Transport sector | virtual tour case study
East Midlands Railway Stations
Following a tender process, we were chosen by the East Midlands train operating company due to our expertise in usability, custom design and accessibility.
The numbers that make us proud of our train tours
Our user research has shown that 92% of users find this an easy way to navigate around a station environment.
Our train tours have helped over 35,000 users, easing anxiety and increasing confidence when visiting the stations
Users that visit the virtual tour spend an average of 4.5 minutes exploring the stations as a key wayfinding and planning tool
The Brief
The brief was to create an industry-first; a fully accessible virtual tour that provided users with guidance to help with trip planning.
The photography was captured during busy rush hours and our skilled team of photographers and digital editors successfully captured 1000 panoramas in 12 stations with over 40 000 raw images, with a final result of no visible people in the end product, a miracle of photography and editing! The tour has inspired the development of our new custom accessibility platform for venues and transport providers – V.A.S.T.
View these live East Midlands Railway Virtual Tours:
Sheffield Railway Station | Lincoln Railway Station | Kettering Railway Station | Derby Railway Station | Nottingham Railway Station | Corby Railway Station | Wellingborough Railway Station | Long Eaton Railway Station | Loughborough Railway Station | Chesterfield Railway Station
What we achieved
Amongst standard features and processes we implemented a range of components that elevate the journey-planning experience.
Accessible Language Options
The tour offers two main language options, English & BSL, with BSL videos found through the tour to guide users through areas. There are also several other language options within the tour.
Navigation Tool
Intuitive navigation tool which maps out routes based on selected start and end points. The tool offers a step-free access option for all applicable routes.
High Resolution 360 Imagery
All areas of the tour are captured in high resolution 360 images, offering users a clear and top quality experience.
Accessibility by Design
Built-in screen reader support, keyboard navigation, colour contrast, and font clarity help everyone explore with ease and confidence.
Information-Rich Hotspots
The tour includes several informational hotspots, including video and imagery that educate users on the various spaces and features within the tour
Expandable Tours
Our tours are easy to duplicate and expand across all our your stations. Ensuring scalability without incurring extensive additional fees. We can easily implement your branding and key features across your network.
``Neil and his team have been amazing to work with, very friendly, flexible and reliable. From the onset, they were extremely engaged and passionate about making the project a success - guiding us through the best way of creating the tours and using their expertise to advise us of different options to consider. When it came to capturing the images, again, they were extremely professional. They moved around our stations without causing any disruption to the day to day operations. Thanks to the Virtual Tour Company, we have been able to provide our customers with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with our stations ahead of travelling, helping to ease anxiety and build confidence in rail.``
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Unique benefits that are perfect
for transport virtual tours
- a custom virtual tour editor through which clients can edit, manage and adapt all interactive elements of the tour including menus, maps, scene guides, hotspots and more.
- unique photography techniques to remove all people (even during rush hour).
- accessibility widget feature that sets the standard in following WCAG 2.1 guidelines. We provide more accessibility compliance options than any other tour.
- fully interactive, fast loading and responsive virtual tour.
- unique design in keeping with their strong branding.
- custom menu styles to enable users to explore by facilities, platforms or an interactive map.
- template created for the quick rollout of multiple tours.
- a unique and custom-built autopilot feature that generates guided tours from anywhere in the station.
- the tour has been a huge hit with users spending an average of 4.5 minutes engaging and exploring.
QUICK LINKS
East Midlands Railway Virtual Tour | The Virtual Tour Experts