Consultants show 'Experience Gullah' app nearing launch; board stresses authenticity and youth involvement

Consultants for the Gullah Geechee Historic Neighborhood Community Development Corporation presented a near‑final demo of the Experience Gullah wayfinding app, telling board members the project is about 90% complete and ready for final asset loading and testing.

The update was led by consultant Kuchanga Jackson, who demonstrated an iOS and Android app built with a content management system that will allow staff to add stops, swap images and push updates without redevelopment. "We developed the app with extensibility in mind," Jackson said, adding that the app supports multiple languages, sign‑in via Apple and Google and integration with external map APIs for hotels and restaurants.

Jackson showed several augmented reality features designed for on‑site engagement: mural elements that "come to life" when a user scans signage, 3‑D objects (oysters, boats, birds) that users can manipulate on their phones, QR‑triggered animations at Fish Camp tied to local partnerships, and geospatial audio that plays narrated, sound‑scaped stories at places such as the Toni Morrison Reflection Bench. "All of that to say, where we are right now is what we anticipate over the next 2 to 3 weeks is really nothing more than just loading in assets," Jackson said.

Clarence Boyd demonstrated the companion website, which is intended as an outward‑facing resource and a repository for neighborhood landing pages, event promotion and a culture page. Boyd credited three high‑school interns who researched content and helped organize neighborhood pages and local business listings. "They went through and literally spent so many hours doing research, writing up reports," Boyd said.

Jasmine Cochran and other consultants emphasized youth participation in the project. Cochran described three internship teams working on web content, social media and XR assets, and noted one intern had composed music for the app: "She's written two songs now — one to play over the app and another with lyrics that capture the history." Cochran said the internships are intended to build local capacity so young people can help keep the app content fresh.

Board members raised accuracy concerns after viewing the demo: one member said a photo labeled "historic 1st African Baptist Church" was not a Hilton Head church, and another noted a local hall‑of‑famer's name was misspelled. The consultants said the demo was a draft wireframe and committed to proofreading, fact‑checking and consulting elders before public release. "After we've reviewed it internally, we will disable the visibility, password protect it and have ongoing conversations with folks," Boyd said, adding that elders and the project team will sign off on language and images.

The team outlined a staged rollout: an internal alpha for the board and leadership, a beta for a small test group drawn from the community, then public distribution. Consultants said they will provide training in the first six months to help local staff or interns manage the content management system.

Several elders and community members also spoke about the project during the presentation. Mr. Barnwell, who described family‑led restoration of the Barnwell Tabby ruins and ongoing archaeological work, urged careful handling of photographs and artifacts and said the site should remain available for research and education. The consultants said they would consult with Barnwell and other elders before publishing material related to the Tabby Ruins.

Next steps: consultants will finish loading final assets and prepare an alpha release for internal review; the board scheduled additional review sessions and asked the project team to incorporate elder feedback and correct identified inaccuracies before a public launch.