Waddesdon Manor, Rothschild Foundation and The National Trust Buckinghamshire

Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor was built to impress. Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild between 1874 and 1885, it displays his collection of arts and was intended to host parties for the rich and famous. Waddesdon showcases a fantastic art collection alongside the splendour and highest quality workmanship of the interior decoration itself.

The Goal

As a historic house, Waddesdon Manor contains many three-dimensional objects and furniture on different perspective planes, in front of each other and on top of each other within the same space. Clusters of porcelain, mirrors, marbles, and antique furniture or cabinets of weaponry, clocks, and coins can present challenges for image-recognition technology when it must function across all mobile devices. We were tasked with replicating Smartify’s super fast image recognition capabilities for this mini Versaille.

Smartify’s Solution

Working closely with the Rothschild Foundation, Smartify’s engineers and designers explored all manner of ways to provide information in an intuitive and elegant way. We created the ‘group scan’ feature, a heads-up experience that keeps the best of Smartify’s scanning technology with helpful design to deliver the right balance between highlights and in-depth information for a cluster of objects. Visitors can explore a number of objects at once and pick our features more easily. Smartify carried out user testing with varied audience groups to ensure the experience was as accessible as it is awe-inspiring.

The Results

Jo Fells, Head of Marketing and Communications at Waddesdon Manor, said, “As a house museum, we want to keep our rooms free of labels on our walls. Smartify allows our artworks and objects to remain the focal point of any visit and provides you with a goody bag of best bits to dip back into when you’re home. Best of all, the app is free for users and takes up little space on your phone.”