{"id":9850,"date":"2017-04-27T07:28:54","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T12:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/?p=9850"},"modified":"2020-07-17T05:52:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T05:52:11","slug":"10-key-takeaways-from-museums-and-the-web-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/en\/10-key-takeaways-from-museums-and-the-web-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Key takeaways from Museums and the Web 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Conxa Rod\u00e0<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"Collection<\/a>
Collection Wall, Cleveland Museum of Art. Photo: Conxa Rod\u00e0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our team at the National Museum have been active in several ways in this edition of Museums and the Web<\/a>, held in Cleveland from 19th<\/sup> to 22 April: being part of the program<\/a> Committee<\/a>, members of the Jury of the Awards and giving 2 presentations: a 3-hours workshop on content strategy and a presentation of our participatory project Unique Visitors<\/em> (more details below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The richness and density of content, sessions and networking make, as usual, any summary complicated, and surely incomplete. I dare share some of the trends that are now much alive in museums, together with relevant links. As usual also, I strongly recommend browsing the Museums and the Web program<\/a> for full access to keynotes and sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for numbers, Museums and the Web attracted 450 participants from 25 countries. More than 150 papers and sessions were held and more than 1,000 #MW17 tweets published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. Accessibility <\/strong>is still a challenge for most museums. As internationally recognised expert Sina Bahram said on the opening session, inclusion can not be a day-two-problem on projects, should be included from the very beginning. One of the many novelties of #MW17 was the inclusive design incubator<\/a> where projects could be presented to get advice on accessibility. Sina reminded attendees to describe images on tweets to make them accessible: Making images accessible for people on Twitter<\/a>.
    A new     Community of Practice on Accessibility<\/a> was launched.
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    \"Sina<\/a>
    Sina Bahram\u2019s opening keynote at #MW17. Consistently, a screen with transcription of the talks was displayed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
  2. User Experience<\/strong> more than ever: put the user at the centre of what museums do. This means a crucial shift on the museums\u2019 perspective, from the institution or the museum\u2019s knowledge and content towards the visitor\u2019s needs and expectations. Since digital and print are not at war, two recent books are to be highlighted here: One museum-focused, Creating the Visitor-centered Museum<\/a>, by Peter Samis and a more general one by Paul Boag, User Experience Revolution<\/a>.
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    More user research<\/strong> is needed. If we are to tailor museum content and experience we need to know more about our audiences. Not just demographics but also interests, motivations and behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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    Work-in-progress of our Visitor Journey Mapping during the workshop conducted by Allegra Burnette and Liz Neely<\/h6>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Content Strategy<\/strong> thrives in gearing digital change and helping museums make meaningful connections<\/a>. Content is really the key to make collections more accessible, attract new audiences, improve the experience and quality of the visit. To appeal to our users, we deploy a diversity of platforms and channels. Then, the more we spread our content into a variety of channels and platforms, the more a solid Content Strategy is needed<\/strong> if we are to provide meaningful, consistent, user-oriented content through better processes of content planning, creation and governance. Best practice to mention is the awarded Digital Content strategy<\/a> by the Royal Academy of Arts, presented by Louise Cohen.
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    \"Final
    Final chart of the Digital Content strategy by the Royal Academy of Arts, UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Happy to say that the Content Strategy workshop<\/a> I run was attended by a highly participatory group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  4. More Storytelling <\/strong>and more immersive. A new Community of practice<\/a> has been launched around immersive storytelling. Interactive storytelling experiences enhanced by the highest quality images were shared by Madpixel, the creators of Second Canvas<\/a> platform.
    _<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. There is still room for museum apps<\/strong>. In spite the overwhelming amount of apps and the increasing reluctance of users to download still one more app for a museum visit, reality proves that, if well done, easy accessible and providing added-value, visitors enjoy and engage with museum content via apps. Good examples are SFMOMA<\/a> or ArtLens<\/a> apps.\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    \"Stephanie<\/a>
    Stephanie Pau presenting the SFMOMA app’s storytelling principles: passion, experience, surprise and more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    During the What\u2019s mobilizing museums?<\/a> Session, the awarded SFMOMA app was presented at length. The project is pivoting around the idea of \u201cTell a story, no the<\/em> story\u201d (yes, really, no need to try to explain everything we know about our collection!). Proof of the effectiveness of this approach is that their \u2018ImmersiveWalk\u2019 of 45 minutes is the most popular part of the app and is completed by 75% of their users.
    It was on this session that together with Ana Basso, we presented the participatory web and app Unique Visitors. This is a joint project run by our museum and the start up that has proved valuable for our users to establish connections with the collection. So far, more than 100 routes have been created by our users, thus providing a more direct and fresh approach to the artworks. During the     presentation<\/a>, we shared an overview of the agile process followed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n