Data taken from the first month of Sheffield’s new augmented reality art trail shows most users are using the app once to scan a QR code, then not revisiting, reusing the app, or following the full trail.
The numbers show that between February 5th and March 8th there were 1,625 downloads across the App and Play Store with 1,851 QR scans around the city using the app.
The data suggests low repeat engagement levels for the first month that the art trail has been active.
It also suggests people aren’t following the full trail as the number of scans would need to be 4 times the number of downloads.
A Sheffield City Council official declined to comment but said the figures were roughly in line with what was expected at this stage of the project.
The art trial is a permanent project for Sheffield with more locations around the city expected to be added in the future.
The Tudor Square site, outside the Crucible, has the highest number of scans with over 700 known to have used it.
The project is being run by Marketing Sheffield, a subject of Sheffield City Council.
Olivie Kalejova, 20, a Law student at the University of Sheffield, said after using the app at the Diamond location: “The concept is brilliant and I enjoyed using it.
“I can see it being popular with parents who have kids as the app is very engaging and rewarding.”
In the same time frame, across all ‘Look Up’ webpages the views were almost triple (5,422) the number of app downloads.
Breaking down this data shows that Sheffield only equates to 25% of the ‘Look Up’ audience with the location drawing the most traffic being London.
This is positive for Sheffield as it could potentially bring more investment, tourism and talent to Sheffield.
When asked if the project holds value, Chief Executive of Taxpayers’ Alliance, John O’Connell, said the group can’t comment until a cost has been stated by the council.
“It’s hard to offer a comment on taxpayer value without the total cost of the project being known.”
It is not yet to be known how much the AR trail has cost Sheffield council, but we do know it was funded by the £900 million ‘Getting Building Grant’ which was handed out by central government.
Shefnews has put in an FOI request to Sheffield City Council to receive information about its cost but has received no response as of yet.
There are also issues with the scannable QR codes floor stickers as the previous weeks snow and wet weather caused some to wash away or become loose.
Improvements are allegedly being made to make sure the QR stickers withstand long term use.