How to Use a Mobile App for City Exploration to Make Public Art Discoverable
- Andrew Applebaum
- Jun 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 26
City Streets, Stories, and the App That Connects Them
Ever get that feeling you’re only scratching the surface of a place you’re visiting? Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), and museums often invest massive resources into incredible local programs like public art installations or heritage sites.
Yet, these cultural assets often go unnoticed by the very visitors they’re meant to engage. It’s a common challenge: creating the culture is one thing, but making it easily discoverable is another.
Imagine walking through a beautiful downtown square and passing a striking sculpture. You snap a photo, but it isn't until later that you realize it was a hugely significant piece by a renowned artist with a powerful story. That missed connection, that lack of contextual information at the point of discovery, is precisely the problem smart tourism tools are designed to solve.
Turning the Entire City into a Discoverable Museum with a Mobile App
The City of Toronto faced a similar situation. As part of its ambitious ArtworxTO initiative, the city made a massive investment in public art across its neighbourhoods. The key question became: how do you seamlessly connect people (both residents and visitors) to the narratives behind these installations?
This is where the partnership with Driftscape comes in. The City of Toronto chose to use our platform to launch interactive, art-based experiences. Instead of static maps, the city transformed its cultural assets into living, breathing stories.
Key features launched to enhance discoverability:
50+ immersive audio tours that guide visitors.
4 city-wide scavenger hunts for gamified exploration.
Location-triggered storytelling that whispers context as you approach.
Suddenly, that sculpture on the corner isn't just an object; it's a story delivered directly to you. By utilizing a mobile app for city exploration, Toronto transformed its streets into a living, accessible gallery.
Key Takeaway: Using a location-aware mobile platform transforms cultural assets from static points of interest into interactive, personal visitor experiences.
Making Culture Inclusive and Accessible for Everyone
This approach is fundamentally about simplifying access to culture, making it more inclusive and engaging for everyone. For example, features like hands-free audio tours make the experience accessible for people with visual impairments or for those who simply prefer to look at the art instead of at a screen.
The digital guide removes the potential "gallery intimidation" factor, inviting people from all walks of life to participate in a way that feels natural and personal. It’s a fundamental shift from saying "here is our art" to "let's experience our art together."
How a Mobile-First Approach Enhances Inclusivity:
Hands-free audio supports people with visual impairments.
Mobile-first design makes cultural discovery accessible for all ages.
It eliminates the reliance on traditional signage or printed guides.
It encourages spontaneous, barrier-free exploration of local culture.
Extending Reach and Enhancing the Visitor Experience
A smart digital strategy optimizes resources and gives initiatives an evergreen lifespan. A digital platform extends the reach of a program like ArtworxTO long after the launch announcements fade. In fact, since 2021 this collaboration has led to over 65,000 views of the art around the city. That’s an average of 40 times a day that people are actively engaging with the art and artists of Toronto. Better yet, the data shows visitors arriving from over 400 area codes have enjoyed the tours across the city: from Little Jamaica to High Park.
Speaking of enhancing the experience, the Driftscape Quests game feature turns art discovery into a fun, family-friendly activity. It challenges visitors to search for art pieces using augmented reality (AR) technology, transforming a simple walk into an adventure. You can learn more about how to create your own AR experiences on our product pages.
This partnership is about enhancing the physical experience, not replacing it. By making its cultural assets more discoverable and engaging, the City of Toronto reinforces its identity as a world-class destination, encouraging people to explore longer and connect more deeply with the community. For more insights on leveraging your cultural assets, read our blog post on utilizing map-based tours for visitor engagement.
Digital Storytelling is Your Best Ambassador
Here’s the key takeaway for tourism professionals: your destination's stories are your most powerful asset, but they can't make an impact if they aren't being heard. Using a mobile app for city exploration acts as a personal guide in every visitor's pocket. It empowers them and residents to find those "hidden gems" and understand the soul of your city on their own terms.
This strategy isn't just for major metropolitan centres; this model scales to fit any destination. The beauty of this approach is its flexibility.
Why this model works for any destination:
It is flexible for seasonal or year-round programs.
It is easy to localize for rural or urban areas.
It enables you to celebrate community culture with art crawls, local theatre events, and food tours.
The appetite for this kind of interactive content is massive, whether you're managing tourism in a big city or a smaller community with incredible stories to tell. Ultimately, this is about forging a deeper connection between people and place.
When you make your city’s culture easy and exciting to access, you’re not just providing information; you’re creating memorable, shared experiences. That is the essence of effective visitor engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is a mobile app for city exploration, and how does it help DMOs?
A: A mobile app for city exploration, like Driftscape, is a location-aware platform that provides visitors with context-rich, real-time information about their surroundings. It helps DMOs by transforming static cultural assets (like public art or heritage sites) into engaging, interactive experiences, boosting visitor engagement and discoverability.
Q: How does a mobile app make public art more accessible?
A: A mobile app enhances accessibility through features such as hands-free audio tours, which help users with visual impairments or those who prefer not to stare at a screen. It removes physical barriers like small signage and eliminates the need for paper guides, inviting spontaneous and barrier-free cultural discovery for all ages.
Q: Can this strategy work for smaller communities, not just large cities like Toronto?
A: Yes. The beauty of the platform model is that it is fully scalable. It can be easily localized for rural areas, small towns, or major metropolitan centres. It allows smaller communities to celebrate their unique culture, run seasonal programs, and offer local tours just as effectively as large cities.
Q: What specific features enhance visitor engagement with public art?
A: Visitor engagement is enhanced by features that make exploration interactive and fun. This includes location-triggered audio tours that start playing as a visitor approaches an artwork, city-wide scavenger hunts, and gamified elements like Augmented Reality (AR) quests that challenge visitors to find pieces.
Q: How do digital platforms provide value after the initial program launch?
A: Digital platforms provide evergreen value by giving cultural programs an extended lifespan long after the initial launch. They offer DMOs access to valuable analytics on visitor traffic and engagement, allowing them to measure impact and continually optimize their offerings, which supports a long-term smart tourism strategy.
Ready to bring your city's stories to life using a modern mobile app for city exploration? Book a demo and explore how your DMO or BIA can turn local stories into unforgettable visitor experiences.
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