Interactive Mobile Technologies in Museums Engaging Narrative

What is it? Multimedia that is accessible through either a personal mobile device or a provided mobile device –Used to engage visitors by having them explore information via mobile technology –Engagement can happen before, during, or after the museum visit via mobile technology. –The point is that engagement is mobile and in the control of the visitor.

What Form does it come in? Access on Personal Devices: –QR (Quick Response) Codes –Call in Number –Smart Phone Application Access on Provided Devices: –Ipad and Touch Screen Stations –Number Control Headsets

History of Mobile Technology 1910 Lars Ericsson installed a phone in his car 1956 Ericsson Company had it’s first phones 1973 first true mobile call 1990s first networks for phones in Finland

Why is this important? “This is a new mode of public engagement, personal meaning making, and construction of narrative opportunities.”

Why is this important? “ Visitors narratives subsequently become part of the museum objects history and ultimately the display itself via the interactive label system to allow the display of comments and information directly next to the artifacts… When visitors experience a museum which actively encourages individual narrative construction, their activity is directed not towards the acquisition or receipt of the information being communicated by the museum, but rather towards the construction of a very personal interpretation of museum objects and collections.”

Why is this important? Creates a highly personalized experience and does something called Contextualization: “Contextualization can be defined as the system ability to dynamically change its characteristics to reflect changes in the learning context. Contextualization helps saving the learning time, reducing cost, and increasing effectiveness” (iJIM NO. 1/07 International Journal: Interactive Mobile Technologies)

How Do We Use It? –QR CodeQR Code

How Do We Use It? –Call in

How Do We Use It? –Mobile Application

Whose Using it? The Museum Mobile Survey started in 2010… just to show you how young this technology is. Of 738 Museum Respondents: –30% use it –23% plan to –36% have no plans –

Whose Using it? The top ways to describe what mobile technology is interpreted as by museums: –76% say it’s for audio tours –62% say it’s free for visitors –54% so visitors can use their own mobile technology –51% says its an in gallery experience –36% say the institution provides mobile the technology –

Whose Using it? Why use mobile interpretation (for those who use it): –60% say to provide supplementary information to visitors –53% say to diversify the institutions offerings to visitors –49% say it’s part of experimentation in engaging visitors –47% say to create more interactive experiences. –

Who’s Using It? Example: Corcoran 30 Americans 30 Americans Presently at the Corcoran: –Mobile Phone access to curatorial information by calling the phone number and accessing the pieces information by entering the designated number in the phone recording –Access for mobile curatorial tour can be used by scanning a QR code

Who’s Using It? Example: Corcoran 30 Americans 30 Americans Presently at the Corcoran: “ Say it Loud””: Ipads are provided to record a “Say it Loud” video at the Corcoran as a response to the show and it is then uploaded to the main internet database that is on display on the website

Who’s Using It? Example: Smithsonian Smithsonian July 2010 Scavenger Hunt: Boy Scouts used QR codes in many Smithsonian Museums as a scavenger hunt scouts-bring-qr-codes-to-nmai.html scouts-bring-qr-codes-to-nmai.html Sent the Scouts information to lead them to their next clues as they learned about the corresponding information about the exhibition that they find the codes in

Ideas of Use: QR Use QR codes in museums or generate a set of QR codes for students to use in museums:

Idea of Use: QR Lesson: The Awakening How it came to be where it is today. Google Map: Wikipedia website: culpture) culpture Youtube video:

Ideas of Use Use mobile phone in tours with instructions Use Applications to guide students Have students use mobile devices to search for information while in museums

Discussion How do you think this technology is both engaging and limiting? Is there other kinds of mobile technology that is currently being used that wasn’t shown here? What is it and describe why it’s a mobile technology?