7. Credits Presentation created by Dominique Barni | dbarni@uw.edu University of Washington, MCDM Program | COM 546 Spring Quarter 2011 Photo Credits (in order of appearance) “Spaghetti is ready” by Russell Trow http://www.flickr.com/photos/gluemoon/90804324/ “Holland, Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, 1952 audio guide 7” by LoicTallon http://www.flickr.com/photos/27591534@N02/3461635644/ “IMG_0202.jpg” by jay.tong http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaytong/554393894/ “museum experience” by insunlight http://www.flickr.com/photos/insunlight/1362002896/ “QR Code for more Information” by Susan Sharpless Smith http://www.flickr.com/photos/cellphonesusie/4737618464/
Editor's Notes
Hello.For my project I looked at how mobile devices in museums have evolved over time, and what this has meant for the visitor experience.So what do I mean by “mobile devices”? -any handheld technology, whether provided by the museum, like audio guides or specialized personal digital assistants (PDAs), or owned by the visitor, like mobile phones, mp3 players or tablets owned by individuals used in the context of the museum.Like other interpretive aids, like wall texts, guided tours, information kiosks, the purpose of mobile devices is to… help make the museum experience stick.
-the first audio guide, invented in 1952 w/ the glamorous name of “Short-Wave Ambulatory Lecture” (also first piece of visitor-oriented technology)Developers had big ideas for what it could mean for visitors, but the analog technologies of the time limited what it could actually do.What it did do: allow visitors to “tune in” to a short-wave broadcast of content about the exhibition. This meant that visitors needed to follow a set path if they wanted to use the guide.Changes to the design of this device we made over time, but it’s main function didn’t change until the 1990s when digital technology allowed for “random access” to the content, meaning that visitors could pick and choose their way through an exhibition, rather than following a fixed route.
Modern audio guides look something like this.Raise your hand if you’ve ever used an audio guide in a museum. -digital audio guides allowed visitors to move through exhibits as they wished and “dial in” to learn more about specific objects or areas of interest to them-aside from this freedom of choice, not much different from original audio guides
-goal of all interpretive aids is to connect objects or experiences in the museum to the unique individuals that visit. -whether via wall text or technology-velcrovsteflon-although there now is a great deal of technology in museums, the first visitor technology in a museum was a handheld audio guide.And it looked like this (turn)
Things start to change in the 1990’s-rise of internet usage, people start to seek out different kinds of information-museum “identity crisis” – not just a collection of objects, but seeking to provide a meaningful experience to all kinds of visitors; audience as co-creaters of meaning-advances in technology help make this possible-prevalence of cell phones and mp3 players open up new possibilities for content delivery AND content creation; MoMA
