How to do Digital Transformation in a Museum:IWM Case Study

4 April 2014

Carolyn Royston and Simon DelafondImperial War Museums

• Oldest film archive in the UK dating back to 1917• Second largest sound archive after the BBC• Over 11 million photographs covering all aspects of modern

conflict from the Crimean War to the present day• Second largest 20th Century art collection in the UK after Tate• Millions of documents, diaries, papers• Over 140,000 large objects

IWM Collection

Digital Transformation at the Museum

COM 425

• No digital media department• No real investment in public facing digital media• Old website no longer fit for purpose• Digital experiences in permanent galleries in need of upgrade• Little social media presence• Very complex IP and copyright issues and lack of co-ordinated

approach or strategy to managing them• Extremely risk-adverse in approach to collections in the digital

space

5 years ago: beginning of digital journey

• Establish and build the Digital Media department• Introduce a more agile approach to project delivery• Deliver a new website and collections online• Build up our social media presence• Raise the digital agenda• Not fail

Our Digital Strategy 2009-2012

Moving from theory to practice:

© IWM (TR134)

A new website

A showcase for our collections

Telling stories

• User engagement can strengthen our collection

Facebook

• Digital Media department delivered key priority projects• Technical infrastructure in place• Maturity and confidence on social media channels• Rapid growth of department and profile raised• New digital posts appearing across the organisation – learning,

marketing etc• Financial pressures driving modernisation across the museum • Organisation looking to be more entrepreneurial and

maximising digital opportunities for upcoming WW1 Centenary

“Digital is our most important channel going forward” – Diane Lees, Director-General, November 2012

By end of 2012:

Digital Transformation Strategy 2013

• Identify and deliver key digital transformation projects• Raise digital capability of staff• Changing role of Digital Media department• Introduce transformative digital processes

Time to update the digital strategy

It’s all about the user

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liako/2600279264/

http://www.techlug.fr/Images/Modele/10143/01.JPG

Agile and User Stories

1. User focussed

2. Regular prioritisation

http://www.gov.uk

3. Simple solutions first

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/DIT-FFT-butterfly.png

4. Measurable

April September

5. Regular changesDesign Develop Measure

April September

Design Develop Measure

Design Develop Measure

5. Regular changes

As a teacher,

I can quickly see which part of the site is for me,

so I don’t have to search for it

As a teacher,

I can quickly see which part of the site is for me,

so I don’t have to search for it

As a teacher,

I can quickly see which part of the site is for me,

so I don’t have to search for it

As a teacher,

I can quickly see which part of the site is for me,

so I don’t have to search for it

http://www.gov.uk

http://www.gov.uk

As a teacher,

I can quickly see which part of the site is for me,

so I don’t have to search for it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/isaiah-v/5686038246

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kockamania_hu/7147742999

Product Management

• Synthesizing requirements of the project’s stakeholders into a coherent solution

• But, always interrogating inspiration behind them• Voice of the end user

Product Management, not Project Management

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92090133@N04/9841010674/

I WANT AN INTERACTIVE

MAP

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/MUOS_Project_Schedule.JPG

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?WHY?

As a family in Manchester,

I can see what events are on near me,

so I can choose which I want to go to

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/bombsight-map2.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fallentomato/7778509260

Digital Transformation Projects

• Pace of digital projects vs pace of museum• Introducing new ways of working, disruptive for people• Museum budgeting does not fit easily with agile• Likely to hit blocks• Keep demonstrating success, strong advocacy, leadership• Stakeholder management is key

Challenges

Web Groups and Processes

• Web Updates• Web Content Meeting• Web Commissioning Group

Web Commissioning Group

• Commissions and monitors the success of new web content• Decides what content is made, and what isn’t• Decides audience mix

Web Audiences

• Historyphobes• Empathisers• Self developers• History enthusiasts• Experts

Historyphobes

Empathisers / Emoters

Self developer

History enthusiast

Expert (critic)

It’s all about the user

and it’s all about the staff

• An informal monthly lunchtime session• Different from traditional training• About communicating our enthusiasm for digital• Fun, enjoyable, hands-on, not be afraid• Stickers

What is Computer Club?

• Learning to use Twitter• Making a movie on an iPad• Playing Games• Basic coding

Sessions

Should you do it?

• Sessions need careful planning• Requires hardware/software• People to run the sessions• Time• Needs to sit alongside regular IT/skills development training?

Challenges

“Some of the best fun I have had at the museum in years.”

“I wanted to say how great this was! I learned something and it was really fun too – don’t think there could have been a better

activity for helping boost cross team working.”

“I want to do it again - fantastic!”

“This was really fun. I was worried this was going to be another boring afternoon of training.”

“Long Live Computer Club!”

• How can digital solutions help to solve your organisational challenges?

• How do you prioritise activities as digital transformation projects?

• How do you introduce agile into your project process?• How do you involve your stakeholders in the digital

transformation process?• What new digital skills development is required to support a

digital transformation?

Key questions to consider

Contact details:

Carolyn Roystoncroyston@iwm.org.uk @caro_ft

Simon Delafondsdelafond@iwm.org.uk@parashoe

Thank you