Week 9 – MOSI ‘mi-guide’ – Developing and Evaluating a handheld multimedia guide 15 April, 2008
Posted by louiseh75 in news.trackback
Hola!
Great to see everyone after the Easter break.
My first ever blog…here goes…
Todays presentation by Pauline Webb (Head of Collections at MOSI) and Professor Nigel Linge and Dr Duncan Bates (Salford University) was particularly interesting as it provided a real example of digital technology being used in a museum and an examination of the problems and also benefits which come with devices such as the mi-guide (handheld multimedia guide) for more info visit www.msim.org.uk/get-involved/partnerships/engaging-with-communications and www.salfordphonesproject.co.uk
It was interesting to learn that many of the problems which we had observed with using the device were influenced by numerous practical issues such as staffing, the removal of reception desks for example which had a significant impact on each persons visit; highlighting the fact that the success of a device such as the mi-guide is interdependent on so many other factors. As was highlighted by the discussion of our findings – the mi-guide when working properly certainely added to interpretation of the gallery but when it wasn’t working properly became extremely frustrating.
It seems that the pace of developments within digital technology, whilst promising potential ways to revolutionise communication inside and outside of the museum can also be problematic for museums in terms of knowing which technologies will be embraced en masse and which will quickly become obsolete. This lack of certainty has very practical implications for the museum in terms of cost and maintenance.
This seminar highlighted the importance of taking the theory out of the classroom and into real scenarios – providing the opportunity to talk to museum professionals about the current realities of using digital technology in museums today.
See you all next week.
PS by Kostas: and here is the photo we’ve taken at the Museum!
Kostas
helenreesleahy
julianhartley
Robk
I thought the session was really useful in understanding some the decisions that need to be made when designing mobile guides in museums.
For example, do you pre-load the devices with content or do you have it streamed from a central server when its needed? Should the devices be aware of your location in the exhibition and respond accordingly or should visitors provide that information by swiping tags or entering codes? How do you ensure they complement the exhibition rather than detract from it? One earpiece or two?
I also found it interesting that 19th century wooden warehouse floors are a better conductors of wireless signals than modern lift shafts. And that having a world famous blockbuster exhibition on the floor above is probably not a good idea.
I thought the issue with the handover was also quite interesting. When Emma and I had to share the only mi-guide that was working on the day we went in, we immediately thought the screen had frozen and it wasn’t scanning. It slowly began to work again and but I think it would be a really good idea to warn users about the delay. I don’t think people would mind a delay if they were told about it, but could quickly become frustrated if not.
I did really like having to scan but I thought Emma made a good point about putting the scan points within the cases – this could be one way of guiding users to really look at the objects. I definitely was aware that I was wandering round looking for the scan signs as opposed to looking for the objects I might be interested in. Overall though, the talk was really useful – there are so many factors that need to be considered when designing something like this!