Museum Apps – Exhibition Apps

museum apps
museum apps design

It has become almost a must-have for a museum to have its apps. This is an attempt to improve the visitor experience and engagement. However, the question is whether the museum should spend its limited funds on expensive apps. Or should they invest in, for example, better lighting for the display of their collections and objects? It’s a difficult decision, for sure. One also has to wonder to what extent museum Apps bring history to life.

In addition, with every passing day, visitors are undoubtedly carrying around powerful computers and interactive devices. These are predominantly in the form of smartphones, iPhones, and tablets of all sorts. As I write this, my smartphone is likely connecting with who-knows-who, checking the weather, etc. Yes, of course, if you have a budget that allows you to provide a high-quality museum visitor engagement in both reality and virtual form, then there’s no question that these little interactive devices can provide additional information. Thus, if these are used well, like any tool, they will improve the visitor experience.

Recently, I have been exploring museum apps and have been rather amazed at the significant improvements they have made over recent years. From traditional museum audio tour app guides to immersive multimedia experiences, these museum apps have greatly enhanced the overall visitor experience. I’m particularly enamoured with the augmented reality (AR) features that have allowed me to interact with the exhibits in new ways. AR is a technology that overlays digital information into the real world. This provides users with a real-time mix of virtual and virtual worlds. The use of technology, such as AR and others, to bring history and art to life is truly interesting, and I look forward to seeing innovations in this area.

But if you are not fortunate enough to have the budget, surely it would be better to focus on displaying objects and making storylines come to life with high-quality interpretation first?

For example, on many occasions, when designing a museum exhibition, the first thing a client will cut if there is not a sufficient budget will be the lighting. They will first question the number of fittings per track but never consider dropping “the app.”

As I have previously said, looking at museum exhibitions that have been poorly presented (unfortunate interpretation with bad museum lighting design) is a bit like drinking fine wine from a plastic beaker. You will soon realise that the ingredients are the same, but the enjoyment is vastly reduced. If the museum design, lighting, and supporting information are of high quality, you can add the icing to the cake with the introduction of museum apps, and not the other way around.

One to watch (or not)

When visitors go to a museum, they are there to be immersed in the subject whilst being inspired to learn. What is also interesting is to watch people interact with the apps. Indeed, sometimes they are more amazed by the app than the object they are standing right in front of.

As a cultural and visitor engagement catalyst, I am curious to discover, over the next ten years, how many of these museum apps are used and to what depth. Tracking will provide fascinating insights into their usage, both while enjoying the museum exhibits and once visitors have left. If they ever make it to the museum, will the app reduce or increase visitor numbers? Virtual visits without the emotional connection of visiting the museum, no sense of scale or smell, etc. Another one to watch is the implementation of artificial intelligence in exhibitions and museums. This digital data (not so) newbie is already changing the visitor experience landscape in many ways; this is an exciting one to watch for sure!