Phase Three: The Idea

Phase Three - Planning

9th - 15th August

As with the design of anything that is to be used by a variety of people, we were faced with the inherent challenge of how to best create it in so that it is functional and user friendly. In a paradox it almost has to be simple and complicated: complicated so that it performs a wide variety of function and offers a lot of features but is packaged in a way that is intuitive and the user is unaware of the complexity. Each of us attempted to devise a flowchart style visualization as to how our app could be structured and navigated.

(Click for larger Images)

Phase Four - The Idea

9th - 15th August

In our case, in order to create a successful app, we need to devise a way of navigating simultaneously through the physical space and the content. The idea came when we came across online visual brainstorm and thesaurus.

Visuwords and Visual Thesaurus show a visual way of visually exploring concepts and ideas and links between them. This prompted the idea that what if we could create this sort of visual concept navigation in combination with the navigation. Such a solution offers a way for the user to navigate through the spaces they browse topics, themes, artworks, artistic elements they are interested in while immediately seeing them placed in the physical space.

To achieve this, we plan to integrate the use of Unity 3D. This software enables us to take a 3D render of the gallery space which we can make up in a 3D modeling software (e.g. Maya, 3DS MAX) and set up camera movement and other features commonly integrated into 3D games. But what's more than that is that is can be easily converted to an Xcode file to upload to iPhone. Hence, this would enable us to take advantage of the hardware features of the iPhone for navigating through the space, such as, the accelerometer to tilt to navigate or the touch gestures.

The visual brain storm would take the form of 'bubbles' in the 3D space. The user can 'follow' the ideas and bubble which would lead them to works and then reveal more about the works.

For the initial deployment of this project, it would act independent of the user's actual physical location. In the long term implementation of this project, ideally some sort of real time location tracker would make the navigation more natural. That is, it would be able to place which room the viewer was standing in by bluetooth, GPS, IR, RFID or similar, and in combination with hardware such as the gyro and accelerometer, the map could update real time to accurately reflect location.

Even at this stage, it can offer the viewer to skip ahead and plan out which direction they want to head in. For those confused by the interface or the bubbles, there is the option of narrowing down what strings of bubbles they want to see, turn them off completely to see just the artwork titles or switch to simple overhead view for more traditional mode of navigation.

The effect of augmenting the gallery space in such a way creates an interaction and dialogue not just between the viewer and the works, but also between the works and the space. It is not often one gets to see the relationships between the works when in fact, a lot of work has gone into curating exhibitions around such dialogues and connections. We have been told by the client that the works in the permanent collection tell the story of New Zealand and so by presenting the works in such a way, it deepens the understanding of the collection as a whole, rather than just as standalone works.

The next phases are in fact to be the most time consuming. There are many elements we have to bring together, in particular the Unity 3D interface and learning the language of iPhone apps. The conceptual frame work and technical structure are both vital to realize this project.

The initial phases

Phase One: Ideas and Brainstorms
26 July - 01 August 2010

Our initial exploration and starting point of the task of creating an interactive audio / multimedia tour guide for the Auckland City Art Gallery posed more questions than actual answers. Key ideas to explore were around who the gallery goer and target audience is, what should we consider in regards to usability of the hardware, user interface and content and what the purpose of an audio tour in traditional and modern contexts is.

These answers we began to find through discussion in our group, with lecturers and with the client as well as research.

Phase Two: Research
02-08 August 2010

Why an audio tour?
Audio tours as an accessory to a museum or gallery visit reveal more and deeper levels of information about an artwork that may be otherwise available or understood by the gallery-goer. Most galleries have small placards of text alongside each work but the audio tour offers a greater dept of information than could fit physically. They encourage visitors to spend more time at the gallery and engage in more of a learning experience.

Why an interactive / multimedia device?
Interactive devices deliver this content in a method that is more appealing and engaging, hence people can learn more when enjoying it.

The client has identified their key aims of such a device to help users engage with artworks in a meaningful way which works to build and strengthen the relationship between visitors and the gallery.

Who is the target audience?

Characteristics of the gallery goer to consider:
- Student
- Have they been to a gallery before?
- How old are they?

- What culture are they from?
- Are they tourists?
- Are they by themselves or in couples / groups?

The client has identified their their target audience for the device based on a visitor profile developed through research by the Tate Museum which looked at audience behaviors and motivations for visiting the gallery. They have decided to target self-improvers who are looking for ways to broaden their knowledge their knowledge and skills. The device would serve this target audience by acting as a learning tool that helps them build skills for looking at art and strategies for understanding it.

What sort of content should it deliver?
Many people are put of traditional audio guides because of the connotation of the droning authoritative voice. However, this can be likened to not going to the cinema again after having seen a bad movie. The audio guide is just the platform and the content itself is vital to the user experience.

The content itself should offer various depths of information giving the user the choice of how much they want to access. As well as the traditional audio, users can access images, video and navigation option as well as expand upon the information by delving deeper into specific aspects of the information such as historical / cultural context, symbolism, about the artist, about the the art style / movement, and related works.

The content will be provided to us by the gallery and for the initial stage of this project which we are undertaking for the purposes of this project this semester, we are focusing on eight works which are part of the New Zealand Permanent collection that is the overall focus of the wider project. It has been discussed that for the more long term purposes to set a connection to a database, Vernon, which offers collections management software for museums, galleries and other cultural heritage sites.

How should the content be delivered?
The initial platform we are using is the iPhone. We discussed the pros and cons of web based content versus a self contained app and for the initial project, we are focusing on a self contained. In the long term we will aim to deploy content that is web-based and available on any mobile device so that visitors to the gallery can use their own devices.

The cellphone platform offers a way to attract new audiences. Jane Burton curator of interpretation at the Tate Moderns said I was particularly interested in finding out whether it could reach new audiences who wouldn’t have considered taking a traditional audio tour. I suspected it might.”

Museums in the US have found that use of cell phone as a platform reduces the infrastructure and staffing costs for the audio tours. However, visitors can be put off by potentially incurring high data fees from mobile service providers, especially foreign visitors incurring roaming fees.

The advantage of an iPhone app is that it provides a more or less consistent platform; where a general mobile device would have to cater to a wide range of screen sizes, resolutions, functions etc. The iPhone offers a set of consistent features and so by using it as a platform, we have to utilize the features it offers such as the swipe and gesture functions and the hardware.

It is important that if it is deployed on a device such as an iPhone, the content is what draws the visitor to want to use it, after the novelty of the device has worn.

What has been done already?

Such devices are becoming more common at museums and galleries around the world. The existing iPhone applications we downloaded and had a look at were standalone guides that worked outside the gallery. What we're wanting to create would enhance the gallery experience and offer something more when used in the gallery space.

The overall aesthetic of the apps were quite plain, many of them following the standard template of the iPhone app, even the one MoMA has recently launched.

We think we can go above an beyond what is already available. What is achievable to create this semester will serve as the building blocks for what it will become. Our goal is to create an app that is ready to launch which provides the fundamental components of the overall aim with the potential to expand it further with the other identified components that we and the client have identified. We plan to explore all these avenues so that the groundwork for them is ready and reinforced what is initially executed.

Next step is to being planning how it is to be structured and what identify and learn the skills we need to create it and put it together.

Research sources:
A Museum Electronic Guide in Real Use
Cells and Sites: How Historic Sites are Using Cell Phone Tours
The learning experience with electronic museum guides

London Museum Releases Cool Augmented Reality App
New Plymouth Museum Puke Ariki launches iPad based visitor experience
When In Roam: Visitor Response To Phone Tour Pilots In The US And Europe
“I never take audio guides. I can’t stand them!”
Visitors want to know 'Why?' (museum handheld guides)
The eyes want to have it: Multimedia Handhelds in the Museum (an evolving story)
Designing Visitor Experiences with Mobile Platforms in Museums
MoMA iPhone App Puts a Museum in Your Pocket

Auckland Art Gallery Audio Guide Project

Take Leonardo Da Vinci painting the Last Supper, Masaccio painting the frescos of the Brancacci Chapel or Paolo Uccello painting The Battle of San Romano hundreds of years ago; it would've been completely incomprehensible to them to be handed an iPhone and be able to scroll through, zoom in and out, share and collect the works they worked for months, even years on.

So of course, that is my project for semester. As part of the Auckland Art Gallery Developmental Project, we will be working on developing a multimedia audio guide. to use as an interactive learning tool which helps visitors develop strategies for understanding art. The gallery reopens its main gallery in 2011 following development and reconstruction.

The client has come to us wanting a technology partnership as a way of exploring ideas and technologies beyond their expertise, deliver engaging gallery experiences through an innovative platform, and incorporate perspectives of professionals working outside the museum / gallery industry.

They are wanting to create a visitor experience that will:
• Provide inspiring, imaginative and enjoyable experiences
• Nurture curiosity and foster life-long engagement with the arts
• Create opportunities for dialogue and debate through interaction and participation
• Encourage visitors to make meaningful personal connections with the collection

Given my previous interest in studying art and art history, this project immediately appealed to me. The potential of launching this sort of application with the iPhone as a platform, I jumped at the chance to learn iPhone coding and development with a practical application.

What they are initially wanting from us (which will take us through the duration of this semester) is to investigate possible ways to approach this, develop a working prototype and explore how the initial device will fit into plans for its long-term development.

I am excited about this project as it is a more real world application of our studio work. For the first time in this course, I am beginning to find an application to my interests and skills that I could work towards a possible path after completing BCT. There are a lot of other exciting opportunities coming up during this semester to network with people in the industry and potential future clients, mainly the Semi-Permanent Conference and the Creative Tech Conference. Specifically, I hope to be able to become adept at the iPhone platform and app development. So all in all, should be a busy semester ahead.