This document describes two case studies of introducing digital in-gallery experiences at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) and the Phillips Collection. At the IMA, they introduced a selfie app called "Pointillize Yourself" for an exhibition on Neo-Impressionism that allowed visitors to superimpose pointillist dots on their photos. Evaluation found high visitor satisfaction and social media engagement. At the Phillips Collection, they took a ground-up approach with small experiments like an Instagram challenge and digital art-making to build participation in existing programs. Both museums concluded that small digital projects can boost engagement but require support structures for long-term success.

1. WHAT’S THE POINT?
Two Case Studies of Introducing
Digital In-Gallery Experiences
Museums and the Web 2015
Silvia Filippini-Fantoni
@silviaff20
@imamuseum
Director of Interpretation,
Media, and Evaluation
Margaret Collerd Sternbergh
@margienchargie
@phillipsmuseum
Manager of Digital & In-Gallery
Interpretation
Vivian Djen
Marketing Communications Editor

2. • Washington, DC
• Founded 1921
• Modern and Contemporary
• 65 full-time staff
• Mission:
“An intimate museum
combined with an
experiment station”

3. • Indianapolis, Indiana
• Founded 1883
• Encyclopedic collection
of 54,000 works
spanning 5,000 years
• 152 acres of land
(gardens and park)
• 2 historic homes
• 184 full-time staff
• Visitor-centricity

4. WHAT’S THE POINT?
Face to Face: The Neo-
Impressionist Portrait
IMA
June 15-September 17, 2014
Neo-Impressionism and the
Dream of Realities: Painting,
Poetry, Music
The Phillips Collection
September 27, 2014-January 11, 2015

5. WHAT’S THE POINT?
THE APP

6. WHAT’S THE POINT?
THE APP

7. APPROACH

8. WHAT’S THE POINT?
TOP-DOWN APPROACH
New collaborative exhibition
development model
- Core team: curator, an
interpretation specialist, an
evaluator, a designer, and
an exhibition manager
Old model
New model

9. WHAT’S THE POINT?
TOP-DOWN APPROACH
New collaborative exhibition
development model
- Big idea: identification of
the main thesis and
learning outcomes

10. WHAT’S THE POINT?
TOP-DOWN APPROACH
New collaborative exhibition
development model
- Evaluation: carried out at
multiple stages

11. WHAT’S THE POINT?
BEFORE

12. WHAT’S THE POINT?
AFTER

13. WHAT’S THE POINT?
HIGHER VISITORS’ SATISFACTION BETTER COMMUNICATION OF KEY MESSAGES
BETTER INTEGRATION OF INTERPRETIVE TOOLS
40-60% 60% 30-50% 30-50%

14. WHAT’S THE POINT?
GROUND-UP APPROACH
Starting with smaller experiments and building on existing
structures and programs
- One-time experiments: monthly Phillips after 5 event
with crowd eager to experiment with technology
- Long-term project: uCurate as part of Made in the USA

15. WHAT’S THE POINT?
INSTAGRAM LEGO CHALLENGE

16. WHAT’S THE POINT?
DIGITAL LITE BRITES

17. WHAT’S THE POINT?
uCurate and Made in the USA
www.phillipscollection.org/ucurate

18. IMPLEMENTATION

19. WHAT’S THE POINT?
POINTILLIZE YOURSELF

20. WHAT’S THE POINT?
#NEOIMPRESSED

21. WHAT’S THE POINT?
#NEOIMPRESSED

22. EVALUATION

23. WHAT’S THE POINT?
POINTILLIZE YOURSELF: OBJECTIVES
• Engaging visitors of all ages
• Support social interaction
among visitors
• Promote the exhibition via
sharing
• Promote a positive attitude
toward the IMA as an
engaging institution

24. WHAT’S THE POINT?
VISITING WITH OTHERS
71%
VISITORS AGED 45+
59% younger visitors more likely to use it
AVERAGE SATISFACTION
4.73/5
USAGE
61% of exhibition visitors
777 SURVEYS
30 INTERVIEWS
777 surveys
30 Interviews

25. WHAT’S THE POINT?

26. WHAT’S THE POINT?
VISITOR INTEREST
92% of visitors would participate in the future
IMPRESSIONS
919,461 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
USAGE
15% of exhibition visitors
MEASURABLE OUTCOMES
DESCRIPTIONS
“fun” “easy” “not overdone” “should be done sparingly”

27. WHAT’S THE POINT?
13 IN-GALLERY INTERVIEWS
3 QUESTIONS
● What can you tell me about using the app?
● Would you participate in something like this in the
future? Why or Why not?
● Do you think museums should offer participatory
experiences like this? Why or Why not?

28. WHAT’S THE POINT?
WHO WAS USING #NEOIMPRESSED?

29. WHAT’S THE POINT?
WHO WAS USING #NEOIMPRESSED?

30. WHAT’S THE POINT?
HOW WERE THEY USING THE #NEOIMPRESSED?

31. WHAT’S THE POINT?
HOW WERE THEY USING THE APP?

32. WHAT’S THE POINT?
HOW WERE THEY USING THE APP?

33. WHAT’S THE POINT?
HOW WERE THEY USING THE APP?

34. WHAT’S THE POINT?
INDICATORS OF ENGAGEMENT

35. LESSONS LEARNED

36. WHAT’S THE POINT?
POINTILLIZE YOURSELF: LESSONS LEARNED
• Positive feedback confirmed
the need for more interaction
• Sharing on Facebook via the
app was limited (4% of total
users)
• Confirmed the success of the
exhibition development
process
• Installation in Star Studio and
permanent collection

37. WHAT’S THE POINT?
LESSONS LEARNED: MORE USER TESTING

38. WHAT’S THE POINT?
LESSONS LEARNED: BUILD IN TIME FOR MAINTENANCE

39. WHAT’S THE POINT?
LESSONS LEARNED: PICK YOUR BATTLES

40. WHAT’S THE POINT?
CONCLUSIONS:
What’s the point?
- Small projects can be a starting point
for any institution
- Structure needed to make things
happen long term

41. Margaret Collerd Sternbergh
@margienchargie
The Phillips Collection
Manager of Digital & In-Gallery
Interpretation
msternbergh@phillipscollection.org
WHAT’S THE POINT?
Silvia Filippini-Fantoni
@silviaff20
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Director of Interpretation, Media,
and Evaluation
sfantoni@imamuseum.org