Handheld Basics: From Audiotours to iPhones Tate Modern, 5 September 2008 Nancy Proctor, Smithsonian American Art Museum [email_address] Top 10 Tips for a successful mobile solution (…and a few more)

0. Invitation to the Digital Feast Beth Lipman, Bancketje (Banquet) 2003

1. It’s not about the technology Focus on user experience and content Design for your audience’s needs Design for your museum’s needs Use the simplest technology solution available that will meet those needs

Focus on user experience and content

Design for your audience’s needs

Design for your museum’s needs

Use the simplest technology solution available that will meet those needs

2. It is about the story Speak to your visitors’: Heads : Answer questions, give insights Hearts : Create an emotion, atmosphere, time or place Hands : Inspire a response - create, contribute, sign up, come back

Speak to your visitors’:

Heads : Answer questions, give insights

Hearts : Create an emotion, atmosphere, time or place

Hands : Inspire a response - create, contribute, sign up, come back

3. Think about voice Who is the most interesting person to your audience to guide them? Some common crowd-pleasers: Artists Experts Other visitors

Who is the most interesting person to your audience to guide them?

Some common crowd-pleasers:

Artists

Experts

Other visitors

4. Think about context Private device / public context Multi-tasking and the museum shuffle Ergonomics of your space What other resources can support the tour? Signage, marketing, web, staff…

Private device / public context

Multi-tasking and the museum shuffle

Ergonomics of your space

What other resources can support the tour? Signage, marketing, web, staff…

4a. About that context… Can we build content that works both in front of the exhibits and off-site? Soundtracks & soundbites…

Can we build content that works both in front of the exhibits and off-site?

Soundtracks & soundbites…

5. Think globally… WWW = Whatever, Wherever, Whenever So the museum needs cross-platform content rights Design for the distributed museum

WWW = Whatever, Wherever, Whenever

So the museum needs cross-platform content rights

Design for the distributed museum

The Museum

The Museums

The Distributed Museum

6. But act locally Mobile is different Different mobile platforms support different kinds of experiences Choose the platform that meets the need Develop content for the kind of experience that platform supports Work within the technology’s abilities today

Mobile is different

Different mobile platforms support different kinds of experiences

Choose the platform that meets the need

Develop content for the kind of experience that platform supports

Work within the technology’s abilities today

7. Know content vs. technology Some common confusions: Do they love the device or the content? Screen as eyetrap Do tactile devices make visitors touch the exhibits?

Some common confusions:

Do they love the device or the content?

Screen as eyetrap

Do tactile devices make visitors touch the exhibits?

8. Move to web standards Combine best practice from mobile (audiotours provide the largest database) With web-standard interfaces to content: familiar, tried & tested, simple to use, direct Avoid content & features that are platform- or device-specific

Combine best practice from mobile

(audiotours provide the largest database)

With web-standard interfaces to content: familiar, tried & tested, simple to use, direct

Avoid content & features that are platform- or device-specific

9. Turn visitors into teachers Why should our visitors’ Web 2.0 lives stop at the museum’s threshold? Voting to learn Aide-m émoires Souvenirs UGC Sharing

Why should our visitors’ Web 2.0 lives stop at the museum’s threshold?

Voting to learn

Aide-m émoires

Souvenirs

UGC

Sharing

10. Build for humans Research the needs of both the audiences you have… And the audiences you want Take tours, try mobile solutions everywhere

Research the needs of both the audiences you have…

And the audiences you want

Take tours, try mobile solutions everywhere

Bonus slide for vendors What we really, really want: To own our content Best practice Training The cross-platform CMS Applications HW if it supports web-standard content & comes with a guaranteed upgrade path A better business model A partner

What we really, really want:

To own our content

Best practice

Training

The cross-platform CMS

Applications

HW if it supports web-standard content & comes with a guaranteed upgrade path

A better business model

A partner

Usque ad Astra! Photo by Mike Lee, 2007; from SAAM Flickr Group