Explorer - Introduction

Explorer allows the user to scan the QR code on an Interactive Kiosk using the camera on their smartphone device. This hands off Explorer to their mobile browser in a responsive and adaptive way which enhances the user experience.

This article has been divided up into different sections, for your convenience, if needed.

Accessing Explorer

For your customers to access Explorer, they scan the provided QR code upon reaching the venue and they will gain access into being able to view and use Explorer.

If you want to use Explorer on your phone and see the changes you have made at your location but need access to the QR code, please follow these next steps.

Once you have a working digital sign, we can proceed.

Steps

1. In the PAM navigation menu, go to 360 Planner > Digital Signs

2. Select Digital Sign Map tab

3. Select your digital sign. (Remember that the digital sign layout needs to be say Interactive Kiosk or else you will not see the features in the next steps)

4. Stay on the General tab

5. Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the QR code.
You can scan the QR code with your smartphone to see it appear on your device instantly.

There will be two options at the bottom of the QR code

6. You can click on ‘download’ to save a copy of the QR code and use it if you wish to print a hard copy and place it on physical signage at your location for customers to scan

7. You can click on ‘open link’ to open Explorer on your laptop / monitor. Although Explorer is predominantly designed for smartphones, having this option lets you see and use Explorer on your computer device if you don’t have access to a smartphone.

Introduction to Explorer

There are four main icons at the bottom of Explorer where users can click for more information.
1. Search
2. Explore
3. Directory
4. Experiences

Within Explorer users will be able to:

Explore the map

Get directions to and from a location

1. Click on a location you want to arrive at

2. Select the location you are going to come from (i.e. Theater)

3. You are given the directions and an estimated journey time

Search for locations or experiences and view experiences

Search a tenant on the directory and find information on them

Directory Tab

Inside this tab, it will contain all the tenants that have been created for your location. You are able to create your own tenants in PAM.

Introduction to the Directory Layout

1. This is the location that contains all your tenants

2. This is the different categories that can be clicked to filter and show specific tenants

3. These are all the tenants that have a filter of “ALL” and are found in “The Promenade”

4. The Explore section contains different locations at the bottom that can be clicked to show different tenants at different locations.

5. In this example, we have clicked on “The Promenade” as indicated by the name of the location being highlighted. The other location names will be faded out.

Customising the Explore section in Directory Layout

The purpose of the Explore section is to show tenants at different locations. Instead of showing everything at once but in different locations on the map, if someone is in the Retail District location, all they have to do is click on Retail District and only those tenants that have been linked to appear in locations inside Retail District will appear. This makes the user experience easier and avoids confusion.

By default, if you elect not to upload a photo, the grey background will be applied to the location name as we can see with Retail District.

To learn how to add photos to your location name and customise what location names you want to see, please click here

As a general rule, a location won’t appear in the Explore section until you link a tenant with it AND have enabled it’s settings to appear. This is important as some locations may have been linked but it hasn’t been enabled to show in the location.

Welcome Screen Layout

Explorer allows you to upload an image to help welcome users into Explorer.

This is the default image that is used. (You cannot disable this feature to show no image)

Here are some other examples of how an image can look like should the user upload their own.

How to upload a welcome screen

You will need to ensure you have a log-in to the correct PAM account

Steps
1. In the PAM navigation board, go to 360 Manager > Digital Signs

2. Click on the SIGN CONFIGURATION tab

3. Click on Interactive Kiosk

4. On the right-hand side, click on IDLE SCREEN

5. Make sure that you have selected SCREEN SAVER MODE

6. Select UPLOAD to upload your own image.
Please remember that the image must be a minimum 480 x 480 px and in a PNG file.
(We have already uploaded an image so we will be using what you see in the photo below)

7. Save changes

8. Go into DIGITAL SIGN MAP

9. Choose a digital sign

10. Scroll to the bottom and scan the QR CODE on your smartphone device

11. You should now see the image appear

My Current Location Details

Explorer allows a user to use their current location when wanting directions to a destination. A user that has scanned a QR Code from a kiosk may not remain in the same area and with this feature, they can use their own location to find their way to different destinations easier and faster.

Steps

1. When a user has scanned a QR Code, they will be taken to Explorer on their mobile browser (i.e. Google Chrome)

2. The user can either click [SKIP] or [SHARE NOW] to sharing their location. We will click share now for this example.

If a user’s location is switched off, they will receive the following message.

You can turn on your location via your smartphone device settings.

If turning on location doesn’t seem to work, you may also need to turn on permissions from the actual browser to allow your location to be shared.

The following steps are for users of the Goggle Chrome browser.

3. Click on the Lock symbol

4. Click on Permissions

5. Enable Locations

Tap on your screen when done, refresh the page and click Share now

If your settings are correct, your current location will pop up on Explorer map as shown on the photo below.

Using current location to reach a destination

Now that the user’s current location pops up, let us search for a location in Explorer to get to.

Steps

1. We will click on Entry 8 as our go-to location

2. A pop-up will appear at the bottom, click on [TAKE ME THERE]

3. Under the Directions heading, your current location will appear as 'My Location'

4. You can see an overview of the map and the distance between your current location and your chosen destination (i.e. Entry 8)

5. Select [TAKE ME THERE]

6. A view of your current location and your chosen destination appears

7. Press the END button to exit once you have reached the destination

Searching for a location

While searching for another starting location, your current location will now appear as an option (as long as it remains turned on)

What if I turn off my current location?

When the user’s current location is switched off or if they decide to switch it off while continuing to use Explorer, they will see the following in their results:

1. The my location will now read as Start Location

2. The user’s start location is not their current location but the Interactive Kiosk location

Start Location is the Interactive Kiosk location where the user originally scanned the QR code from. If the user’s location IS NOT shared then by default, every time a user searches for directions to a location, the starting point will always be the Interactive Kiosk even if the user has left and moved into another area.

Manually change Start Location

The user is advised to keep their location on to prevent Start Location from being the default mode.
The only other alternative to this is that the user manually selects where they currently are on the map (assuming they know where they are) if they do not want to share their location/unable to share their location.

Steps
1. Press the X button to remove Start Location (Interactive Kiosk Location)

2. We will choose North Plaza as our From Location

3. The route has now updated to show how to get to Entry 8 from North Plaza

4. Press start to begin your journey

What happens if I share my location but I’m not there?

If a user wants to share their location but are far away from the venue / not at the venue then Explorer has been designed to track this and will send a prompt to users, letting them know that a route is not possible to be given because they aren’t there. Even if users have access to a QR code and have scanned it on their smartphone, they will still receive a prompt.

This is the prompt that the user will get once they have shared their location the first time.

The user can proceed to still use Explorer but if they decide they want directions to a certain location and wants to use their location as the starting point then they will get another prompt as shown below.

Having these warnings pop up will tell the user that they are out of range and the navigation route is not available. This lets Explorer to be used and enjoyed by users who are within the venue.