thinking outside the audio tour box: using front-end and formative evaluations to design new mobile...

November 12, 20091/25Nancy Proctor, [email protected]

Thinking outside the audio tour box:

Nancy Proctor Smithsonian American Art Museum

Using front-end and formative evaluations to design new mobile experiences

November 12, 20093/25Nancy Proctor, [email protected] 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 & Resourceshttp://wiki.MuseumMobile.info/research

20091. CHNM survey on Museums and Mobile Adoption2. International Survey on handheld use in museums.20081. Whitney Museum of American Art: Audio Guide

Technologies Survey Final Report20071. Matthew Barney: Multiplatform interpretation at

SFMOMA2. 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?o Traditional audio tourso Cellphones or smartphoneso Podcastso 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: o Specialized Q&A services, e.g. AJOAo 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:

o Thematically

o By object

o By location

Prioritize by mission and key messages

Prioritize questions that elicit great stories


Organize questionsPainting 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?

1. +-+-+-+-+ Soundtracks

2. o o o o Soundbites

3. x x x x Interactives

4. | | | Links

5. ^ ^ ^ Feedback

6. § § § Social media

Narrowcast/Offline orNetworked

Networkedonly


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?

1. Monologue:o Artists & curatorso Staffo Related expertso Professional narrators

2. Interview

3. Dialogue

4. Vox pop / comments


Knowledgeable or insightful – trusted

Relates to the mission or key messages

Good communicator with target audienceo Engaging voiceo Confident mannero 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

SmartMobile

Browser

phonesMobile 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

1. http://wiki.museummobile.info/

2. http://museummobile.info/archives/category/podcasts

3. 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 protected] @nancyproctor http://MuseumMobile.info

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