Presentation from #MCN2015 in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, November 7, 2015

1. One Small StepTransforming the Exhibition Process and the Digital/Physical Connection
Vicki Portway @sluggernova | Sarah Banks @Sbanks20 | Jennifer Levasseur @Mom2Remi

2. We have...
● One unique perspective
● A large museum
● Exhibition-driven process
● No visitor evaluation program
This presentation focuses on
Internal Digital Transformation

3. Digital Transformation and Our Exhibition Process
Past > Vision
Exhibition experience > Visitor experience
Physical/Onsite focus > Beyond the Walls
Script-driven > Story-driven
Online exhibitions > Connected content, personalization
Digital Experience as Add-on > Integrated Experience
Opportunistic evaluation > Continuous evaluation program
VISION ≠ PROCESS
Most agree on WHY > HOW is evolving

4. Outside The Spacecraft
● Temporary Exhibition
● Anniversary
● Short Timeline
● Small Budget
● Engaged Online Audience
http://airandspace.si.edu/eva

5. Story First
Adapted exhibition script to tell those stories in a digital context.
Consider audiences onsite or offsite.
Exhibition Script Web/Mobile
Outside the Spacecraft Floating
The Personal Spacecraft Walking
Tools of the Trade Working
Imagining

6. Engagement Baked In
Leveraged knowledge of audience interests, personal connections, and visitor
behavior to find engagement opportunities.
● #Spacewalk50 Social (conversations & stories)
● Selfie Wall
● Art Tumblr (spacewalk50.tumblr.com)
● Evening events
@Katrobison

7. Visitor Experience & Context
Avoided digital/physical myth. Focused on visitor
experience across contexts, storytelling, and
learning opportunities using technology.
● Parallax website
● Glove Helix VR
● Access to experts/behind the scenes videos
● Signage

8. What We Gave Up
● 1st person astronaut stories
● Social media activities
● Videos displayed inside exhibition
● MMUrself app
● Visitor evaluation

9. What worked for us...
T = Transformational Tips

10. T-8: Put Yourself in Audience’s Shoes
● Share examples of
audience conversations
● Informal training sessions

11. T-7: Find Small Opportunities to Innovate
● Small wins can influence change
● Urgency and limitations can spur creativity
● Short-lived & small budget perceived as lower risk
● Test & adapt process

12. T-6: Leverage Existing Process
● Don’t go rogue
● Work within existing process to
influence change
● Meet others where they are
● Work toward adoption into process

13. T-5: Focus on Experience, not “Digital”
● Include digital experience from the beginning (conceptual planning)
● Demonstrate how stories can be told (goals met) using technology
● Key conceptual decisions upfront + openness to adapt

14. T-4: Focus on Stories, Not Script
● Be willing to adapt your stories for context
● Not always a duplicate of the script
● Consider audiences beyond the walls
● Share behind the scenes (what you do is interesting)

15. T-3: Embrace How Visitors Want to Engage
● Leverage experience goals and
content to create engagement
● Consider visitor behavior
● Be ready for them to engage
in unexpected ways
● Leave room to adapt and respond

16. T-2: Kill Some Sacred Cows
● Let go of what’s not working or is too high an investment
● Be willing to explore options to achieve same results
● Ask yourself: is having it all the best experience for visitors?
● You might get another chance someday

17. T-1: Collaborate & Share Roles/Skills
● Recruit the willing
● Ideas from anyone, any time
● Able to shift and adapt quickly
● Empathize w/skeptics, convince
them through tangible examples
Not pictured: Sarah and lots of other folks

18. THANK YOU!