Digitizing the Group Museum Experience

Enhancing Social Interactions and Storytelling in Museums

Overview

This project explores how digital technology can improve group experiences in museums. Conducted at the Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University, we designed a mobile application prototype to enhance storytelling, context-building, and social interactions within groups. Our research-driven approach led to the development of a high-fidelity prototype tested with real users, contributing to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and museum technology.

Team/

Euodia Louis

Eve Martina Lange

Nouman Maqbool

Yuanxi Jiang

My Role/

UX Researcher Interaction Designer

Year

2022

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Background & Motivation

Museums play a critical role in preserving culture and education, but engaging group visitors remains a challenge. Traditional museum experiences are often designed for individual learning, making it difficult for groups to interact meaningfully with exhibits. Studies show that social engagement enhances learning, yet many museums lack tools to facilitate group discussions and collaboration. Our goal was to bridge this gap using digital interventions to create a more engaging and interactive group experience.

Museum Visitor Statistics

80% of visitors prefer interactive and immersive experiences.
65% of group visitors find traditional museum setups restrictive for discussions.
75% of surveyed participants stated that digital guides improved their experience.

(Sources: Sheng & Chen, 2011; Falk & Dierking, 2013)

Research & Methodology

Understanding Museum Visitors

Through literature review, observations, and interviews, we analyzed visitor behavior and engagement levels. Key findings:

Visitors engage more when content is interactive and social.
Groups face challenges in balancing exploration and social interaction.
A lack of context in exhibits leads to disengagement.

“We often see groups struggling to engage with the exhibits together, leading to a passive experience.” – Museum Staff Interview

Key Visitor Insights

Social Learning: Visitors prefer to discuss exhibits with peers rather than passively reading text.
Wayfinding Issues: Many visitors struggle with navigation and contextual information gaps.
Technology Hesitation: Some visitors are reluctant to use apps in a museum setting, fearing distraction from the real exhibits.

User Research & Data Collection

To understand user needs, we employed a mixed-methods approach:

In-depth interviews with museum staff & visitors.
On-site observations of visitor interactions.
Persona development & affinity diagramming to synthesize insights.

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Affinity Diagram & PACT Analysis

Screenshot 2023-03-28 at 07.46_edited.jpg

Persona

Ideation & Concept Development

Our ideation process focused on generating innovative solutions that enhance group interactions in museums. Using techniques such as 'How Might We' (HMW) questions, brainstorming, and affinity mapping, we explored various possibilities before refining them into a structured concept.

How Might We (HMW) Questions

We formulated key questions to guide our ideation:

How might we develop engaging social interactions in museums?
How might we enhance storytelling and context-building?
How might we encourage collaborative learning through digital tools?

Brainstorming & Idea Selection

We conducted multiple brainstorming sessions, using techniques such as:

Braindumping: Each team member independently listed ideas before group discussion.
Idea Prioritization: Using the MoSCoW method to categorize 'Must Have', 'Should Have', 'Could Have', and 'Won't Have' features.

Core Concept & Features

Based on our research and ideation, we defined the key features of our digital solution:

Thematic Tours: Curated audio-visual experiences providing storytelling elements.
Artifact Hunt: An interactive scavenger hunt encouraging group engagement.
Group Quizzes: Knowledge-based challenges promoting discussions.

From Wireframe to High-Fidelity Prototype

Our design process followed an iterative approach, refining the prototype from low-fidelity wireframes to a fully interactive high-fidelity prototype.

Wireframing & Initial Concepts

Low-Fidelity Wireframes: We began with hand-drawn sketches and digital wireframes in Figma to establish core navigation and layout.
User Flow Development: Defined key interaction points, ensuring smooth transitions between features like Thematic Tours and Artifact Hunts.

High-Fidelity Prototyping & Testing

Visual Design: Incorporated a refined UI style, color schemes, and typography inspired by museum aesthetics.
Interactive Elements: Developed a clickable prototype to simulate real user interactions.
User Testing Rounds: Iteratively improved usability based on direct feedback, refining navigation and engagement mechanisms.

Wireframe & Flow Design

Low-fi

User Testing & Iteration

We conducted multiple rounds of user testing to refine our prototype and improve the user experience. Using the Think-Aloud Protocol and observational methods, we gathered insights from real museum visitors and iterated accordingly.

Key Findings from Testing

Navigation Clarity: Some users found the initial menu confusing, leading to a more intuitive redesign.
Engagement Levels: Users responded positively to interactive features like the Artifact Hunt, which increased group engagement.
Accessibility Concerns: Improved font size, contrast, and touch-friendly elements based on feedback.

Iterative Improvements

Refined UX flow for better navigation and user guidance.
Added visual cues to make interactive elements clearer.
Enhanced group collaboration features to further promote social learning

Find the final prototype HERE

Technical Implementation

Our project resulted in a high-fidelity interactive prototype rather than a fully developed application. The design process focused on user experience research and iterative prototyping to create an engaging and intuitive interface.

Prototype Development: The prototype was built using Figma, allowing for rapid iterations and usability testing with museum visitors.
User Testing Process: Conducted multiple testing rounds using the Think-Aloud Protocol to refine navigation and interaction elements.
Future Development Considerations:
- Expanding the prototype to include more interactive elements based on visitor feedback.
- Enhancing usability by iterating on navigation and user flow for smoother engagement.
- Exploring additional content delivery methods such as audio narration or guided storytelling features.

Impact & Future Work

Key Contributions

Demonstrated how digital interventions can enhance museum visits.
Developed a user-centered framework for group engagement in cultural spaces.
Provided insights for future museum technology applications.

Next Steps

Testing with more visitor groups.
Expanding the application to support multilingual accessibility.
Collaboration with museums for real-world deployment.

Lessons Learned

The importance of contextual storytelling in making artifacts engaging.
Challenges of designing for both individual and group experiences.
Balancing digital interactivity with traditional museum experiences.

Future Possibilities

Looking ahead, there are several ways this project could evolve to further enrich group museum experiences:

Context-Aware Personalization: Implementing machine learning to adapt content dynamically based on visitor interests and behavior.
Augmented Reality (AR) Enhancements: Using AR to create layered historical reconstructions or interactive storytelling over physical exhibits.
Collaborative Digital Tools: Expanding features that allow real-time group interactions, such as shared annotations or live discussion prompts.
Seamless Multi-Device Integration: Ensuring the experience works across mobile devices, tablets, and smart glasses for greater accessibility.
Gamification & Engagement: Introducing challenge-based learning mechanics to boost engagement and retention.

These future possibilities align with ongoing trends in museum technology and visitor engagement strategies.

AI-powered recommendations tailoring tours based on visitor interests.
AR overlays providing a dynamic, immersive storytelling experience.
Voice-controlled interaction for hands-free accessibility.

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