ATM Bankomat: an engaging digital play experience for children

Business context

Kohl Children's Museum of Greater Chicago is a respected educational institution, known for its interactive, hands-on exhibitions for children from birth to the age of eight. The museum's programmes align with the Illinois State Learning Standards, and the venue welcomes around 300,000 visitors annually, including 6,000 member families.

In 2015, the museum was looking for a way to enrich the visitor experience with an engaging digital layer that aligned with its mission of sparking curiosity and creativity. Leaware, with its experience in developing applications that enhance digital interaction, was invited to design a fun, accessible solution for its youngest visitors.

Challenge

The goal was to develop a unique application that would entertain while also supporting exploration and creative thinking. The solution needed to fit naturally within the character of the museum's exhibitions, adding a new digital dimension to the existing activities.

It was essential to ensure maximum simplicity and intuitive usability for young children, a short path to the “wow” effect, and alignment with the institution's educational objectives. The application also had to be visually appealing, resilient enough for intensive use in a public space, and easy for the museum team to maintain.

Solution

Leaware created ATM Bankomat — a simple and fun application in which children take a photo and place it on a virtual banknote. Real-time personalisation creates an immediate sense of engagement, encourages experimentation, and serves as a natural extension of the museum's interactive activities.

The application was built using Xamarin, enabling the rapid delivery of a stable, interactive solution with an intuitive interface, large touch elements, and smooth camera operation. The project focused on keeping the user journey simple, while ensuring the safety and comfort of its youngest users.

ATM Bankomat enriched the museum visit with a new form of digital play, supporting creativity and learning through action. The solution was positively received by visitors, becoming an attractive, easy-to-use part of the exhibition that effectively captures and holds children's attention.