. Now it’s your turn to get out and explore!
