Reconnecting kids with nature through tech

Challenge

Dippy, the Natural History Museum's famous Diplodocus cast, is on a tour across the UK. He’s on a mission to reconnect the next generation with the natural world. Toaster was asked to create an immersive digital experience that inspired kids to explore nature and discover loads of amazing things along the way. Too often technology is positioned as a reason why we lose touch with nature. Our challenge was to develop an experience that uses technology to promote and spark adventures in the great outdoors.

Approach

Working collaboratively with the Natural History Museum, we designed and created ‘Dippy’s Naturenauts’ - a Progressive Web App that drives curiosity through experimentation, learning and storytelling. In addition to serving up fun facts, the app inspires kids to physically interact and play in nature - and, even better, get their hands dirty, too.

We developed a conversational, chat-based UI to engage our audience from the get-go. Then, after creating an avatar and nickname, Dippy and wildlife whizz, Fern the fox, guide kids (naturenauts) on mini adventures to discover the colours, flowers, trees, and birds around them in nature. As each adventure is completed and special badges are unlocked, the naturenauts individual discoveries are captured in their very own, uniquely personalised and illustrated story (featuring their avatar and nickname), which they can keep as a memento of their adventures with Dippy and read later with their parents.

Ready for an adventure?

Nathan Good, Lead Product Manager at Natural History Museum says: “Toaster were able to provide us with an innovative digital product that delivered on every aspect of the brief. They achieved this by not only implementing solutions but by taking the time to deeply understand our mission and values. They worked alongside a diverse range of museum staff, from creative leads to natural scientists in order to make something truly special.”