Museums Through the Eyes of Technology
Modern day technology has changed or altered almost every aspect of our world. We are constantly using it, whether it be a smart phone, a personal computer, or an iPod, we are always searching for new ways to be connected with a world that’s larger than ourselves.
Larger museums across the country have discovered that using technology to engage and interact with their patrons enters them into their comfort zone, which allows the experience to be more fulfilling. They have been dubbed “high tech museums” and among them are The Smithsonian located in Washington DC, The Museum of Jewish Heritage located in New York City, and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia. According to the article "How Tech Is Changing the Museum Experience" written by Aliz Asherman, these museums are using digital technology to more easily engage with their audiences, and “enhance the visitor experience”. Experts have discovered that not only is it easier to learn from something that is interactive, but it is more likely to resonate with you well after you leave.
The Smithsonian has changed their customs to the exclusive use of the “cell phone tour”, which incorporates interactive gaming and “augmented reality”. It runs through an app that all patrons can download from their respective provider’s app store. The app features two language settings, English and Spanish, and provides an “overview and insight into select art pieces with hi-res images, video, audio and quotes directly from the artist”. The way the system works is that as the individual walks through the museum, they type into the app the number from a label on the exhibit sign. Patrons can learn and absorb at their own personal speed, return to previous aspects of the tour, and get the most out of their experience.
Smithsonian head of mobile strategy and initiatives, Nancy Proctor, is enthusiastic about the new “two-way and multi-way nature of using social media and mobile in the museum experience versus typical one-way narrowcasting, and of the exchange of commentary, opinions, ideas and responses to collections, themes and concepts.” This opens the museum up to feedback from its consumers, giving them the ability to alter or improve their exhibits and expeditions.
Not only has the Smithsonian integrated technology to help with their museum tours, but they have also created an app called LeafSnap that “crowdsources”. The app encourages users to take photographs of leaves with their smartphones and upload them, which then identifies the tree along the Eastern Seaboard. Users can share them to a central location, and tag the photo with a GPS coordinate, which allows researchers to grasp a better picture of the spread of different species, while simultaneously helping people learn to distinguish them for personal use.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage has launched a mobile walking tour, along the lines of the one created for the Smithsonian. This app was specifically designed to include 19 historic sites in lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Union Square, Chinatown, Chelsea, Midtown and the East River by incorporating GPS recognition and a map. The map shows all the locations and the distance between them. Each stop on the annotated tour includes a slideshow and an audio commentary, as well as a reading by Meryl Streep of the poem that can be found inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The Powerhouse Museum has recently changed to IPads to replace LCD and plasmas for audio and visual displays for “closer engagement between museum visitor and content”. The museum has inserted QR codes in some of their galleries for access to information that would otherwise take away from the exhibition design with unattractive text. The head of digital, social and emerging technologies, Sebastian Chan spoke about the reasoning for the change, stating, “The idea that a museum should be about 'facts' is almost made redundant. This opens up a whole lot of possibilities for making museum exhibitions far more immersive and experiential, leaving the 'fact' layer for mobile and online delivery either during or before and after the gallery visit.”
Experts weighing in on the subject state that this trend will become more customary and effective as time passes. The opportunity that this presents for smaller museums, and art galleries, is astronomical. This can set a lesser known museum apart from the rest on the list. Small museum owners can bank on the fact that people get easily agitated by listening to the same person talk for an hour (or longer) tour and would rather take it at their own pace, while simultaneously eliminating the middle man between patron and exhibit. Engaging customers in a unique and captivating way can only boost buzz about a business, shedding a positive light upon themselves. Yes, this may an expensive investment, but ultimately it will attract more customers and give back what it has taken.
Allowing for a museum goer to have an informative but stimulating personal experience with the exhibits will not only allow for them to gather information for private use, but they will almost always talk amongst friends, coworkers and family members and spread the word. With the combined use of social media, the buzz about a lesser known museum has the potential to reach the masses. With the right marketing, a museum that’s privately owned can bud into a thriving and well-traveled destination.
