MuseumMobile Wiki

Media and Technology on the Go

Experience Design

This is a first attempt at developing a practical, step-by-step guide to designing mobile experiences ‘outside the box’ of traditional audio tours.

It is inspired in part by Koven Smith’s work on the Future of Mobile Interpretation,
and builds on Nancy Proctor’s ‘Manifesto‘ for a new mobile information architecture, using audience feedback and evaluations as the organizing principle.
Kate Haley-Goldman also gave invaluable advice on the evaluation-led methodology used here.

The slides for the presentation of these concepts at the Museum Computer Network conference in Portland, Oregon on 12 November 2009 are here; the podcast of my talk with slides is here. See also the 2-day workshop on Mobile Technology, Content & Experience Design at Balboa Park Feb 16-17, 2010.

Mobile experience design is one of the first elements in Mobile Operations.

7 steps to designing a mobile experience:

  1. Who is your target audience?

    • Identify your audience in light of your mission and key messages
    • What do we want them to know, think and/or feel?
    • What platforms do they already use?
      • Traditional audio tours
      • Cellphones or smartphones
      • Podcasts
      • Mobile social media: SMS, Twitter, FB…

  2. What do they want to know?

    • ‘Mindmap’ the questions they ask in the gallery through:
      • Semi-structured interviews
      • FAQs and comments cards
      • Questions posed to staff…
    • Online question collection:
      • Specialized Q&A services, e.g. Ask Joan of Art
      • Comments on social media sites
    • Include audience research in order to segment questions for your target audience
    • Get deeper questions from more experienced museum visitors that may not occur to new audiences.
    • Where are visitors not being served by existing interpretation?

  3. Organize and filter the responses:

    • Group questions:
      • Thematically
      • By object
      • By location
    • Filter by mission and key messages
    • Prioritize questions that elicit great stories

  4. What content modalities best structures your response?

    Note that Soundtracks, Soundbites and Interactives can be used both ‘offline’ and in a networked environment. Links, feedback and social media require a network connection – either cellular or wifi.

  5. Who will be the most interesting/compelling/inspiring interlocutor(s) to share this experience with?

    • Facilitates the desired outcome
    • Knowledgeable about the subject – trusted
    • Relates the content to the mission and key messages
    • Good communicator with the target audience
      • Voice
      • Manner
      • Makes it relevant

  6. What tone and approach will the conversation take?

    • Expert voices (monologue):
      • Artists
      • Curators
      • Staff
      • Related experts
      • Professional narrators
    • Dialogue
    • Interview
    • Vox pop

  7. What platforms suit the message (and audience, and budget)?

Only once all other aspects of the content and experience design have been addressed should we focus on the technology, so that the technology serves the needs of the visitor and experience, not vice-versa.

  • Made-for-Museums audio players
  • Made-for-Museums multimedia players
  • iPods and personal MP3 players
  • Mobile phones (voice and SMS)
  • Mobile browser-based platforms (smartphones & iPod Touch)
  • Mobile application-based platforms (e.g. iPhone apps)

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