Becoming AuthenticallyDigitalKoven J. SmithKinetic Museums ConsultingDenver, CO, USA@5easypieces

“...there’s no prize for the best 19th Century enterprise still operating in the 21st Century.” Khoi Vinh (subtraction.com)

The Web is the future!

Michael Edson (Smithsonian) -“Museums In the Age of Scale”

• NGA - 4.6 million annual visitors• Wikipedia - 5+ billion annual visitors• More than half of learning goals not met

We’re making all the right moves:

• We have, like, blogs and stuff• We’re getting likes on Facebook• We’re creating Digital Media departments• We’re hiring Chief Digital Officers• We have so many iPads on railings

We’ve tricked ourselves.

Ta da.

Microsoft design principles:

• Pride in craftsmanship• Be fast and fluid• Do more with less• Win as one• Authentically digital

Authentically digital:"Instead of looking to the real world to inform our design metaphors, this principle embraces the limitless capacity of innovation that is found in a digital landscape. Instead of awkwardly trying to tie digital assets to their real life counterparts, we embrace the power of our medium."

SPARS codes

Yes, indeed. Carloads of teenagers.

Adriel Luis : If my co-workers say “I don’t get this,” it’s automatically in the digital department.

(mySociety review of

Parliament’s online

offerings)

"[D]igital is shorthand for ‘we accept the internet values of usability, needs focus

and agility’.”

Yr museum’s SPARS code:

• D for usability• A for agility• D for needs focus

Authentically digital:"Instead of looking to the real world to inform our design metaphors, this principle embraces the limitless capacity of innovation that is found in a digital landscape. Instead of awkwardly trying to tie digital assets to their real life counterparts, we embrace the power of our medium."

Skeuomorphism:“...design elements based on symbols borrowed from the real world, for the sole purpose of making an interface look familiar to the user...they are also relics of another time, relics that tie an interface to static real-life objects that are incompatible with the fluidity and dynamism of digital interfaces."

Our entire approach to the web is based on skeuomorphs.

LACMA, 1997

Anti-Pattern:A frequently used design pattern that either outright doesn’t work or is counter-productive.

So, um, how do we do this?

Keep these principles in mind:

• Create usable products• Focus on real needs• Structure for agility• Eliminate skeuomorphs and anti-patterns

1. Create usable products.Dan Hon: “Once you’ve seen something with a good user experience, it’s hard to justify other experiences in the same category having a sh*tty user experience.”

2. Focus on real need.Beware of “Case Study Envy.” (h/t to Colleen!)

3. Structure for agility.Or, why I don’t believe in Digital Media departments…

4. Eliminate skeuomorphs and anti-patterns.

• “Plan your visit.”• Objects• Collections• Exhibitions

5. Touch screens.

Thanks!Koven J. SmithKinetic Museums Consultingread me: kovenjsmith.comhire me: kineticmuseums.comdisagree with me: @5easypieces