what will the museum of the future be like?

What is the future of the audio tour?

I'm doing a piece for NPR's All Tech Considered Blog on the rise of the cell phone tour as a replacement for the traditional handset-rented audio tour in museums, zoos, etc.

As I understand it, even cellphone tours are becoming dated technology. So, what is the next step in audio tours? Are there some examples of cutting edge technology used in museums? Is there a good way to differentiate information for kids and for adults?

Please include name and contact information if you'd like to be quoted for the article.

Tags: audio, tours

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Permalink Reply by Fredrik Skog on October 27, 2009 at 1:36am

We installed a PickUp Audio Guide system from Dataton early this summer. There were some technical problems (mostly hardware, but some software) in the beginning, but they were sorted out. The system was launched recently so you have to count with some initial technical issues. The system is very intuitive and easy to use and it is very popular among the visitors, even though we charge about €2 as rent. They are so popular that the rent paid by the visitors will soon cover the cost of the hardware.

But, as several others I believe that the future of handheld tours lies in adjusting the material for smartphones. And I think the museum must host the material themselves and offer it via WiFi. I’m looking into installing a web server and wifi-transmitter in the museum myself just to see how it works. It should‘t demand any too advanced technical skills.

But it would be great if someone would develop an authoring software for iPhone tours, i.e. an application in which anyone could put together a handheld tour with video, audio, games, qr-codes and so on. Preferably as an authoring application in the style of DVD Studio Pro for Mac, but I would settle for a Drupal module. I’m planning on trying out soume iPhone templates for Dreamweaver, but I don’t think that is the best solution.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Guerin on October 27, 2009 at 2:37am

Ryan,

Did this show ever air?

Scott

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Kellett on October 28, 2009 at 5:02am

This was not for NPR airwaves. It went on our blog at NPR.org/alltech:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2009/06/cell_phone_tours...

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Permalink Reply by museum studies girl on October 28, 2009 at 10:08am

Ryan,
I am not sure what you mean by cel phone tours "being dated." Any changes beyond cell phone tours, would be tied to the development of new technologies, the hardware that runs it, and the cost of putting 'new' into the hands of museum visitors. Once these things are in place each institution bears the burden of developing and producing the interpretive material which is presented by the technology.
Many methods are available to direct/attract adults or students to interpretive materials and devices.
It's been my experience these things rather balance themselves out.
Please allow all to read the post, and you must contact me before quoting or other reuse of the ideas here.
Thanks,
Lisa Cresson

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Permalink Reply by Victoria C on November 25, 2009 at 1:00am

The Horizon Report has a great section on mobile technology as it relates to learning. It speaks to relevance for Teaching, Learning,Research, or Creative Expression.

http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2009-Horizon-Report.pdf

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Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on November 25, 2009 at 10:04pm

The presentation in the museum of art et métier in Paris during the science's days on 21 and 22 of November, was interested in many point and at least for now it give some answers to your questions.
The using of cell phone (Iphone, adroid) was not successful.
First technically. Tag, wifi, bluetooth were used with many difficulties.
Of course it can be considered the technology will overtake but I am not sure of that.
The second point is people who where used to another model were very uncomfortable.
The last point, even with the usual cell phone, people disapproval to have to handle it in a museum

On the contrary, the technology of Percipio, even very advanced is extremely robust and there was not a single problem.
People where extremely satisfied with a free hand and behavioural device.

I will be happy to share information and pictures about those days
And of course about the system

The "parc du Mercantour" one of the most famous natural parc in France was searching an information system usable by disabled people for a year.
The only system they found is Percipio.
Percipio is in fact is directly usable by all people, disable or not whatever the handicap and was presented at the exhibition Edutec in Paris and will be presented at the World Simulation Exhibit in le Bourget.

Yves

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Permalink Reply by Kellian Adams on December 2, 2009 at 1:38am

This is such a great discussion!! I have to preface all of my comments by admitting that I've spent my career in education, then ed tech and now specifically museum ed tech so I am by no means objective. That said, I thought that this was an extremely relevant comment from Lois:

"I am not sure what you mean by cell phone tours "being dated."

People that I deal with in museums often seem to have a vague feeling that audio tours are becoming outdated and can't appeal to younger people but they can't put their finger on why. They think it's a technology problem, and the solution, as Lois said,

"would be tied to the development of new technologies, the hardware that runs it, and the cost of putting 'new' into the hands of museum visitors. Once these things are in place each institution bears the burden of developing and producing the interpretive material which is presented by the technology."

This means a museum would need to think about ipods, iphones, touch-screens, motion-detector games or multimedia displays. This is expensive technology that needs a lot of expertise, is high-risk to put in the hands of visitors, out dates within five years, often breaks and requires a whole new series of content built for it. This is a pretty impressive undertaking BUT still many of these fancy new tech tools are essentially passive exhibit displays which don't solve the root problem: interaction. These technologies offer moderate interaction by letting visitors touch screens or choose buttons or decide which information to see, but the weight of learning still falls on the media.

So, let me respond to that comment and put my two cents in: It is not the TECHNOLOGY of audio tours that is outdated, it is the concept of PASSIVE MEDIA that no longer appeals to the younger generation.

No matter how expensive you get with your technology, unless it requires a real response, reaction, community and participation from the visitor, it will just become outdated. Fun is fun, no matter what kind of technology you use. This is why football has never become outdated- there's an element of competition, skill, personal investment and community. (That said, I hate football. But it's true.)

So what does that mean for audio tours? It doesn't mean trash your audio tours- it just means they need to be incorporated in an interactive experience if you want to engage the next generation of museum goers. SCVNGR- that's the group I work for, has been working with a small number of museums to create interactive game-based tours, which sometimes involve the audio tours and sometimes supplant the audio tours but are always always interactive. In fact, if you don't respond to clues and questions, the tour just stops. I shouldn't make this post an ad for SCVNGR because I feel strongly about this concept and where it's going, but SCVNGR is one simple technology that I've found that does this. Good technology should not be the most expensive technology! This post is already a mile long, but here's an article about a museum in Philly that we're working with now:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20091127_Art_center_visitor...

Of course the best example of museums and interactive technology (which was not built by me or my team, but it is amazing) is the Ghost Of a Chance interactive in the SAAM.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99244253

Not tons of technology- just text messages, a couple of laptops and some really clever people. So, I do apologize for my soapbox, but I deal with this every day and have seen some really amazing ways to evolve audio tours into interactive museum experiences- with a little help. So are audio tours outdated? Yes. Even books require interaction. Does that mean that they need to be eliminated? Absolutely not, they are still valid and a solid source of in-depth information if we can get people to listen to them. So just give people a challenge and some motivating reasons to listen, and what better way than through games?

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Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on December 3, 2009 at 9:10am

I found your article very interrested
From the beginning to the end
And I have only one thing to say
Come to try Percipio :-)
I will be delighted to show it to you
Yves APELOIG

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Permalink Reply by Kellian Adams on December 4, 2009 at 4:56am

Hi Yves,

I'd love to!! I can't find it anywhere online- other than an investment firm in Seattle and that's probably not what you're talking about. PM me and send me the links!! :)

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Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on April 16, 2010 at 4:54am

Sorry Kellian
I am so busy, I miss a lot of things.
No you cannot find it anywhere online,
The geovector is quite simple. But the system I developped is a "mobile behavioral interface"
Even on the research center site because it is to new, to advanced and the vocabulary to describe is not yet fixed.
I am working with a french research center the CNAM, which is one of the most advanced in the world about museum information system. They iniatiated the PLUG program to test in real public condition the most advanced and experimental system. Apple, microsoft, google, france telecom or nokia are participating.
There CEDRIC
http://cedric.cnam.fr/
is working on my device and I see how the concept is uneasy.
The geovector is quite simple (Iphone and Android are using it)? I would say a extension of the geolocalisation.
The problem begin with the behavior.
This is another universe which belongs more to artificial intelligence.
I would be delighted to answer all your questions

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Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on December 6, 2009 at 2:23am

Hi
Yes
And no
people don't want to manipulate anymore.
One of the most advanced solution (but I hesitate to give more details because I have been criticized to make publicity for myself... ;-(
is percipio. A behavioral interface freehand
It is a complete hand free device. It analysed what the user is looking, inside as well outside, and what interest for. It is a headset.
And no there is no camera... ;-). The princip is the behavioral geovector
When you know where you are and which direction you are looking, you know what you are looking.
The visual behavior is a little bit more complicated but it works well.
Actually, the cell phone is a peripheral of the headset called percipio (by eshkar) and is used as data base and internet connection for the headset.
The result is where ever you are, the system can inform you according what you are looking and how you are interested.
the informations can be all format, in real time or at home on your email (for instance)
Questions ? yves.apeloig@eshkar.fr
The system was in used at the museum of Arts et métiers in Paris during the two days of sciences 21 and 22 november .

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Permalink Reply by yves apeloig on April 16, 2010 at 4:40am

Hi
cell phone is not the replacement for many reasons
One of the most important reason is clearly described by william Hurley here, page 2 , line 13
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2009/tc2009112_35...
The challenge is not only another device working the same way with the same limitations, just paid by the user himself, The challenge is a real new "paradigm", a revolution.
Here
http://www.box.net/shared/urt4zy43rl
In French, a more complete description
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo-localisation_vectorielle
Some pictures
http://www.box.net/percipioplug
http://www.box.net/shared/bl0pubs33g
As you can see, everyone can use it, handicapped or not whatever the handicap which is not possible with a cell phone.
I would be delighted to give you more details about this revolution fully operational
Yves APELOIG