STACY M. ESPOSITO
This book is dedicated to my incredible husband for his constant love, endless support and infinite patience. There are not enough words to convey how his love, friendship and support has helped me to achieve each and every one of my dreams, goals and desires. Thank you Tony, I love you with all of my heart!
Copyright Š 2015 Text and photography copyright Š 2015Stacy Esposito All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Stacy M. Esposito. Edited and compiled by Stacy Esposito Designer, Stacy Esposito Project Manager, Stacy Esposito Front Cover: Stacy Esposito Title Page: Stacy Esposito
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TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I Thesis Problem Research SME–Subject Matter Expert Personas SECTION II Style Guide Logo Development
2 3 8 9 12 14
SECTION III Project Goals Design Wire-frames Mock-Ups Prototype Features
17 18 19 21 22 23 27
SECTION IV Testing Gallery Setup Conclusion References
33 38 41 44
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SECTION I
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THESIS PROBLEM
In what capacity can art museums utilize interactive interpretive technology to captivate and involve visitor in a manner that offers them an additional layer of engagement during, and even after, their museum visit?
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RESEARCH
Nintendolife.com
Many museums are integrating digital technology to engage visitors in a variety of ways in order to enhance the visitor’s experience before, during and beyond their visit. The Louvre for example, offers visitors the use of a Nintendo 3DS that is programmed with a complete audio guide of the entire collection at the museum. As visitors walk through the Louvre, the interactive map on the 3DS tracks their position and they are guided through the museum step by step. “In addition to the audio commentaries, there are 3D photos of the galleries, high-definition images of the artworks, and 3D
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reconstructions to help them identify the exhibits and give them extra information” (Louvre). The Denver Art Museum is also using digital technology to enhance their collections and engage their visitor. In their Threads Studio they have incorporated a touch screen table. The table is an interactive representation of the Thread Studio space. It offers visitors the opportunity to delve deeper into the objects displayed throughout the room. It incorporates, videos, background information, and related artworks throughout the museum.
82nd & Fifth The 82nd & Fifth app features 100 works selected by 100 different curators at the Met. Each work is one that was chosen by the curator for the manner in which the piece changed how they see the world. The curator personally narrates and describes the work of art and why it connects with them so meaningfully. The navigation on this app is one of the features that drew me in immediately. The user simply taps
on the cropped image of the work and the video opens. There is a couple of different ways to explore the videos within the app. The user can choose to navigate them in groupings of similar genre or from a grid of all of the available episodes. There is also the option to star particular videos you like most and navigate from those you have chosen as your episodes.
Screenshots from App Store
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The Life of Art This is a fully engaging app with a great variety of interactive elements. The Life of Art app gives an interesting insight into how particular works of art became part of the Getty’s collection. The app allows the user to probe, on an intimate level, 4 different objects in the Getty’s collection. The app features close up high fidelity images, videos and animations of each piece. What I believe this app does well, is again, the navigation. The user interface of The Life of Art is quite easy to use. You simply touch the cropped image of the object on the main screen and it takes you to that objects interactive page. It opens immediately to a beautiful rotating image of the object. The interactivity is very engaging. The object rotates a bit and then freezes. Tabs pop on that allow the user to learn and explore the details of the object and its history. The user selects what they want to
explore further by tapping on the tabs, which opens separate screens. The app gives the user the option to continue to learn more about the medium and its historical beginning by offering images, animations and interactions. The user can also choose to explore how the object was displayed or how it may have been used back in its time. On various screens throughout the app there are “Did You Know?” hotspots that when tapped, flip to reveal small trivia facts relating to the object. The user can also swipe across screens to switch to additional pages to learn more history about the object. The invitation to see the details of the object through high fidelity photography with several extreme close ups of the object is a strong feature of this app. Each image offers even more historical descriptions about each of the details.
Screenshots from App Store
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Screenshots from App Store
Rijks Museum In Amsterdam, Netherlands the Rijksmuseum has implemented websites and mobile applications to enhance visitors experience in and out of their museum. One of these is the Rijks app. This app takes the user on a tour of more than 100 artworks that are housed at the museum. The user can choose to take a guided tour, search by number or go on a family quest. There is also the option to get information about the museum’s calendar and events. On the self guided tour the user virtually walks through the museum and enters different galleries. The user can choose to see and learn more about select works of art throughout the museum on the self-guided option. Each work is presented by a brief narrated audio description while viewing an image of the artwork. The user can see more with a simple tap of the thumbnail image below. The image of the artwork becomes full screen with close ups on significant portions within the work. An additional narrated audio interpretation can be played after tapping on the thumbnail image. This audio describes further details to the user and highlights important aspect to consider about the work and the artist. In the search by number feature
of this mobile app, the user enters a 3-digit number that is found on the museum label alongside the art-work in the museum. This opens the same experience found in the self-guided feature. This numeric code system was the feature that connected with me most when looking at this particular app. It is uncomplicated enough for the visitor to use, and simple enough for the museum to integrate. Another aspect of the Rijks app that interested me is the Family Quest feature. This feature is a scavenger hunt of sorts that can be played by 2 to 4 players. The players work together to find 8 artworks in the museum. There is a secret code that the players need to unlock. As they unlock the codes they receive a letter and they are to guess the secret word after collecting all the clues. Unfortunately, you can only use this option of the app while at the museum, so I was unable to determine if the feature was stimulating and fun. However, I was intrigued by the concept of the feature. I believe it offers another layer to exploring the museum. 6
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Photo: Daniel Libeskind Denver Art Museum
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT Lindsey Housel, Manager of Digital Engagement Programs at the Denver Art Museum (DAM), is the subject matter expert that I chose to work with for my thesis project. Lindsey’s insights to museum visitors and their behaviors has been incredibly helpful. She has also shared with me some of what the DAM learned from their experimental mobile app called DAM_SCOUT.
3 Key Takeaways from DAM_SCOUT • Novice visitors often do not want to digest large amounts of detailed information about the works of art as they tour the galleries. • Offer lots of choice (multi-media, multiple perspectives-not just authority voice, multiple ways to engage comment, read, watch, share, etc.). • Offer way to save for later was very successful. People want to revisit content when they want to, not necessarily in the gallery or even in museum. DAM_SCOUT - Android Apps on Google Play
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PERSONAS
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“My best friend and I are teachers whom both love art. We also love sharing art with our students. While visiting museums we often wish we could learn more about the art and artists.”
ALLISON
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER I’M... 46 years old. I have been teaching middle school for 21 years. I have a bachelors degree in liberal arts and a masters in child psychology. I LOVE... To go out with my girlfriends. We enjoy going to cultural events throughout Denver. Most weekends I can be found at the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver or at a new gallery exhibit. I enjoy sharing my love of art with my students and on social networks.
ART KNOWLEDGE LEVEL COMPUTER/INTERNET SAVVY MOBILE APP USE DEVICE & OPERATING SYSTEM
SOCIAL MEDIA
I’M FRUSTRATED... When museums do not have sufficient or readily available information about the art that is on display.
A key feature of ActivArt is to enrich museum visitors experience by offering interesting details about the art, artist, medium and movement. ActivArt also offers many ways to share the art visitors are engaging with on social network sites.
“While studying abroad in Europe, I enjoyed touring the many museums. I was often disappointed that the museum labels were so vague.”
BREANN
UNIVERSITY STUDENT I’M... 20 years old. I am a full time university student. I am majoring in international studies and minoring in French. I LOVE... To travel and experience new cultures. Seeing modern and old architecture and art is so exciting. Meeting new people from all parts of the world is really a great part of traveling.
ART KNOWLEDGE LEVEL COMPUTER/INTERNET SAVVY MOBILE APP USE DEVICE & OPERATING SYSTEM
SOCIAL MEDIA
I’M FRUSTRATED... That often museum labels are not translated into a language I personally understand. When I have used audio guides, they only offer audio about the displayed art.
A key feature of ActivArt is to offer museum visitors a variety of multi-media options to learn a little or a lot, such as text, audio, video, still images, animations, and interactivity.
“My husband Charlie and I have been traveling a lot now that we are retired. We use our iPad a great deal to learn about the many places we visit.”
CAROL
RETIRED PEDIATRICIAN I’M... 68 years old. I am a retired pediatrician. I have been married for 40 years to my best friend Charlie. I LOVE... To live life and share new experiences with my husband. Since retiring, we travel often to visit family and friends in the US and abroad. We especially love to visit museums in the towns we visit.
ART KNOWLEDGE LEVEL COMPUTER/INTERNET SAVVY MOBILE APP USE DEVICE & OPERATING SYSTEM
SOCIAL MEDIA
I’M FRUSTRATED... When I have to search on my iPad on multiple sites to find information pertaining to the art and or artist while at the museums we visit. I would also like a way to save items I see and learn about.
ActivArt is a mobile app that will be marketed to several museums, offering the individual user the reliable ActivArt experience at several of their favorite museums. A key feature of ActivArt enables users to save art to their “Favorites” to view later.
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SECTION II
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STYLE GUIDE Hex #42b3c3 RGB 66, 179, 195 CMYK 68, 0, 21, 0
Hex #193344 RGB 25, 51, 68 CMYK 93, 66, 46, 35
Avenir - Roman Avenir - Medium Avenir - Heavy
Hex #cbcdcc RGB 203, 205, 204 CMYK 16, 11, 12, 0
Hex #313233 RGB 49, 50, 51 CMYK 69, 61, 59, 45
Hex #890a19 RGB 137, 10, 25 CMYK 24, 100, 97, 18
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJj KkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSs TtUuVvWwXxYyZz 0123456789 ! ? & - % $ # @ / { ] ( + = . , ; : “ ‘_ 12
SKETCHES
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LOGO
When choosing a color palette, I like to find colors that pop, some that are muted and others that complement. I often will make some sort of design piece using the color palette to see how the colors
look together. For AvtivArt, I chose the color palette and then I made an infographic poster to see the colors working together. I ended up loving the color choices. I felt the way they integrated had a sense of harmony.
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SECTION III
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THE PROJECT From my study of the various apps that are already in place, many questions came to mind. What is too much information? What type of delivery is best and how can you entice the user (visitor) to gain a deeper knowledge base while still sparking curiosity? It is important to take into account the goals of digital enhancement. In museums across the globe, the tombstone next to the majority of art is more often than not a simple title, artist, and date. This does not tell the stories and histories that lie within the works. I firmly believe that by sharing these stories, symbolism and histories, curiosity is ignited and connections to other cultures and ideas begin to form. There have been many studies on the importance of studying the fine arts. Studies have shown that there are benefits beyond just academic improvement. “The fine arts also provide learners with non-academic benefits such as promoting self-esteem, motivation, aesthetic awareness, cultural exposure, creativity, improved emotional expression, as well as social harmony and appreciation of diversity” (Schnapp). A solution that I feel is effortless to integrate is a user engaging interactive mobile app. I have named it ActivArt. As opposed to a museum’s in house app or audio guide, ActivArt is a mobile app for the visitor to use at several museums. I believe that a mobile app is the best platform for delivery because the technology is so prevalent in today’s society. The rate of usage continues to grow exponentially. By 2016 it is estimated that there will be 85 million iPad users in just the United States (The Statistics Portal). The continued growth of iPhone and iPad users makes mobile applications accessible to a large portion of the population. Interestingly, the demographics for iPad owners is very similar to the demographics of museum visitors.
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ActivArt will be a mobile app that will be activated by a 4-digit alphanumeric code system. This code system will be integrated on select art piece throughout the museum. The code will be printed on the museum labels currently located next to the artwork. Using an alphanumeric code on the museum labels is an easy, inexpensive way for museums to incorporate the ActivArt app into their galleries. Using a code system will also be a way for users to operate the app outside of the museum. The museum visitor will download the app before or upon arriving at the museum (assuming the visitor is at a museum that is participating with ActivArt). Once they are logged into the app, they will choose their location from a list of partner museums. If a visitor does not have or own a device, one could possibly be provided by the museum. It would be up to the museum to decide if this convenience is cost effective and/or if a rental fee would be charged. While walking through the different exhibits and galleries, the user will be able to identify the code on the tombstones of select works of art. They will enter that alphanumeric code into the app, which will activate the artwork associated with that particular code. Once the code is entered, the app will send the user to a host of information about that particular piece. The main objective will be to have an extended engagement with the artwork that emerges the visitor to gain a higher level of enrichment with the artist, the piece and the medium used. The ActivArt app user will have a variety of options to choose from and interact with, including the ability to connect to activities and information that can be downloaded, emailed or saved. This will offer ActivArt user the ability to take their experience beyond the museum walls.
Primary • Enhance Visitor Experience • Take Learning Beyond Museum Visit • Social Engagement Secondary • Insightful Analytics • Visitor Feedback • Marketing Opportunities One of the primary goals of the ActivArt app is to enhance the visitors experience by captivating and engaging them with details delivered through digital technology. When the ActivArt app is activated with a particular artwork, it will ask the visitor if they would like to learn more about the art piece, artist, related works, share via social or download activities to do later. They can chose one or all to explore. The objective is to give the user short interesting interpretations, brief digestible facts and simple actions to activate in order to learn more about the piece. The interactions will include a variety of close up images that highlight the details of the artwork. These interactive options will engage them to explore the works in small intriguing portions at a pace that suits them personally. Another key goal of the ActivArt app is to allow users to have easy access to activities that explore the artist, and the artwork. The activities will be doable visual art, language art and/or cultural art projects. These activities will explore the master, the work, the techniques and the mediums used. The activities will be in the form of .pdf and URL links. The goal here is to take the learning beyond the art museum and to further the discussion of the art, artists and mediums utilized. This offers
THE GOALS
the visitor the opportunity to revisit the works of art outside of the museum.
The last goal is associated with the social sharing feature. The social sharing options will allow visitors to share via comments, favorites and likes. The visitor’s social engagement will be a catalyst for the museum to start conversations between the user and others that are within the users network. The goal is to boost brand awareness by giving the museum the capabilities to build excitement about the museum, artworks, lectures and upcoming events. “Although visitor engagement is the primary goal of most mobile programs, marketing and visitor demand are important secondary goals” (American Alliance of Museums). ActivArt has the potential to grant the museum a host of viable insights as well. It can allow them analytics from platforms such as Flurry, Appfigures or Appannie that will give the museum a glimpse into what works of art people are most curious about. This can help them determine future exhibits and acquisitions that may resonate most with their visitors. In addition, there is the possibility for museums to track peak hours in particular galleries. This enables them to make adjustments on security and other matters. These are just two tracking analysis, but there is certainly many others. Measurement would be dependent on what the museum’s metric goals are within the app. The social sharing and comment features of ActivArt also offers the museum a great deal of marketing opportunities. The comments and sharing on social platforms can be utilized in a variety of promotions, including marketing materials, newsletters and on the museums own social media accounts.
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DESIGN
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WIRE FRAMES
Wire framing is a step that is necessary, but tedious for me. When it comes to designing a new project, I like to jump head first into the water. First I do a sufficient amount of research on the web for inspiration and digital curation. Sometimes I begin with just a few rough pencil sketches. The sketches are just a way for me to have a starting point. I do not claim to have any sort of drawing talents. Therefore, more often than not, I go straight to Photoshop or Illustrator. Visualizing is so much easier for me on the screen rather than the sketchpad. I like to manipulate and move things around as I think, design and develop.
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Mock-ups is where the fun starts for me when designing and developing a new project. ActivArt screens presented some complexity because of the sheer amount of screens possible for any one or more piece of art that is selected within the museum. For example, the ActivArt prototype highlights two pieces of art together as one because they are two pieces of a set. It was necessary to create cohesion between screens and as a whole for the entire ActivArt app experience. I wanted to make screens act like templates. This would enable a museum to use the structure of ActivArt while still being able to control content.
MOCK-UPS 22
PROTOTYPE
I used invisionapp.com to prototype ActivArt. I find invisionapp.com extremely user friendly. As a designer, there are often multiple instances when you change assets within a design or move elements around. invisionapp.com’s desktop syncing feature enabled me to link my ActivArt files and folders on my drive directly to my project on invisionapp.com. This was a huge time saver for me when changing the design elements of individual screens for the ActivArt app.
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FEATURES
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Quick Fun Facts
• Interesting trivia about the art or artist
Options To Share Content
• Social media sharing • Ability to email links • Read and make comments on the artworks
Short Summaries
• Interesting details about the artist, art, medium, and movement
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“I think it is a great app! Having the opportunity to activate the information later is a great feature. Sometimes I don’t want to spend a lot of time with each piece, but I would like to revisit it later, if it was an option.” Visitor UX Participant
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A Variety Of Multimedia Content • Text • Still Images • Audio • Video • Animation • Interactivity
Ability To Revisit Content • Add artwork to “My Favorites”
Activities To Do Beyond Visit • Related activities and lesson plans
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SECTION IV
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TESTING
For UX testing, I employed an assistant and we went to the Denver Art Museum to collect direct feedback from visitors. We spent 4 hours at the museum on a busy free first Saturday in April during the Easter holiday weekend. We were able to get 32 groups, couples, or individuals to participate in the testing. Some groups consisted of three or more people who each
participated in some way using ActivArt on the two separate iPad devices that we provided. Each gave their own responses to the testing questionnaire as well. In all we were able to gather feedback from 56 people varying in age from approximately 13 to 72 years old. The majority of the participants were between the ages of 25 to 45.
“Really liked the total experience. I liked the variety of options to tap on and learn more about the paintings. Is there other paintings in the museum on the app?� Visitor UX Participant
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Hello, How are you today? I noticed you are admiring Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s work. Let me introduce myself, my name is Stacy Esposito and I am a senior at the University of Denver. I am working on museum visitor research, more specifically a project that is a prototype app in correlation with a capstone project. This is not in any way connected to or intended for the Denver Art Museum. This research participation will take approximately 10 to 12 minutes This is a completely independent product called ActivArt and it is a mobile app for iPad. The developer is interested in visitor feedback in order to gain insights about how people feel about the content and functionality of the app. Would you be wiling to help and participate in the research?
Mostly Unfamiliar 5.35%
1. You are here today visiting the DAM, so tell me if you could, would you consider yourself to be... Somewhat Knowledgeable
Somewhat Unfamiliar
Mostly Unfamiliar
2. At your visit today, have you read any of the information cards, used an audio guide, or used a mobile device to gain more information about any the works of art? What type of resource? Posted Information Audio Guide Mobile App Other: Thank you for your answers let me give you ActivArt. I will step away and give you approximately 5-8 minutes to explore. Once you are finished, I would just like to ask 4 more quick questions, would that be okay? 3. After participating with ActivArt, can you express to me anything that was positive or negative about your experience? Comments: 4. After participating with ActivArt, is there one or more elements that interested you more than others? i.e. fun facts, videos, discover or explore tabs, etc. Comments: 5. Overall, how do you feel the ActivArt app is/was to use? Easy Difficult Friendly
Complicated
Comments:
6. How likely would you be to use ActivArt or something similar, if it were available to you at a museum?
Very Likely Comments:
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Somewhat Likely
Unlikely
Never
Somewhat Knowledgeable 64.29% Somewhat Unfamiliar 30.36%
Just a couple questions before opening the app for you to try‌
Very Knowledgeable (about art)
Question # 1
Question # 2
Posted Information 92.85% Other 7.15%
Question # 4 Easy 98.2%
Complicated 1.8%
Question # 5 Very Likely 94.6%
Somewhat Likely 3.6% Unlikely 1.8%
“I love all the history that you can resource about the artist and work. I am a high school teacher and this would be a great way for my students to tour the museum on a field trip.”
“I would definitely download and use an app like this if it were available. So often I want to learn more about a particular art piece and there is no information beyond the basic museum plaque available.”
Visitor UX Participant
Visitor UX Participant
“I thought the navigation was easy to use. I had a couple technical issues. I tapped several times to get things to work. I don’t really use technology that much, but if it were readily available I would probably use it.”
“I really liked the app. I thought it explained the artist and the symbolism behind the paintings. Being able to learn about the other paintings in the series was particularly interesting.”
Visitor UX Participant
Visitor UX Participant 36
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GALLERY SETUP
Ron Pollard Photography
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We Are XXV Exhibition For the Redline Gallery Exhibition I plan to recreate (on a much smaller scale) the display of the Giuseppe Arcimboldo paintings that are found at the Denver Art Museums in their European and American Art gallery. I will have a secured iPad Air for visitors
to use, giving them a simulated experience of the ActivArt app. Marketing materials will include a promotional postcard and my business cards. I also will display a 9�x 20� vinyl wall decal of the ActivArt logo placed prominently in the ActivArt exhibit area.
Stacy M. Esposito
SME
SMS
SOCIAL MEDIA
ENTERPRISES
Front
Business Cards
Front
sme.socialmediaenterprises.net
303-408-9225
Digital Designer Social Media Marketing
Back
Back
Promo Postcard
Museum Labels 40
CONCLUSION My SME Lindsey Housel from the DAM shared with me that the Denver Art Museum has been offered many types of apps from a variety of developers in the past. Each has been presented to the DAM as either giving the museum total control or no control at all over the resulting content. Neither extreme would work for the busy but conscientious Denver Art Museum. As a individual entity, the ActivArt app would have a system of integrated steps in place making the transition of information from the museum’s resources to the app a collaborative process. Each museum would have a suitable degree of control over the content presented to the visitor, without having to necessarily do all of the content creation themselves. ActivArt as an application, and as a business in-itself, would be marketed to several museums, offering the individual user the reliable ActivArt experience at several of their favorite museums. Marketed to a variety of museums, the ActivArt brand would become recognizable and known for giving the visitor an enhanced experience. With its own recognizable branding and design aesthetic, ActivArt would be promoted to museums as a template wherein they could integrate their own collection, taping into a community of other museums and ActivArt’s own loyal customer base.
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The initial target market for ActivArt was gauged to be visitors 41-65 years old. However, after UX testing at the Denver Art Museum, it was determined that this age estimate could be widened to 25-65 years old. UX testing revealed that younger visitors would be very likely to use ActivArt or something similar were it made available. The design features of ActivArt will offer museum visitors easy to navigate options allowing them to explore, discover, and interact with as they tour the museum’s most prized masterpieces. The primary goal of ActivArt is to enhance the visitor’s experience by offering them an additional layer of engagement during, and even after, their museum visit. The social aspects of ActivArt give the visitor a new way to interact with art, the museum’s staff, and even one another. Serving as a repository of visitor feedback, ActivArt gives the museum access to thousands of visitors comments and layers of data for a better understanding of their visitors. ActivArt’s social features also offers the museum a host of marketing opportunities, that when optimized to their full capacity, will help promote the museum, their events and their overall brand awareness.
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REFERENCES
Louvre. “The Museum Audio Guide Audioguide Louvre-Nintendo 3DS ™ XL.” The Museum Audio Guide. April 2010. Accessed February 08, 2015. http://www.louvre.fr/en/museum-audio-guide.
Schnapp, Jeffrey T. “Art in Schools Inspires Tomorrow’s Creative Thinkers.” Edutopia. January 28, 2009. Accessed December 20, 2014. http://www.edutopia.org/arts-role-creative-thinking. American Alliance of Museums, Museums Association (UK) Members, and Fusion Research + Analytics. “Mobile In Museums Study — 2012.” And Museums Association (UK) MembersTable of Contents, 2012, 13. Accessed February 3, 2015. https://aam-us.org/docs/research/mobilemuseums2012-%28aam%29.pdf. The Statistics Portal. “IPad Users in the U.S. 2010-2016 | Forecast.” Statista. 2015. Accessed February 2, 2015. http://www. statista.com/statistics/208039/ipad-users-forecast-in-the-us/.
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