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  • Celebrating a Remarkable 2024: Innovation, Growth, and Gratitude

    Celebrating a Remarkable 2024: Innovation, Growth, and Gratitude

    By Frits Polman

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    What a Year This Has Been!

    2024 has been a whirlwind of milestones, challenges, and successes. From technology and product development to marketing, sales, and HR, every department has had its share of moments to shine. It’s nearly impossible to capture everything in one article, but I’d like to share some of the year’s highlights with you.

    The Podcatcher Pro Takes Centre Stage

    After a soft launch in 2023, this year saw the official debut of the Podcatcher Pro. Even with 15 years of experience developing audio guides, we were reminded of a fundamental truth: innovation never comes without its hurdles. Creating a device that offers so much functionality while remaining simple to use requires determination—and, thankfully, we have plenty of that.

    The journey began in Birmingham at the VE Forum alongside Kingston Miles, shortly after the European Championship match in which the Netherlands painfully lost to England. Despite the football result, the Podcatcher Pro’s reception was phenomenal. It was clear from the start that this device was going to make waves.

    Next came the launch in San Diego aboard the USS Midway with Mark Berlin. The enthusiastic feedback we received there was not only a relief, but also an immensely proud moment for the whole team. After four years of development, our dream is becoming a reality: a device we believe will set the global standard for museum audio guides.

    AI, Innovation, and Growth

    It’s not only the Podcatcher Pro that fills me with pride—our platform has continued to evolve in remarkable ways too. AI has become central to everything we do, with new features being introduced almost every month. From automatic translations and voice generation to stop descriptions and even cloning my own voice—a little unnerving, but incredible—the possibilities seem endless.

    Our data analytics have also proven invaluable, providing museums with actionable insights that genuinely enhance visitor experiences. And the best part is that we’re only just beginning. By this time next year, our platform’s capabilities will be at least twice as powerful.

    This progress brings our mission closer to reality: to give every visitor, at every object, in every museum worldwide, a story tailored to their level and presented in their language. AI creates the content, and the Podcatcher Pro makes it accessible to everyone. It’s a dream come true.

    A Team to Be Proud Of

    None of this would have been possible without our incredible team.

    Johan, our COO, has masterfully kept everything running smoothly, ensuring that promises are met and building what can only be described as a Champions League team.

    Ana and her team have transformed our marketing and sales operations into a well-oiled machine unlike anything we’ve seen before.

    Thomas and the developers consistently deliver new features during every sprint while keeping the platform stable and dependable.

    Lisa and her customer service team ensure that our clients remain happy and supported day in and day out.

    To all of you: I couldn’t be more grateful. Our celebration in Ghent this year was the perfect way to honour your hard work and success. A special thank you also goes to our supplier, Makso, which has been ready to grow alongside us every step of the way.

    To Our Clients

    Finally, to our clients—from those who have been with us since the Podcatcher’s first iteration in 2009 to the museums that joined us this week—you’re the reason we do what we do.

    Thanks to your trust, we’ve shared your incredible stories with more than 55 million visitors across 22 countries. That represents a staggering 775 million stories told since 2009.

    Looking ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be even more exciting. The flywheel is spinning, and there’s no stopping it now. Stay tuned.

    For now, I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a brilliant start to the new year.

  • Ready to Transform Your Museum’s Storytelling?

    Ready to Transform Your Museum’s Storytelling?

    By Sarah Edel Hayes

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    If you’ve worked with Guide-ID in the past, chances are you’re familiar with our trusty Podcatcher device. It has been a reliable companion for many museums over the years, helping visitors enjoy self-guided tours with ease. But as technology evolves, so too must our tools. Enter the Podcatcher Pro—our next-generation audio guide, designed to offer a richer, smarter, and more immersive experience for today’s museums. If you haven’t had the chance to try it yet, we think it’s time to rediscover what Guide-ID can offer.

    A Simpler, Smarter Device for a New Era

    So, what exactly is the Podcatcher Pro? Think of it as the evolution of our original Podcatcher, but with major upgrades where they matter most. It’s still the easy-to-use audio player you remember, but now it’s packed with advanced features such as automatic language selection, enhanced audio quality, and the ability to support group tours with a single device. Whether visitors are exploring exhibitions individually or in groups, they can enjoy the best possible experience without interruptions or distractions.

    Why Upgrade to the Podcatcher Pro?

    When developing the Podcatcher Pro, we didn’t just want to make an incremental improvement—we wanted to create something that would genuinely change the way museums deliver their stories. The Pro model is designed to inspire and engage visitors like never before. Imagine walking into a room where the audio content changes automatically based on your location, or seamlessly moving between layers of sound that reveal deeper dimensions of a story. For visitors who prefer using their own equipment, the Podcatcher Pro also offers wireless headphone support for an even more personalised experience.

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    More Than Just an Audio Tour—A Connection

    One of the biggest misconceptions about audio guides is that they are static, one-size-fits-all solutions. That isn’t the case with the Podcatcher Pro. We’ve worked hard to ensure that it doesn’t just tell a story—it helps create the experience around it. By integrating AI-powered features, museums can personalise tours for specific audiences, offer real-time visitor interaction, and collect insights that can help improve future experiences. Whether you’re hosting a major temporary exhibition or creating a permanent installation, the Podcatcher Pro can grow and evolve alongside your museum.

    How Museums Are Already Using the Podcatcher Pro

    Several forward-thinking institutions have already embraced the Podcatcher Pro. Birmingham Museums Trust and Märkisches Museum Berlin are just two examples of museums where the Podcatcher Pro is transforming the visitor experience. From automatic audio triggering in darkened rooms to pairing powerful storytelling with interactive displays, museums are discovering new ways to bring their exhibitions and collections to life.

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    Making Museums More Accessible

    We’ve also focused on making the Podcatcher Pro as inclusive as possible. For visitors who are visually impaired, automatic triggering enables them to navigate exhibitions without needing to operate the device manually. The Podcatcher Pro also offers options for connecting compatible hearing devices wirelessly, while support for sign-language tours helps museums serve a wider range of visitors. These accessibility features help ensure that everyone—regardless of ability—can fully experience the richness of a museum’s stories.

    Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Rediscover Guide-ID

    We know that many museum leaders we’ve worked with in the past are always looking for new ways to innovate and improve visitor engagement. The Podcatcher Pro isn’t just an audio guide—it’s a platform that opens up a new world of possibilities for visitor interaction, accessibility, and immersive storytelling. If you’ve used our original Podcatcher before, we believe the Podcatcher Pro will reignite your excitement about what is possible with self-guided museum experiences.

    Want to Learn More About the Podcatcher Pro?

    Discover more about the Podcatcher Pro and its visitor-engagement features. We’d love to help you rediscover the magic of self-guided audio tours. Contact Guide-ID to discuss how the Podcatcher Pro could fit into your next exhibition or permanent installation.

    This is more than just an upgrade—it’s the future of museum storytelling.

  • Accessibility Is Also About Language.

    Accessibility Is Also About Language.

    Accessibility Is Also About Language.

    By Johan Romkes

    Image copyright © Pexels

    At Guide-ID we invested quite a lot of effort into making AI part of our platform. A decision which we didn’t make lightheartedly. We had a lot of internal discussions about the usage of AI, and it was also part of the client session we organized in Amsterdam. At the event we noticed that a lot of people were worried about the usage of AI in the cultural sector. One of the speakers we invited gave one of the best insights,

    “AI should always be part of a sandwich. The AI part in the middle, the meat, surrounded by humans on the sides, the buns”.

    In short, use AI to do the tedious work, use it as inspiration, but always stay critical about what it writes. In the end, the human isn’t only in the loop, but responsible for the output.

    Now that we got that hot potato out of the way, let’s talk about one of the benefits of AI. Mainly for museums who want to be as inclusive as possible, but don’t have the unlimited budget to achieve this.

    Accessibility, what options does our platform in combination with AI have? When museums talk about accessibility, the conversation often focuses on physical accessibility:

    · Wheelchair access

    · Subtitles

    · Audio descriptions

    · Visual impairments

    All very important, sure.

    But there is another form of accessibility we talk about far less: language. Something I learned a long time ago when I was involved in launching a public transport website in the Netherlands.

    Because even if somebody can physically enter a museum, that does not automatically mean they can connect with, or even understand, the story being told.

    The invisible barrier

    A lot of museum texts are written by experts, curators, historians, and people who live and breathe the subject. Which makes sense, that is how they got into the job and why they chose a career in the cultural sector

    But the problem is: Most visitors are not experts.

    Some visitors:

    · Are children

    · Are tourists

    · Speak another language

    · Have lower literacy levels

    · Are tired after a full day

    · Are overwhelmed by information

    · Simply do not understand museum terminology

    And often they will never say that out loud. They just stopped reading. Not because they are incapable. Not because they are not interested. But because the text asks too much attention before giving something back.

    Expertise is not the same as accessibility

    I noticed this myself recently after buying an older car.

    The moment somebody (usually a mechanic who look at me and thinks “that guy knows all about cars”) with a lot of car knowledge starts throwing around engine codes, abbreviations, technical specs, and other pointless facts, I mentally drop out surprisingly fast.

    Not because I don’t care.

    But because I simply do not speak that language well enough.

    And I think museums sometimes run into exactly the same problem.

    Curators and specialists know their subject inside out. What feels logical to them can already feel overwhelming to a visitor within two sentences.

    The gap between expertise and accessibility is often much smaller than we think.

    Attention part of accessibility?

    Accessibility is not only: “Can somebody enter the building?”

    It is also: “Can somebody actually follow the story?”

    Those are two completely different things.

    Because museums no longer compete only with other museums.

    They compete with:

    · Smartphones

    · Social media

    · Notifications

    · Short-form video

    · Constant distraction

    That changes how people consume information.

    Long texts and complicated language may contain valuable knowledge, but they also ask for a level of focus many visitors simply no longer have, or better said choose not to have

    And honestly, many visitors do not want to feel like they need to pass an exam before they are allowed to enjoy a story. When I go to an exhibition about chocolate, I drop out a lot faster than when it’s about whisky, or beer. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about chocolate, but the challenge to get me interested is a lot higher than with the other 2 topics.

    Simple language is not the same as simple thinking

    Sometimes there is this fear that simpler language makes content less intelligent.

    I actually think the opposite is true.

    Explaining something clearly is often much harder than writing something complicated. All of us have seen the inspirational quote all over LinkedIn, shared by all those coaches out there “If you can’t explain it simply you don’t understand it well enough”.

    Making something accessible is not the same as oversimplifying it.

    You are simply lowering the barrier to enter the story, to get people’s attention!

    Because not every visitor walks into a museum with the same:

    · Background knowledge

    · Language skills

    · Energy level

    · Concentration span

    · And yes, interest

    Image copyright © Pexels

    A simple example

    A traditional museum text might say something like:

    “The artist explores the tension between industrialization and human identity through abstract forms, layered textures, and contrasting materials.”

    Nothing is wrong with that sentence.

    But for many visitors, it immediately creates distance. What the hell did I just read?

    Now compare that to an A1-level version:

    “The artist made this artwork to show how people and machines changed the world together. The different shapes and materials help tell that story.”

    The goal is not to “dumb things down.” The goal is to create an entry point.

    Because once people understand the basics, curiosity usually follows naturally (or doesn’t, but at least you gave it your best).

    AI creates interesting opportunities

    For a long time, creating multiple content versions was simply too expensive and time-consuming.

    Now AI suddenly makes things possible that were difficult to scale before:

    · Simplified explanations

    · Child-friendly tours

    · Shorter versions

    · Audio summaries

    · Text-to-speech

    · Multiple language levels

    · Translations

    Not to replace curators.

    But to help more people connect with the story. And maybe that is where accessibility and attention finally come together. Because technology should not only help people access content. It should help people stay engaged with it; it should spark their curiosity.

    The goal is not less depth

    The goal is not to remove complexity or depth from museums.

    The goal is to help more visitors feel included once they are inside.

    Because accessibility is not only about entering a museum. It is also about the feeling that the story was meant for you too.

  • What Does It Take to Transform Museum Storytelling? 

    What Does It Take to Transform Museum Storytelling? 

    What Does It Take to Transform Museum Storytelling? 

    By Sarah Edel Hayes

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    Discover how Thomas Fikken, Guide-ID’s Business Development Manager, is reshaping the visitor experience with the Podcatcher Pro – where innovative audio technology meets the art of storytelling. 

    Meet Thomas Fikken’s Journey to Guide-ID 

    You may already be familiar with Guide-ID’s Podcatcher Pro, but behind this innovative museum technology is a driving force – our Product Owner, Thomas Fikken. Thomas plays a pivotal role in ensuring that every detail of the Podcatcher Pro meets the needs of our clients, but his journey to Guide-ID is just as intriguing as the product itself. 

    Before diving into technology, Thomas’s career began in a different field. With a background in Business Administration, he developed a passion for improving existing companies, focusing on change management, efficiency, and effectiveness. It was this curiosity and desire for meaningful impact that led him to transition from a business analyst role to product management at Wehkamp, where he honed his skills in blending software with logistics. Yet, it was the search for a deeper purpose – something that could influence the world in a more direct way – that eventually led him to Guide-ID. 

    Thomas’ role at Guide-ID 

     “At Guide-ID, we help create stories and experiences, and I play a key role in enhancing our product offerings. This is where I truly feel at home – understanding technology and how it can be applied in practical ways,” Thomas explains. “My role merges both the hardware, like the Podcatcher Pro, and the software that drives it, creating something truly special for our clients.” 

    As Business Development Manager, Thomas’s daily work is a dynamic mix of innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving. One day might involve designing a completely new museum layout, while another could be focused on creating specialised solutions such as audio-guided tours for visually impaired visitors. “Working with developers to continuously improve our product is just part of it,” he says. “I also keep close contact with Customer Support and Sales to stay connected with client needs and make sure we’re always meeting and exceeding expectations.” 

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    Developing the Podcatcher 

    What makes Thomas an expert voice on the Podcatcher Pro? He’s been involved in the development of this cutting-edge audio guide from the ground up. From the very beginning, he worked alongside Guide-ID’s founder, Frits Polman, and tech teams to shape the Podcatcher Pro into the world’s smartest audio guide, integrating client feedback and the latest advancements in technology. 

    What is the Podcatcher 

    The Podcatcher Pro itself is a sleek, intuitive audio guide system that transforms the museum experience for visitors. Unlike traditional audio guides, it’s designed with simplicity at the forefront – just scan a beacon connected to a point of interest and the story unfolds, tailored to the visitor’s language and preferences. Whether it’s immersive sound quality, automatic audio triggering, or the ability to connect to wireless earbuds, the Podcatcher Pro is built to deliver a distraction-free experience. 

    The What Sets the Podcatcher Pro Apart? 

    What sets it apart from previous models? Thomas shares, “We’ve focused on making the Podcatcher Pro more intuitive and inspiring, with features like multilingual audio guide, improved audio quality, and the ability to support group tours with a single device. These upgrades allow museums to engage visitors in new ways – whether it’s through individual or collective experiences.” 

    Image copyright © Guide-ID

    The Future of Museum Audio Guides 

    Looking ahead, Thomas envisions even greater potential for the Podcatcher Pro, especially with the integration of AI and multi-layered audio capabilities. “By combining automatic triggering with interactive solutions, we’re on the brink of creating a next-level experience for museum-goers. Museums of all sizes, even those operated by volunteers, can benefit from the efficiency, ease, and innovation we offer.” 

    How Museums Are Using the Podcatcher Pro  

    Museums like the Birmingham Museum Trust and Märkisches Museum Berlin are already leveraging the Podcatcher Pro to enhance their visitors’ experiences. From improving accessibility to creating dynamic, interactive tours, these institutions are using our audio tour online editor to bring their collections to life in ways never before possible. For Thomas, his role at Guide-ID goes beyond business development – it’s about making a meaningful impact in how museums share their stories. And with the Podcatcher Pro, both he and Guide-ID are helping to bring those stories to life for diverse audiences around the world. 

    Learn More About the Podcatcher Pro 

    To learn more about the Podcatcher Pro and how it can elevate your museum’s storytelling, click here for an in-depth look and to connect with Thomas directly.