ASHMS PhD Presentation17/12/2014

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Mediating the Museum: The impact of on-gallery technology on visitors' engagement with museum objects Merel van der Vaart PhD Candidate Amsterdam School for Heritage & Memory Studies Allard Pierson Museum – Universiteit van Amsterdam

Transcript of ASHMS PhD Presentation17/12/2014

Mediating the Museum: The impact of on-gallery technology

on visitors' engagement with museum objects

Merel van der Vaart

PhD CandidateAmsterdam School for Heritage & Memory Studies

Allard Pierson Museum – Universiteit van Amsterdam

Research topic

Research context

Visitors, objects and technology – 3 case studiesFixed screensAugmented realityVirtual reality

Future plans

(How) can technology help visitors engage with museum objects?

Interdisciplinary research:Museological Theory, Learning Theory, Anthropology, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

meSchMaterial Encounters with Digital Cultural Heritage

European research project.

“meSch aims to co-design novel platforms for the creation of tangible digital exhibits at heritage sites”

ICT for access to cultural resourcesObjective-driven research project

Fixed screens

Augmented reality

Virtual reality

Which objects are interesting?

What questions are asked?

Domus pilot2014

Which objects are interesting?

The ones they don’t recognise.

What questions are asked?

What is it?

How was it used?

Domus pilot2014

Visitors found it easy to use the touch-screen.

Beware of the honeypot effect

After browsing the on-screen content, visitors had more diverse preferences.

Domus pilot2014

Challenges:

Usability issues may hinder engagement

Making ‘active’ objects easily recognisable.

Creating good AR content.

Eternal Egypt Experience2013-2014

Challenges:

There’s no tangible interaction.

Video link

Eternal Egypt Experience2013-2014

Challenges:

Linking virtual & real

Integrating virtual experience into the exhibition.

Finding suitable gesture vocabulary

Eternal Egypt Experience2013-2014

(How) can technology help visitors engage with museum objects?

(How) can technology help visitors engage with museum objects?

I don’t know.

(How) can technology help visitors engage with museum objects?

I don’t know.

But I do know that integration is key in three areas:VisuallyIntellectuallyPhysically

Literature review: Visitors & Objects/Technology & Objects

Review existing research into visitor behaviour in museums

Smaller focussed studies

Use meSch Case Studies as research opportunity

The project (2013-2017) receives funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme ‘ICT for access to cultural resources’ (ICT Call 9: FP7-ICT-2011-9) under the Grant Agreement 600851.