Thinking outside the audio tour box: Using front-end and formative evaluations to design new mobile experiences

Thinking outside the audio tour box: Nancy Proctor Smithsonian American Art Museum Using front-end and formative evaluations to design new mobile experiences

Fraunhofer Institute, Kunstmuseum Bonn: ‘Beat Zoderer’ exhibition (Listen project) 2003 Fraunhofer Institute, Kunstmuseum Bonn: ‘Beat Zoderer’ exhibition (Listen project) 2003 It’s NOT about the Technology

Thinking outside the audiotour box Means thinking about content & experience

Recent Research & Resources http://wiki.MuseumMobile.info/research
2009
CHNM survey on Museums and Mobile Adoption
International Survey on handheld use in museums.
2008
Whitney Museum of American Art: Audio Guide Technologies Survey Final Report
2007
Matthew Barney: Multiplatform interpretation at SFMOMA
La Placa Cohen Culture Track 2007 (with Antenna Audio)

Who is your target audience?
Tied to mission & key messages
What are the desired outcomes? What do we want them to know, think and/or feel?
What platforms do they already use? How do they use them elsewhere & what excites them?
Traditional audio tours
Cellphones or smartphones
Podcasts
Mobile social media: SMS, Twitter, FB…

A Minority of Visitors Use Technologies in the Galleries 2006 study by Randi Korn & Associates at SFMOMA BUT they use technology everywhere else: WWW = Whatever, Whenever, Wherever

Question mapping in the gallery: What do they want to know?
Semi-structured interviews
FAQs and comments cards
Questions posed to staff…

Collecting questions…
Online question collection:
Specialized Q&A services, e.g. AJOA
Comments on social media sites
Include audience research in order to segment
Go deeper with more experienced museum visitors
Where are visitors not being served by existing interpretation?

Organize & Filter
Group questions:
Thematically
By object
By location
Prioritize by mission and key messages
Prioritize questions that elicit great stories

Organize questions Painting Sculpture Folk Art Architecture Dramatic change in style in display Why multiples of same work? Lures aren’t art Story behind the architecture Triple painting?! Memory vessels: idea, ones with stones… Glad you dead you rascal you?!

Which content modalities?
+ - + - + - + - + Soundtracks
o o o o Soundbites
x x x x Interactives
| | | Links
^ ^ ^ Feedback
§ § § Social media
Narrowcast/ Offline or Networked Networked only

Soundbite Sample

Soundbites
Are ‘atoms’ of information.
Commonly called ‘stops’ – or ‘starts’!
Facilitate going deeper on a specific object/subject.
Usually require a visual (actual object or image).
Can be collectable & portable to other platforms e.g. via bookmarking, saving or sharing.
Can be reused across the museum’s analog & digital platforms as well as those of third parties.

Soundtrack Sample

The Soundtrack
Recalls original ‘linear’ audio tours.
Provides a sequential narrative and contextual information: tools for understanding the principles of the displays, both in the gallery and beyond .
Immersive, but may be divided into a number of connected segments.
‘ Downloaded’ for audiences on-site and beyond.
Like a good album, book or catalogue, should be possible to enjoy over & over again…

ArtBabble: the ideal interface http://www.artbabble.org/video/meet-william-christenberry

Identify soundtracks & soundbites Painting Sculpture Folk Art Architecture Dramatic change in style in display Why multiples of same work? Lures aren’t art Story behind the architecture Triple painting?! Memory vessels: idea, ones with stones… Glad you dead you rascal you?!

Architecture Tour
History of the building, style, architect
----------+--------------+------------------+--------
O O O
Tiles Skylights Ironwork

Folk Art Tour
Why is folk art, art?
----+-------------------+------------------+-----------
/ / /
O O O
Lures Memory vessels Glad you dead…

How best to tell the story?
Monologue:
Artists & curators
Staff
Related experts
Professional narrators
Interview
Dialogue
Vox pop / comments

Knowledgeable or insightful – trusted
Relates to the mission or key messages
Good communicator with target audience
Engaging voice
Confident manner
Makes it relevant
Facilitates the desired outcomes
Who best to tell the story?

The right vehicle for your content Audio player Multimedia player Cellphone Personal media player Smart Mobile Browser phones Mobile App Soundtrack x x (x) X X X Soundbite X X X x X X Interactive X X X Link X X x Feedback X X X Social media X X

http://picasaweb.google.com/anup.rao/HaifaAkkoIsrael#4954285426665324562

With many thanks to Kate Haley-Goldman and…
Mobile interpretation wikis
http://wiki.museummobile.info/
http://museummobile.info/archives/category/podcasts
http://tatehandheldconference.pbworks.com/
Learning Times & the HandheldConference http://www.handheldconference.org/program/
Beth Harris & Steven Zucker, SmartHistory http://SmartHistory.org
Koven Smith: http://www.archimuse.com/mw2009/papers/smith/smith.html & http://prezi.com/67549/
SFMOMA (Peter Samis & Stephanie Pau): http://www.archimuse.com/mw2007/papers/samis/samis.html & http://www.archimuse.com/mw2009/papers/samis/samis.html
Nancy Proctor: [email_address] @nancyproctor http://MuseumMobile.info

Thinking outside the audio tour box: Using front-end and formative evaluations to design new mobile experiences

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