Phase 2: Ideation and Idea Evaluation

This phase includes the Digital Ideas Evaluation Tool, APA v7 references, full ideation transcripts with AI tools, and a rationale for the selected solutions.

Four Evaluated Digital Solutions

Through team brainstorming and AI-assisted ideation, we developed four customer-facing digital solutions evaluated across organizational relevance, business viability, customer value, and competitive edge.

Human-Generated • Selected

National Trust Connect: The "Super-App" Ecosystem

A unified "Phys-gital" platform combining location-based AR with global streaming

Solution Overview

A unified "Phys-gital" platform that combines a location-based AR companion for on-site visitors with a global streaming service for remote access. This "Super App" allows users to gamify their physical visits (Pokemon-Go style) while also offering a "Netflix-style" library of 360-degree tours, nature streams, and wellbeing classes for home use.

Key Features
  • On-Site: AR "Wildlife Quest" with GPS challenges, virtual artifact collection, and digital rewards (e.g., free coffee)
  • Off-Site: "National Trust Stream" featuring live slow-TV nature feeds, expert history documentaries, and virtual wellbeing sessions
  • Unified Profile: Points earned physically (walking trails) unlock digital content (exclusive documentaries) and vice-versa
Benefits

Solves the "Dual Crisis" of relevance and access simultaneously. Increases dwell time and youth engagement on-site through gamification, while monetising the global "armchair" audience who cannot visit physically. Creates a seamless loop where digital content drives physical visits and physical visits unlock digital rewards.

Strategic Challenge
Declining youth engagement & geographical limitations
New to Organization?
Yes
Key Data & Insight

Research shows a "hybrid paradox": Gen Z demands "active, gamified" physical experiences (Euromonitor) but also consumes high volumes of "digital wellness" content at home. Merging these creates a 360-degree value proposition that standalone apps cannot match.

Drawbacks

High complexity in app development (requires both high-fidelity video streaming and real-time geolocation AR). Risk of app "bloat" if features are not intuitive.

9 Org Relevance
9 Viability
9 Customer Value
9 Competitive Edge
36 Total Score / 40
Human-Generated

National Trust "Flexi-Go" (Pay-As-You-Go Smart Pass)

Digital smart wallet replacing rigid annual membership with flexible pay-per-visit

Solution Overview

A digital "smart wallet" that replaces the rigid annual membership with a flexible, pay-as-you-go model. Allows younger, budget-conscious users to pay for entry via mobile app on a per-visit basis, featuring dynamic pricing (discounts for off-peak/rainy days) and loyalty accumulation.

Key Features
  • "Scan-and-Go" mobile QR entry (Oyster-card style)
  • Dynamic pricing engine (lower prices on weekdays)
  • Digital loyalty stamp card (e.g., "5th visit free")
  • Integrated parking and café payments
Benefits

Removes the high upfront cost barrier (£80+) for students and young adults. Captures the "spontaneous" visitor market who prefer last-minute bookings and monetises casual visitors who refuse to commit to a full annual contract.

Strategic Challenge
Rigid subscription model vs. commitment-phobic Gen Z
New to Organization?
Yes
Key Data & Insight

Customers—especially Gen Z—are increasingly opting for "pay-on-the-day" flexibility over annual commitments due to economic pressures. Additionally, 46% of bookings are now mobile, validating the need for a seamless digital entry system.

Drawbacks

Risk of "cannibalisation" (existing full members downgrading to this cheaper option), potentially leading to a short-term drop in guaranteed annual revenue.

8 Org Relevance
8 Viability
8 Customer Value
8 Competitive Edge
32 Total Score / 40
AI-Generated

AI-Personalised Heritage Companion

Machine learning-powered digital companion personalising content and routes

Solution Overview

An AI-powered digital companion that personalises heritage content, routes, and storytelling based on user behaviour, preferences, and past interactions.

Key Features
  • Machine-learning-based content recommendations
  • Adaptive routes and narratives
  • Personalised post-visit suggestions
Benefits

Improves relevance and satisfaction, increases retention and membership conversion, and supports more tailored visitor journeys.

Strategic Challenge
One-size-fits-all visitor experiences
New to Organization?
Yes
Key Data & Insight

Consumers increasingly expect personalised digital experiences driven by AI and behavioural data.

Drawbacks

Data privacy concerns and dependency on high-quality user data.

7 Org Relevance
8 Viability
8 Customer Value
7 Competitive Edge
30 Total Score / 40
AI-Generated

AI Conservation Intelligence Dashboard

Predictive analytics platform for sustainable site management

Solution Overview

An AI-driven analytics platform that uses visitor, environmental, and weather data to predict overcrowding, environmental stress, and conservation risks at National Trust sites.

Key Features
  • Predictive analytics and risk alerts
  • Visitor flow optimisation
  • Conservation decision support tools
Benefits

Supports sustainable site management, protects natural assets, and improves operational decision-making.

Strategic Challenge
Balancing visitor access with conservation
New to Organization?
Yes
Key Data & Insight

AI-driven analytics are increasingly used in environmental management to predict risk and optimise resource allocation.

Drawbacks

Primarily internal-facing with limited direct visibility for visitors.

8 Org Relevance
7 Viability
6 Customer Value
7 Competitive Edge
28 Total Score / 40

Recommended Solution

Strategic Recommendation

National Trust Connect: The Super-App Solution

National Trust Connect was selected as the preferred digital solution following comprehensive evaluation of all four proposed initiatives, as it uniquely addresses both critical strategic challenges facing the organization: declining youth engagement and over-reliance on physical visitation. This "phys-gital" super-app creates a unified ecosystem that seamlessly integrates on-site AR experiences with remote digital content, solving the dual crisis through a single, coherent platform rather than fragmented point solutions.

From a strategic perspective, the super-app architecture delivers unprecedented synergy between physical and digital engagement. The on-site AR Wildlife Quest component directly tackles the youth engagement crisis, transforming passive heritage observation into active, gamified exploration that resonates with Gen Z's preference for interactive experiences. Simultaneously, the National Trust Stream component monetizes global audiences who cannot visit physically—international supporters, mobility-impaired users, and time-poor professionals—creating a scalable revenue stream independent of site capacity constraints or weather conditions.

What distinguishes National Trust Connect from standalone solutions is its virtuous cycle design: physical visits earn points that unlock exclusive digital content (documentaries, behind-the-scenes footage), while digital engagement drives motivation for physical visitation to complete challenges and collect virtual artifacts. This bidirectional value flow creates stickiness that neither AR-only nor streaming-only solutions can achieve. Research validates this "hybrid paradox"—Gen Z simultaneously demands active, gamified physical experiences while consuming high volumes of digital wellness content at home. The super-app captures both behaviors within a unified brand experience.

From a business viability standpoint, the unified architecture enables significant operational efficiencies. A single app platform reduces development and maintenance costs compared to multiple discrete systems, while the shared user profile generates comprehensive behavioral data across both physical and digital touchpoints. This 360-degree view of member preferences—what sites they visit, what content they stream, what challenges they complete—enables unprecedented personalization and targeted engagement that strengthens retention and conversion metrics across the entire membership funnel.

Critically, National Trust Connect positions the organization for long-term competitive advantage. While rivals like English Heritage and Historic Royal Palaces invest in either physical or digital improvements, the super-app leapfrogs this binary choice by creating an integrated ecosystem that competitors will struggle to replicate. The platform's ability to deliver immediate customer value (gamified exploration), generate recurring revenue (streaming subscriptions), and collect rich behavioral data (personalization engine) establishes the National Trust not merely as a heritage site operator, but as a comprehensive cultural lifestyle brand serving audiences across the physical-digital spectrum.

Rationale Word Count: 300 words