Podego and Kids in Museums Launch Pilot to Co-create Interactive Digital Experience for Teen Visitors
Introducing pilot project co-created with youth panels from four UK museums aims to build a scalable, gamified digital experience for visitors aged 11–17
Podego, the audience development platform for cultural institutions, today announces a pilot project in partnership with Kids in Museums to design and launch a self-guided, gamified digital tour experience for teen museum visitors aged 11–17.
What sets this pilot apart is simple: it is being built with young people, not just for them.
Why teens? Why now?
Our mission at Podego has always been to help museums connect with untapped audiences. For too long, the cultural sector has overlooked one of its most vital groups: young people aged 11 to 17.
This isn’t a group that’s uninterested in culture. They’re curious, opinionated, and deeply engaged with the world around them. Museums just haven’t always known how to meet them where they are. That’s the gap we’re here to close.
“Museums are gatekeepers of heritage and extraordinary stories, but too often young people don’t see themselves as part of that world. This pilot is about changing that; not by telling teens what to enjoy, but by building something with them.”
— Danna Mulya, Co-Founder, Podego
Meet the pilot museums
We are collaborating with a range of fantastic UK museums, with further announcements to follow. This diversity ensures the experience is both scalable and applicable across various museum settings.
Each institution will host focus groups with their youth panels (ages 12–17) to guide the project’s direction. We’ve made it a priority to hear every participant's voice before development even starts.
Royal Museums Greenwich
Wakefield Museums and Castles
Three ideas. Their choice.
Podego has developed three gamified experience concepts, and the youth panels will decide which two move into production:
Scavenger Hunt
A discovery trail that presents clues and challenges that guide visitors to each collection
Climb the Leaderboard
A points-based experience that rewards curiosity and deeper engagement with collections. This allows them to explore the museum at their own pace.
Make Your Own Way
A customisable pathway that lets visitors craft a personalised journey through the museum, followed by their personal interest.
Kids in Museums will act as a strategic advisor throughout the process, bringing their deep expertise in advocating for young people in cultural spaces.
What’s next?
The pilot project will wrap up across all museums by June 2026. By then, museums, youth panel and Podego will work closely in phases, from ideation, development and implementation.
Our goal is a proven, scalable digital tool that any museum can use to genuinely engage teens visitors. This pilot is the beginning. We’re going to be sharing the pilot journey as we go. Stay tuned by subscribing to our newsletter.
Follow the journey
We’ll be sharing updates on the process, the young people shaping it, and what we’re learning along the way.
About Podego
Podego is on a mission to help cultural institutions connect with untapped audiences. Through audience development tools, strategic insight, and co-creation with communities, Podego helps museums, galleries, and heritage organisations reach the visitors who have never thought their doors were open to them.
