Visitors want to know 'Why?' (museum handheld guides)

Visitor’s just want to know ‘why?’ Understanding Museum Handheld Guides Loïc Tallon May 2, 2009 American Association of Museums Conference

My definition: Handheld Guide = audio multimedia GPS RFID pod phone guide

My research question is asked from the visitor’s perspective: “Why in the devil is there an handheld guide, and why should I take it?” (especially if I have to pay extra for it…) This presentation explores that question, (and I tell you why later).

THE SAMPLE GROUP… :-)

A summary of my travels and museum visiting

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Piramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt.

Reptile Centre, Alice Springs, Australia

Archeological Museum, Amman, Jordan

257 museums visited History Museums 77 Art Galleries 66 Discovery Centre 55 Historic Site 40 Zoo/Aquarium/Aviary 13 Natural History Museum 6

63 museums ‘used’ handheld guides 50 were audio 13 were audiovisual / multimedia

54 museums used dedicated players 9 used consumer devices 20+ different players But that’s all I’m going to say about the hardware, as its not the hardware that struck me as the important part.

SOME PRACTICE EXAMPLES… Pecha Kucha style, I.e. 20 slides, 20 seconds each

Mahrangarh Fort, Johpur, India

228 Memorial Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

Future Lab / Louvre DNP, Tokyo, Japan Image ©Photo DNP

Future Lab / Louvre DNP, Tokyo, Japan Image © Photo DNP

Future Lab / Louvre DNP, Tokyo, Japan Image ©Photo DNP

Ubiquitous Art Tour, @ Galleria, Tokyo, Japan

National Museum of Science & Nature Tokyo, Japan

National Museum, Singapore

Underwater World, Senosa Island, Singapore

Our Space @ Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand

The Museum of City and Sea, Wellington, New Zealand

WHY DO I SINGLE OUT THESE HANDHELD GUIDES? Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur 228 Memorial Museum, Taipei Future Lab / Louvre DNP, Tokyo Ubiquitous Art Tour @ Galleria, Tokyo National Museum, Singapore Our Space gallery, Te Papa, Wellington Museum of City & Sea, Wellington

What do they all have in common? Not technology / hardware Not type of experience

Moreover, in these museums the… Handheld guide integral to the experience. And invariably: • created an entirely new experience, one otherwise not available • designed for one specific audience

Moreover, in these museums the… Handheld guide integral to the experience. And invariably: • created an entirely new experience, one otherwise not available • designed for one specific audience AND this was communicated to the visitor

To develop & run a handheld guide requires the following: • Hardware / Technology • Content / (an activity) • Content navigation • Content management • In-gallery design • Hardware distribution (infrastructure) • Hardware management • Marketing • Financial

For a museum, all this goes into creating a handheld guide. Content Navigation Hardware In-Gallery Design Content / Activity A Handheld Guide Marketing / Hardware Communication Management Hardware Financial Distribution Content Management System

But, a… Handheld Guides = Visitor Service. It’s the visitor’s perspective that’s important

From the visitors perspective, the most important thing is: “Why in the devil is there an handheld guide, and why should I take it?” (especially if I have to pay for it…)

How do we expect visitors to answer that question?… • Has the museum ‘given’ it to me? • Do I like handheld guides? • Is it important to my visit? • Does it cost extra? • Why do I need it?… But how often do museums provide visitors with information to make that decision?

So, in conclusion, the two most important questions when developing a handheld guide are: 1. Why are we using a handheld guide? • Is it designed into the experience? • Who is the target audience? 2. And how is this communicated to the visitor? And note that neither are about the technology

loic.tallon@gmail.com

Visitors want to know 'Why?' (museum handheld guides)

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