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Sunday, 31 July 2011
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Des nouvelles d'Iran - Semaine 30 - lissping
Des nouvelles d'Iran - Semaine 30
Nouvelles des PrisonniersA-Transferts
- Zia Nabavi est de nouveau transféré à la prison Karoun d’Ahvaz.
B- Arrestations/Incarcérations
- Ahmad-Reza Ahmadpour a été arrêté la semaine dernière à Qom.
- Ayat Ali Mehr Beiglou, militant azari, condamné à 1 an de prison.
- Maryam Bidgeli, féministe, arrêtée chez elle à Qom ; elle est membre de la campagne 1 millions de signatures pour l’égalité et avait été condamnée à 6 mois de prison qu’elle a déjà purgés.
- Behrouz Darvand, écologiste kurde arrêté.
- Sharif Dashvar, écologiste kurde arrêté.
- Iradj Ghaderi, écologiste kurde arrêté.
- Mahdieh Golrou, militante étudiante, de retour à Evine à la fin de sa libération provisoire.
- Bahareh Hedayat devait être opérée de la vésicule biliaire samedi, mais sa caution a été révoquée et elle est de retour à Evine, sans opération.
- Ali KalaÏ, militant des droits humains, commence à purger sa peine de 7 ans.
- Hashem Khastar réârrété dès la fin de sa peine.
- Vahid Missaghian, bahaï, arrêté samedi dernier à Ispahan.
- Mostafa Nili, condamné à 3.5 ans de prison, arrêté suite à convocation à Evine pour purger sa peine.
- Mehdi Samaï, prisonnier politique dans les années 80, arrêté après les élections de juin 2009 et condamné à 3 ans de prison a de nouveau été arrêté.
- Mohammad Sami, actuellement libre sous caution, convoqué à Evine pour y purger sa peine.
- Shahnaz Talaï, bahaï, arrêtée samedi dernier à Ispahan.
- Leïla Tavassoli, la femme qui avait témoigné sur les voitures écrasant les manifestants lors de l’Ashoura 2009, de retour en prison après 10 jours de liberté provisoire.
- Arrestation samedi de nombreux bahaïs du village de Kata ; la plupart sont envoyés à la prison de Shiraz.
- Plus de 150 arrestations de jeunes lors de fêtes mixtes dans la région du Khorassan en 3 semaines.
- RajaNews indique jeudi que 2 journalistes du site Ayandeh news auraient été arrêtés sans en préciser le nom.
C- Libérations
- L’actrice Pegah Ahangarani relâchée mercredi sous caution.
- Fatemeh Darvish libérée après 8 mois de prison mardi.
- Le chrétien Massoud Delidjani libéré après 114 jours d’emprisonnement à l’isolement.
- La cinéaste Mahnaz Mohammadi, épouse de Djafar Panahi, libérée sous caution.
- Mohammad Reza Razaghi libéré à la fin de sa peine.
- Abed Tavantcheh, militant étudiant, libéré après avoir purgé sa peine d’un an.
- L’actrice Marzieh Vafamehr relâchée lundi sous caution.
D-Autres Nouvelles
- La mère de Sohrab Arabi, Parvin Fahimi, interdite de sortie du territoire.
- Afshin Baymani, membre de l’OMPI, emprisonné depuis 2000 et condamné à perpétuité transféré à l’isolement à Rejaei Shahr.
- Le bloggeur Behnam Darvishian n’a toujours reçu aucune visite au bout de 8 mois d’emprisonnement.
- Abadollah Ghasemzadeh, prisonnier politique kurde, en grève de la faim à la prison de Yazd.
- Bakhshali et Sahand Mohammadi, prisonniers politiques kurdes, en grève de la faim à la prison de Yazd.
- Nasser Khani Zadeh, prisonnier politique kurde, décède dimanche au dispensaire de la prison d’Oroumieh.
- Une fois de plus, la libération provisoire pour raisons médicales est refusée à Hossein Ronaghi Maleki après sa transplantation d’un rein.
Nouvelles de l’injustice en Iran
- Le journaliste Mohammad Davari condamné à un an de prison supplémentaire.
- 7 mois de prison supplémentaire pour Ahmad Ghabel, pour avoir révélé les tortures et les exécutions ayant lieu dans les prisons iraniennes. La cour d’appel confirme sa condamnation à 20 mois de prison.
- Eighan Shahidi, étudiant bahaï, condamné à 5 ans de prison.
- Amir Sheibani condamné à 8 ans de prison.
- La peine de mort d’Abbas Tavakoli Borazjani est confirmée par la cour suprême.
- Ejeï annonce que 54 peines de mort ont été énoncées en 4 mois pour des crimes violents.
- 900 viols en 4 ans en Iran.
- La seconde audience pour les randonneurs américains est prévue pour dimanche.
- Une exéction à Kerman le 26 juillet.
L’université - La culture
- Le festival de Sarajevo récompense Djafar Panahi.
- L’Iran continue de refuser la scolarisation des réfugiés afghans.
- Le port de jeans désormais interdit dans les écoles iraniennes.
- 2.000 jeunes iraniens quittent l’Iran pour aller étudier en Malaisie d’après le ministre des sciences.
- 40% des médaillés des olympiades du savoir quittent l’Iran.
- Posséder une antenne satellite coûte 300$ ; résister à sa confiscation coûte 700$.
- L’Iran est le 5ème pays au monde à souffrir le plus de la fuite des cerveaux.
L’économie de l’Iran
- Le développement urbain de la république islamique : 5 nouvelles prisons seront construites d’ici la fin de l’année.
- 600.000 enfants sont officiellement salariés en Iran.
- L’inflation atteint 15.4% pour le mois dernier d’après le gouverneur de la banque centrale.
- En 5 ans, la dépendance aux importations est passée de 35% à 75%.
- Un million de tonnes de melons et de pastèques ont été importées l’année dernière.
- La guerre est maintenant ouverte avec les salons de coiffure pour hommes qui utilisent des cosmétiques pour femmes ; plusieurs ont été fermés.
- Explosion samedi matin du gazoduc Iran-Turquie ; l’approvisionnement dans ce dernier pays est coupé.
Les manifestations
- Une bombe sonotre éclate à Sanandadj dimanche soir.
- Manifestation de 350 salariés des télécoms à Shiraz lundi.
- Les salariés du textile du Mazandaran se rassemblent pour réclamer 13 mois de salaires impayés.
L’Iran à l’étranger
- Le chargé d’affaires allemand convoqué au ministère des affaires étrangères pour avoir défendu le parti kurde PJAK.
- Manifestation à Londres pour protester contre le bombardement par l’Iran du Kurdistan irakien.
- Les sanctions américaines empêchent la Chine de régler sa dette à l’Iran.
- Le Kurdistan irakien déploie des troupes le long de sa frontière avec l’Iran suite aux bombardements.
- La Chine doit à l’Iran 30 milliards de $.
- L’Iran, l’Irak et la Syrie se mettent d’accord pour un gazoduc islamique.
- Le ministre des affaires étrangères russe invite son homologue iranien à visiter le pays.
- Les sanctions en action : en 2010, 20% d’augmentation des investissements étrangers en Iran et l’Iran a dans ses tiroirs 400 investissements industriels dans 28 pays différents !!!
- Le président du parlement invite son homologue vénézuelien à lui rendre visite.
- Le commandant de l’IRGC devenu ministre du pétrole était soumis aux sanctions ; sa nomination lui permet d’y échapper.
- Un groupe de travail du ministère des transports se rend à Moscou pour étudier des solutions aux problèmes de transports et de développement urbain.
- L’Iran cesse de vendre du pétrole à l’Inde.
- Le groupe hollandais ING impliqué dans des transferts d’argent à destination de l’Iran et de Cuba.
- Les USA accusent l’Iran de coopération avec Al-Qaida.
- L’Iran octroie 50 millions de $ au Malawi pour ses mines d’uranium.
La politique en Iran
- Ahmadinejad propose Rostam Ghassemi, membre de l’IRGC au poste de ministre du pétrole.
- Khamenei choisit un Irakien pour présider le conseil de coordination entre les 3 pouvoirs.
- L’augmentation du nombre de parlementaires annulée.
- D’après Janhannews, Khatami serait interdit de sortie du territoire.
- Les clubs de football Persepolis et Esteghlal vont être privatisés.
- Ahmadinejad nomme le Docteur Mohammad Reza Mokhber-Dezfuli secrétaire du conseil suprême de la révolution culturelle pour 4 ans.
- Les parlementaires questionnent le ministre des affaires étrangères sur le rôle joué par Mashaï.
- Le député de Sanandadj critique la saisie des antennes satellites à l’aide de grues dans sa ville.
- Les députés abandonnent le projet de loi portant sur la polygamie.
- Le site Web d’Ahmadinejad est inaccessible depuis le 22 juillet.
- Les conservateurs fondent un nouveau mouvement : le front de stabilité de la république islamique.
- Le PJAK attaque une base bassidje près de Sarvand.
Nouvelles en vrac
- Plus de 280 hectares de forêt et de pâture détruits par le feu cette année à Hamadan.
- L’air est de nouveau irrespirable à Téhéran.
- Les affrontements au Kurdistan ont déjà fait 50 morts.
- Le chef de la police veut interdire le port d’armes blanches.
- L’âge moyen du début de la consommation de drogue tombe à 13 ans.
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Tablets are for people who hate computers | ZDNet
Between the Lines
Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel KingTablets are for people who hate computers
By Jason Hiner | July 29, 2011, 4:30am PDT
Summary
Tablets are stealing the thunder from PC sales in 2011, but that doesn’t mean tablets are for everyone. For people who are already highly-proficient with a PC, you may be disappointed by a tablet.
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Larry Dignan
Biography
Larry Dignan
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.
For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.
Andrew Nusca
Biography
Andrew Nusca
Editor
Andrew J. Nusca is an editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet. As a journalist based in New York City, he has written for Popular Mechanics and Men's Vogue and his byline has appeared in New York magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Editor & Publisher, New York Press and many others. He also writes The Editorialiste, a media criticism blog.
He is a New York University graduate and former news editor and columnist of the Washington Square News. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been named "Howard Kurtz, Jr." by film critic John Lichman despite having no relation to him. He lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife, cat and Boston Terrier.
Rachel King
Biography
Rachel King
Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.
I started using the original Apple iPad the day it launched in 2010. Same for the iPad 2 in 2011. For most of the other high-profile tablets that have arrived during the past year — Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad — I’ve been fortune enough to get my hands on them even before they were available to the public. For all of these tablets, I’ve been able to experiment with them for weeks, if not months.
This little journey has made the past year pretty exciting with all of these uber-gadgets to work with and write about. But, after working with the iPad and most of these competitor tablets month after month, I’ve come to a bit of a sobering conclusion: If you’re already highly-proficient with a computer then you’re probably going to end up pretty frustrated with most of these tablets.
Photo credit: iStockPhoto/ozgurdonmaz
I’ve come up with a new rule for technophiles who are thinking about which tablet to buy. I’d encourage you to repeat this to yourself. Memorize it. It will either save you money or help set your expectations correctly if you do decide to get a tablet. Here it is…
New rule: Tablets are for people who hate computers
Okay, I know that “hate” is a pretty strong word here, but let’s be honest, there are still a lot of people who are scared, intimidated, or simply averse to using computers. For many of these people, tablets like the iPad are perfect. The interface is self-evident, the user experience is limited and uncomplicated, and there aren’t a lot of buttons and menus to cause confusion (especially with the iPad).
Tablets like the iPad are also great for children. Since most kids are natural touchers, they tend to learn the multitouch interface almost instantly, without any instruction. I’ve seen kids as young as two who have watched their parents use an iPad and quickly learned how to swipe to unlock it and pull up the Photos app and swipe through pictures.
However, if you are a person that is already highly-proficient with a computer and has refined a way of doing things on a PC or Mac that enables you to speed through your most important tasks, then you will probably be impressed with the look-and-feel of a tablet in your hands, but ultimately frustrated that it can’t do a lot of the things you’re used to doing with a computer, or at least can’t do them fast enough.
That’s the same feeling I get with every tablet that I try to use for an extended period in place of a laptop. I continually run into moments where I try to do something and get frustrated because it’s slow, clunky, or impossible to do on a tablet. I always end up just wanting to put the tablet down and pick up a laptop to speed through the task. Examples of normally simple tasks that end up getting really frustrating on a tablet include copying and pasting text from one email message to another, editing a spreadsheet or a presentation, and shortening and URL and then posting it to several different social networks.
As a result, that pretty much relegates a tablet to a companion device. It’s just not going to replace a laptop for people who are already PC-proficient. The best case scenario is that it might replace a second laptop — the old, low-powered laptop you used to leave downstairs in the basement or the den, or maybe on a bedside table. Even then, watch out. There will be times when you’ll get frustrated by the things you can’t do on the tablet. As I’ve said before, tablets are good for two things, reading and Scrabble (or other games).
Don’t get me wrong, there are moments of utter coolness with tablets. One time we had some friends over and decided to order Chinese. I grabbed the iPad, pulled up the restaurant’s menu and passed it around for everyone to decide what they wanted. That was cool.
Despite the occasional cool moment like that, I think lots of business professionals and technologists will find that the Amazon Kindle is a lot better for reading books while laptops are better for reading articles since the social tools for sharing and commenting are a lot better. The only real advantage that tablets have is that they are a lot easier to learn how to use and there aren’t as many ways for people to mess them up. That makes them appeal to a lot of people and that’s why Apple will sell 40-50 million of them in 2011. But, I think that techies and professionals who buy tablets will increasingly find that they use them less and less as they reach for their laptops to do stuff that’s simply too frustrating on a tablet.
Exceptions to the rule
Naturally, there are few exceptions to my new rule. Tablets aren’t completely worthless. Here are some of the ways tablets can still be useful for certain people and certain tasks in the business world.
- Field workers - For people who aren’t at a desk all day, but need to go on site and meet with clients, show them photos or illustrations, and get them to simply sign documents, the tablet makes perfect sense and always has. Some of these folks were already on board with Microsoft’s Tablet PC. The biggest advantage of the iPad and the other new multi-touch tablets is that they’re a lot cheaper.
- Single-purpose tasks - The iPad and other tablets can serve as inexpensive systems for doing single tasks like presenting photos (as in a showing for a photographer), serving as a document viewer for large documents, being a survey tool for people to fill out feedback forms, and lots of other functions that you can see if you browse the App Store.
- The meeting machine - For people who are in meetings all day, like project managers and sales professionals, a tablet can be the ideal computer to carry. You can use it to quickly access email, calendar, address book, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can take notes with it. You can use it to show off charts. And, there’s also a social aspect to this. There’s just something a little more friendly about having a tablet sitting flat on a table and tapping a few notes on it than putting a laptop between you and the person you’re meeting with.
- Inexpensive kiosks - Another interesting way that businesses can use tablets is to create a low-cost kiosk. The iPad already has a number of apps that can streamline the process. You can set up a video or a presentation on a loop, or create something more interactive. A business could even build its own interactive app and install it as a private app on the iPad or on an Android tablet.
Also read
- The truth about iPad: It’s only good for two things
- I discovered a third use for the iPad
- Why iPad popularity is slowing PC sales
This was originally published on TechRepublic.
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Jason Hiner is the Editor in Chief of TechRepublic. He is a former IT manager and an award-winning journalist.
Disclosure
Jason Hiner
Jason Hiner has nothing to disclose. He doesn't hold investments in the technology companies he covers.
Biography
Jason Hiner
Jason Hiner is the Editor in Chief of TechRepublic, an online trade publication and peer-to-peer community for IT leaders. He is an award-winning journalist who examines the latest trends and asks the big questions about the technology industry. He previously worked as an IT manager in the health care industry.
You can also find him on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and at JasonHiner.com.
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The iPad is a display only device
A little like the peacock's tail. It's sole purpose is to demonstrate the owner's evolutionary fitness in that they have so much money that they can afford to throw it away on useless but decorative things like iPads.jorwell07/29/2011 04:59 AM
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The complement each other
The Asus is extremely useful in meetings for taking notes, doing presentations and for long trips (long battery life, slim form factor, very light weight). Each have their strengths, they are not mutually exclusive, in fact with proper sync software, they complement each other nicely!.Apologies
@UralbasI was wrong to say the iPad is useless. The peacock's tail is useful for the proliferation of the peacock's genes, but an encumberance for the peacock.
iPads are definitely sexy, while laptops are not.
However you might want to consider, who is in charge, you or your genes?
jorwell07/29/2011 05:28 AMRE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
@jorwell Well peacock tail is not useless and decorative. It earns it sexRE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
@browser.
Very true... In Apple's case they get money, so it is sex and money which makes the world go round...prof12307/29/2011 07:57 AMreally
@jorwell
useless to who? you?
there are many areas the ipad is proving it's worth. archaeological digs. geospatial field work. flight manuals for airlines. medicine. the list is long.
but hey, i'm taking up your time. i'm sure you need to get back to that spreadsheet.huh?
@sportmac .....in what way? For reading or web surfing? I believe you missed the point of the aricle. I have said from day one that these are just toys and not computers. This article said it best, techno phobes are the perfect users.Romas2707/29/2011 08:06 AMI keep forgetting those tags
@sportmac<irony></irony>
jorwell(Edited: 07/29/2011 08:50 AM)gee, that's fine
@ Romas27
that you said so.
reading and web surfing eh? i give you a (short) list of how they're being used in the real world and you come back with reading and web surfing? that's the limit of your imagination?
i understand though. since you have said they're toys, and your word being all that, then they can't be used otherwise now can they.sportmac07/29/2011 10:30 AMRE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
@jorwell waiting for the win 8 to come that will blow the wind out of most tablets including the baby o.s. Ipad. tablets are limited products and android and ipads will remain always children toys. Because they have evolved from phones. Blackberry playbook seems to have an edge over the long run on security and the fact that their platform is entirely new, they did not enlarge their phone o.s.A couple things about tech you might have missed:)
@augustus_rome First point no OS stands still today's iOS is far more that the iOS that came with the first iPhone and soon there will be iOS 5. Who know what version of iOS will be out when Windows 8 finally makes its appearance? Nor do we know it's capabilities:)Second I for one don't think the tablet form factor is a food one for use as a traditional full blown computer. I suppose I could be proven wrong... Still I'm fairly secure in this.
Pagan jim
James Quinn07/29/2011 11:44 AMThe nail has been hit on the head.
@jorwellThis article confirms what I have been saying for months. Read it and see how the "coolest" moments with an iPad for most people are when they pick it up off the coffee table, or shelf where it has been laying on, (or off the floor in front of the door it has been stopping in some cases) and order Chinese food with it. ts cooler then ordering with a PC or laptop because you can actually pass the iPad around with ease, while there are of course ultra simple remedies to that with a PC or laptop, it is not realistic to even talk about passing around a PC, and a laptop would be at least a little clunkier to pass around.
But for Joe Average who spent his $500 on a low end iPad, he may not have understood when he bought the device, but he sure understands now that he has had one for a while, and thats that tablets are awkward, underpowered hobbled devices that are mostly good for ordering delivery.
And looking cool laying on your coffee table, or taking up space on a shelf, ...or stopping a door.
RE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
Both have different as well as intersecting use cases. Computers are better at creating, tablets at digesting it in a portable manner.
RE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
Consider this - Me and my wife are both strong techies... We both develop software and are well versed in both PC and Mac technologies... But when we lie on the couch and want to get some quick information or during the last week when my wife was sick, you know what device came out - iPad2. we would not even think of opening a laptop and surfing when we are lying down on the couch / bed or when we are walking around the house or when we are cooking at the kitchen looking up a recipe. As you have mentioned, the maximum usage of the iPad2, though, is by our 2 year old. She started using the iPod touch and eventually the iPad from when she was 14 months. Anyways, my point is both laptops and iPad2 can currently co-exist, but I see that as time moves on iPad2 gets to be used more.. the PCs would be relegated to development only work
RE: Are tablets are for people who hate computers?
@browser.I too am a techie (system administrator, software developer, oracle dba), and I think the problem is that either some people just don't understand the tablets place, and others are perhaps too attached to their desk or lap.
I hear the "a netbook or small laptop would be way more useful then a tablet" argument a lot. Usually from people that have never used a tablet or expect it to be a laptop replacement. But as you say sometimes (many times) your just sitting/laying on the couch, on the bed, sitting at a table, etc... and just dont want to pull out the laptop and have to deal with it. With a tablet you can just pick it up and focus on what you want quickly (check email, fire off a quick email, look something up on the web, youtube, etc..). Not to mention not having to crouch over and stare at a tiny screen on your lap. A few people that have given me the "small laptop" argument have since purchased iPad's after playing around with mine or someone else's for a while.
I have an iPad 1, iPad 2 and an Acer A500. The iPad 1 has become the "house" tablet sitting in the kitchen where anyone can just pick it up and start using it (it gets a ton of use through the day). I use the iPad 2 throughout the day, even when sitting at my desk (even with a mac pro and two displays). The Acer is more of a toy to play with, I have to admit I don't really find much value in it. But I suppose for a techie it can be considered "fun" to install custom roms every few days, just because (and when things go wrong I dont have to worry about fixing them immediately).
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Friday, 29 July 2011
Tate Debate: Should museums make apps? | Tate Blog - The UKUncut intervention
Apps for your mobile phone are becoming a feature of many people’s daily life. The rise of the smartphone means we are beginning to expect to catch up with our friends, check the weather and read the headlines simply with a flick of the finger or tap of the thumb.
Many museums and galleries have started to produce their own apps – giving you the chance to experience an aspect of that organisation right in the palm of your hand!
We think we should be doing more in this area, what do you think?
Would you like to see more apps from galleries?
What should they focus on – what’s on in the galleries, information on objects on display, games, video content?OR
Do you think mobiles are the wrong place for experiences with art and culture?
Let us know which side of the argument you come down on.
As food for thought, here’s what we’ve made ourselves or seen and liked from other museums.
Tate’s apps so far (all for iPhone or iPod touch):
The Muybridgizer, How It Is and Tate Trumps
How It Is is an experience, gaming-influenced app based on the Miroslaw Balka Turbine Hall commission from 2009.
Tate Trumps is a game to be played in the gallery at Tate Modern.
We have two guides to exhibitions at Tate Modern: Miro and Gauguin.
And a vintage photography app, to Muybridge-ise your images
We’ve also seen a lot of things we like from other organisations:
Streetmuseum, Launchball, Field Guide to Australian Flora & Fauna, Love Art, Explorer
Beautiful Field guide to Australian Flora and Fauna from Museum Victoria (best on iPad).
Comprehensive Explorer museum guide for the American Museum of Natural History.
Brilliant Streetmuseum app from the Museum of London to see historical images overlaid on the real world.
Addictive physics game Launchball from the Science Museum in London.
Classic Collection tour Love Art from the National Gallery, London.
Kirstie Beaven
Producer: Interactive Media for Tate Online.
View all posts by Kirstie BeavenThis post was tagged apps, mobile, Tate Debate. Bookmark the permalink.
137 comments on Tate Debate: Should museums make apps?
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more apps…yes definitely with video content!
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Having read a few bits of feedback, my first thoughts are keep it simple and free! Forget videos – make it educational and something to keep forever. I tend not to pay for apps as you don’t know what to expect until you receive them – if it’s free to get in to Tate, why charge for apps? If you think they are a good idea, endorse them by making them free also. Obviously the video side of things has caused people problems but would be great for those who can’t attend particular exhibitions. Give me a free app and I’ll try it!
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no more apps – this leads to the even more ‘I-am-at-the-museum-but-not-looking-at-the-artwork’ as the AudioTours that cause less attention to the displayed work… apps distracts from art
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Why do you go to museums and not look at the exhibits?
I would like a personalised real time guide that allows me to efficiently organise my time to see what I want and also to learn far more about an exhibit than can be displayed next to it.
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Given that there is limited cash available for experimentation I would like to see more pictures up on the Google Art Project rather than Apps.
If Apps are really popular and would be a revenue stream then why not?
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Exactly Kurt.
1-The Google Art Project is a winner but only as long as it is supported by those who can licence the use of their collection’s images.
2-If museums can realise more funding from sources like apps (nobody argues over whether there should be glossy catalogues) then more art can be bought for exhibition to the public.
As a developer I would add that closely designed apps like the ones highlighted in the article are the exception on the AppStore. It’s possible to waste a lot of time and money building a sprawling, unfocussed and probably un-useful App and that should not be at the expense of acquiring artworks for exhibition
Interesting comments on the article! Thanks.
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Apps and art are just begining to cultivate an exciting relationship. New experiences and engagement are possible through new media but this is the most important thing to remember. The apps strength lies in it’s ability to provide a different kind of experience and this should be considered. Tours, education and videos are all very well but that should be on the website. ‘The way it is’ was very successful in my opinion as the artist had a specific vision for it and augmented the ideas present in the work. Bjork had just released an app album allowing the music and ‘game’ elements to become one. I have recently designed an app for mac and wii remote for a public engagement project funded by CERN (large hadron collider) to explore science and music – new things are possible so exploit them, don’t just rehash old ideas into new mediums as the appropriate channels already exist.
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Thanks everyone so far, this is great!
@Alexandra, currently we have three free apps and two paid for. We’d love to know what you think of those free ones – are they in the right direction?
@Paul – interesting point. What if the app was to be used out of the gallery rather than inside? Would experiencing something about the works when you *aren’t* in the museum make a difference?
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Museum Apps have their role if they come to give more information or more content before, during of after the visit. According to me, they do not have to interfere with the visitor experience.
And please, as far as it is possible, do not limitate yourselves with apps on the iPhone !
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I like museum apps as long as they are high quality and free/affordable. I have stopped downloading them mostly because they are often poor quality and rushed. I would rather check a (mobile optimised) website to see upcoming exhibitions and museum information – but apps that compliment or expand upon an exhibition are definitely worth it.
I would like to see more audio tours and information on art/museum pieces as iPhone apps – perhaps you could scan a little barcode next to each piece with your phone and then listen to or read some commentary about each piece. For a small fee this could cut out the hassle of queueing for headphone sets and encourage visitors to pay for the tour (I never bother when at galleries but would with this option). For galleries with huge collections such as the V&A it would also encourage multiple visits as you could check out one room at a time and really make the most of each visit, rather than scanning through the whole building in a rush.
I LOVE the Streetmuseum app from Museum of London too, really great ‘pocket-sized museum’.
Finally I would also like to see more community iPhone apps being used to make collaborative art pieces – perhaps kind of ‘One Day On Earth’/365 Project/’Learning To Love You More’ sort of projects. Museums and galleries are in a unique position to kick-start these sort of apps and projects.
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Thanks Alice. We didn’t really touch on the mobile browsing versus apps in the preamble – like your distinction.
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Of course you should do more apps! They are a great way to engage a wide range of audiences and a fantastic, emerging artistic, informational and educational form. What is the purpose of a museum?
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I’m all for apps adding something to the visitor experience, perhaps giving extra information or encouraging participation and engagement. Please don’t just limit the apps to the iphone though, use the android platform aswell!
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Hello TATE, apps for art? Gee that’s a tough one. I saw ‘How it Is’, Balka, on my computer, and got a sense of what the exhibit was, but I didn’t experience it, did I? I am very happy for the video because I couldn’t get to TATE to see it physically. apps give an idea about art.
Imagine, reading a book all about swimming, how to swim, showing pictures and videos of someone swimming, and discussing techniques of swimming strokes. Discussing water temperature, and swimming suits. Great! Now you know all about swimming. Except you don’t know how it really is, cause you don’t actually know what if feels like to have the cold water surrounding your body. But you can talk endlessly about swimming with the swimming scholars. – - – - – - – The point is that art, like swimming, can’t be fully experienced, or appreciated without being physically there and in the moment. in my opinion.
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Valid point, Susan.
Does the sharing of info “giving the idea” to people like you, who couldn’t get to see it in person, make it worth doing though?
Even though we know the experience is a different and potentially information-focused one?
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Apps could definitely help people to get a deeper experience while they’re in the museum and afterwards. Something that contextualise the work historically and in teh artist’s life is the minimum you can deliver to help people understand art beyond what they see while they’re there. A place like Tate, where you can easily spend days seeing work and reading the captions, an electronic alternative to that experience is vital. Apps could be a good channel to tell visitors about new exhibitions, events and things relevant to the exhibition they’re seeing and others. Instead of talking about a paid or free version, Tate should invest in both. Something for tourists to make most of their visit and something for regulars/art lovers where they can get the best ‘bang for your buck’ rate.
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Does anyone else agree with @Nick Donovan that apps should focus on the “experience” – more the things only apps can do, rather than using apps as a new channel for distributing content?
Also Android users – tell us more about the kind of apps that are currently in the Marketplace that you think are great examples (we haven’t got any Android apps in the post so far).
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Kirstie, I think you’re getting spammed… (comments about mobile operator below…).
Does Tate moderate comments ?
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Are you asking a museum to perform censorship? Really?
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That’s just not the topic here.
Sorry but it is polluting the exchange.
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What pollutes the exchange is the dramatic downfall of the museum profession provoked by the cuts to the arts (and to everything else) which are in part a consequence of outraging tax dodging by corrupt corporations. Tate is a public institution and as such, I have the right to demand them to stop working under the umbrella of those corporations like BP or Vodaphone who put me and many thousands of museum colleagues on the job centre queue. TATE’s actions undermine the ethics of the museum profession.
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yes I think it would be wonderful!!! I LOVE THE TATE.. nearly first stop when in london
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I think apps are a great idea if they help to engage with the work on display, and maybe to show connections with other works or historical events.
Could there also be a way to interact with what other people think about work – so rather than just downloading more information, you could contribute to the discussion too?
And like Aude said, not just on iPhone. I would definitely have used the Gauguin app, but I don’t have an iPhone.
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Sorry I meant ‘How it is’. #doing10things@once
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Thanks Gareth !
@Kirstie : Well actually, I think it might be quite more complicated to make the apps focus on the visitor experience.
For me, “meeting the artefact” makes the visitor experience. At that time you feel something.
On that point I completely agree with Susan Milligan : even though you can provide contents to enhance the visitor experience, you have to wait for the experience to take place.
The apps must provide additional content to the exhibit and the website.
For eg : I don’t use a museum app if I can’t go to the exhibit. I have a look on its website to get more information about it.
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I think @Nick Donovan is right to an extent although I think it is easy for apps to get this wrong. As an iPhone user, I don’t want apps clogging up my screen that I have only used once and likely won’t ever use again. I would much rather have a ‘resource’, like Streetmuseum or a museum guide, that I can refer back to again and again. However we are just in the baby-step stage of this technology and I am intrigued and excited to see what museums/galleries and artists will be doing with mobile technology in 10 years time.
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I think they are a great idea and definitely add to the experience. I think if the apps have premium/interactive content that is in addition to what is available free (for example what you expect to get in a paid for programme/catalogue) then a small charge is reasonable.
From a technical point of view, I would advise you don’t forget the other platforms such as Android and Blackberry as there user numbers are massive. Although they don’t have quite the same established market place for apps you can provide easy installation via QR Barcodes on marketing material.
Without getting too technical if you go down the multiple platform route you should really consider having a core developed in a standard technology (for example web technologies such as HTML/CSS & Javascript) and wrap a native app container around each of these using something like Titanium http://www.appcelerator.com/ or the open source Phonegap http://www.phonegap.com/ or your costs will likely sky rocket trying to maintain code bases for each app on each platform (also it is easier and cheaper to resource web developers than mobile developers).
Regards,
Jon
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One thing I notice about your examples, Kirstie, is that many of them occupy that mental space outside of the “core” museum experience of interacting with the stuff of the museum. Tate Trumps happens in the in gallery, but it’s not strictly an interpretation of the art. Muybridgizer is the same way. I haven’t tried How It Is, but it sounds similar.
Streetmuseum and Victoria’s Field Guide are explicitly for use out in the world. Launchball can be played anywhere. AMNH’s Explorer does have interpretation, but the feature I hear everyone talking about is the navigation, so that’s also outside of the box of “interacting with the museum’s stuff” and wayfinding in a big place like AMNH or Science Museum, London, can consume over half of the total time of a visit. One opportunity for mobile experiences (app or mobile web) to shine is in these interstices.
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That’s true Ed, I hadn’t actually noticed, but I have focused on apps that are less about the traditional museum experience.
Now you point it out, I think I am *personally* really interested in the possibility for these in-between experiences, though I realise (from this thread as well as elsewhere!) that a great collection browsing tool is something many people relish.
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I think there should be apps, but we need to think carefully about what content they contain. Most of the apps I have seen are “look more closely at the object in front of you” which will only interest people for a short time and get samey quickly. I would love to see a greater variety of apps that could include gaming (I’m fond of gaming)or at least something to download in the museum, but able to use it outside of the building.
We get this idea that apps are a way to get the stuff in the store out to the public, but sometimes the reasons they are there is because we have plenty of them. We need to think about what the app is for and have a definete purpose rather than simply “getting our stuff out there.”
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I do agree with @NickDonovan RE: apps having the ability to create new experiences and levels engagement – rather than just being another channel for pushing out information – as well as having potential for becoming art in their own right.
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Re: Android Apps – the best (and pretty much only!) one I’ve found is produced by MoMA – it’s a very comprehensive listing of their collection, searchable and browsable, and with extra info such as art terms and brief biogs/overviews of artists and their works. I would be very unlikely to use my phone in a gallery and agree with many similar posts to that effect, and I’m not particularly interested in quizzes and games. However what I do crave (as an artist and educator) is good access to the knowledge bank of info that is contained on gallery websites (such as Tate) while I’m on the move.
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@Tracy Would you want this as an app, or would it be as useful to be able to browse this through a (mobile-friendly) website?
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I think that apps are a useful way to consolidate the experience and gives the visitor something to take not just home, but pretty much everywhere.
The only issue I have with museum apps at the moment is that they are pretty much exclusive to iPhone, iPad users. There is a growing number of people with android phones and it would be great to have these apps on the other platform too.
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This page is being hijacked by soap dodging counties UKuncut.
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And on another note. I am an app developer, I have published apps and I do this for a professional living.
We have been in discussion with numerous art institutions / partnerships in the North West about producing apps. There is a massive wealth of information sitting there which could be utilised and shared through out the world. Galleries, museums and other institutions have been digitising their assets for years in an expectance of platforms like these.
Its a shame there really is no money to do anything anymore. These institutions now have to worry about keeping staff employed, the lights on and the general costs of keeping and bring in exhibitions and the like.
The real discussion should be “If Vodafone and others paid their true tax liabilities could museums then afford to produce apps”
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I am all for apps, but it needs to be remembered that they are for a niche market that mightn’t be inclusive. An app might be designed to accommodate a whole range of users but ultimately the real users will be that small percentile of smart phone users who use apps for heritage/touring/arts visits. This group is further distiller downwards if, as at museum of london’s streetmuseum and londinium apps, only iPhone apps are designed. Furthermore – such augmented reality apps only work to their full benefit if you are one of the key niche users actually in London!!!
I find apps that promote collections so much more beneficial – a means of extending the collection to a wider audience. Tate accessions have stories behind them that cover the world. You should geotag them so that wherever the user is can find out about things or artists from their county/region. Don’t restrict it to just the niche users at your venues.
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With a middleware SDK like Corona you can product an app which will work across iOS and Android without having to code twice.
The apps hit a larger market if done correctly by opening up the entire world to the collections of the museum. This in turn can induce tourism, funding and the status of the museum / gallery when trying to acquire grants and private funding.
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Will the the revenue generated from the application be taxed?
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GENIUS POINT.
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@Keith Harrison
Interesting – you would like more opportunities to browse the collections of museums on your phone.
I think that @ Ed Rodley is right, I come down on the side of more “in-between” experiences.
Perhaps you’re right – perhaps that is focusing on a niche market.
It’s good to hear that you actually want more browsing of objects and associated information, and geo tagging is a great idea to make searching more relevant.
Just a reminder, this discussion is about apps for museums and galleries. Please let’s keep posts on topic.
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I thought museums were about critical thinking. Sorry, probably my degree, masters and years of experience working on museums mislead me.
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I would suggest an interactive app that you could use within the museum to provide more information on the different exhibits. Of course its doubtful that you would be able to afford to create such a thing whilst companies such as Vodafone defraud the country
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As a few have already pointed out, there are a number of reasons why museums and galleries might create apps – and they’re very similar to classic publishing opportunities:
* to augment the experience in-gallery (Tate trumps, IWM’s own Duxford Air Shows app)
* as a take-away after a visit (like the book of the gallery, maybe BL’s treasures)
* to generate revenue from audiences who may never visit the museum or gallery (we’re releasing a posters app in September for this purpose)
Each of these has different use-cases and tests to see if they’re a good idea. In-gallery apps must help extend and augment the visitor experience and ultimately their appreciation of the object / art / message. Personally, I think that apps can really help with this, but a clear vision of how they’ll be used, and testing with users during development, are both key. In our case, we created the Duxford app to give real-time information on planes that are flying , allow people to share that info, and direct them to where in the exhibition spaces they can find out more. There’s a very clear visitor requirement for this type of information and the capabilities of handsets (real-time aspect of use, GPS etc) really helped to effectively communicate this.
The latter two reasons to create an app are much more rooted in having quality content and a clear business case (be it brand-reach, sponsorship or a paid-app model). As content creators museums and galleries should, I think, be active as digital publishers as a way to broaden reach and drive revenue generation. In these cases, quality and rich content (or plane addictiveness in the case of Launchball) are critical and stuff like video, audio, deep zoom or interactive diagrams add quite a lot of value. I think that it’s interesting that most of the comments so far have largely left this type of app out.
Regarding Android: our policy is to cross-deploy everything to iOS and Android. This is partly to hit as large a market as is reasonably possible, but it’s also really important as far as access and the digital divide is concerned. Android phones are, on average, far cheaper than iPhones. As such, I think you could argue that we have an obligation to publish to them, unless we’re happy with only the better-off having access to our content and experiences.
Phew – done now.
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Thanks @Tom. Your Duxford app sounds like an excellent example of something that makes complete sense on a mobile device, and is led by a visitor need rather than by the technology.
I agree it’s interesting that we’ve touched less on the rich content or publishing side of things. There hasn’t been much discussion of tablet apps, which I think might drive the publishing of quality content since it does seem so much more enjoyable to consume video or images on a tablet-sized screen, than on the small screens of the average smartphone.
Also agree that iOS is a niche within a niche and that we should be aiming for publishing across platforms.
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So we can discuss apps in Museums and Galleries, we’re going to have to delete off-topic comments.
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I love the idea of museum apps. I work in the arts and there’s plenty more we can all do to use the tools emerging technologies provide. And increasingly these technologies are becoming material, too: they present not just new ways of delivering, accessing and experiencing art, but new artistic possibilities.
As a member of Tate, I’d welcome an app that tells me what’s on and gives me more information and context on the work. And I’d welcome explorations in the creation of art for that platform, art that perhaps never appears in the main gallery.
However. I won’t remain a member of Tate if you continue your association with BP and Vodafone. These are toxic brands with a whole raft of ethical blind-spots. They make you look increasingly ridiculous. By all means develop apps, but find a more suitable partner.
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I think mobiles and corporate sponsorship are both better left out of art and culture. As a society we already spend an inordinate amount of time ‘glued’ to our electronic devices, personally I would prefer my museums and galleries mobile and marketing free. Surely there is a limit on how much information we can actually consume and if people wish to research further they can do already through existing channels. Although sponsoring a debate about mobile usage by a mobile phone company appears to suggest you have already made your decision.
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Isn’t one of the nice potentials of mobile the opportunity to actually decrease the amount of information and interpretation on display in gallery spaces, push some of it to mobile/guides for people that want it, and in doing so make the spaces more experiential and relaxing?
… possibly.
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And how would this benefit people who can’t afford smart phones? Considering all the people currently being put out of work or having their benefits cut because the bankers trashed the economy and so many corporations like Vodafone don’t pay their taxes, the Tate should be thinking more about accessibility for all regardless of income.
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Galleries already do this. There’s a level of information in guidebooks or audioguides that can’t be found simply on the gallery floor.
Obviously I’m not suggesting that this is an answer for every bit of interpretation or information. But these technologies do allow you more options that galleries have traditionally had. For instance, what if the overriding aim of the gallery space was to be clean and empty, such as “The Weather” in the Turbine Hall or work by Dan Flavin? Mobile and guides offer you a way to deliver the information that some people want without compromising the space. IWM use this approach with audioguides in our historic sites (HMS Belfast and Churchill War Rooms) as delivering all of the interpretation though traditional means would ruin the experience of being in the spaces themselves.
There are also options to provide the technology to people in-gallery if they don’t have, or don’t want to use, their own kit. I believe Tate gave out iPhones at Gauguin if people didn’t have their own to use the guide app on.
It’s also not a one-size-fits-all argument. Some people (16 – 24 year olds) are increasing using their mobiles as their primary (and sometimes only) way to consume information. You could argue that being on these platforms extends reach, participation and access.
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Decreasing the amount of information on display would surely mean people who don’t have access or the skills to operate mobile technology would lose out. I can’t see how the opportunity to learn less is more relaxing when the opportunity to learn more is restricted.
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This point of view appears predicated upon the believe that none has anything to benefit by using mobile apps over alternatives. Something that the huge number of apps in use in just about every area of activity must surely bring into question.
The fact that some individuals may not wish to use them is no reason to remove the benefits from others.
If museums are not to be free to use sponsorship then they must make their users pay more.
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Interesting comments.
I’d say definitely more apps and definitely multi-platform, hoping they’ll replace audioguides as on-site tools to engage visitors and explain artworks!
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On one side I feel that going into a cultural venue should be an opportunity to enter an oasis of calm, to be allowed to think, contemplate and take in the experience, clear of the clutter of texts and tweets and beeps that surround us the rest of the time.
On the other hand I love my tech and being able to pull up additional information in an instant is brilliant. I love the idea that I could get artists and curators statements in plain English. I can get context if I want it, see additional works by the artist or movement that aren’t on display, engage my kids in something and take it away to follow up at home and perhaps return to re-evaluate my initial thoughts and ideas.
I worry about the rush to create apps for apps sake though. While many of the museum and gallery apps I’ve seen are brilliant, are they all really needed? Do they all add to the experience enough to warrant the cost of development? Look at any of the app stores, for every Angry Birds there are a thousand crappy games. Also using that analogy it is often the simplest cleanest apps that work the best. I’m still not there on video, if only because of download limits etc.
I’m still excited to see what comes next though….
As for deleting comments, they are not strictly off topic but even if they were, that a cultural institution is stifling debate is horrific. The sponsor here is part of the very technology Tate is instigating a debate about. You can’t split the two out. As soon as the sponsor is associated with you, you open yourselves to criticism. Don’t like it? Don’t take the money. That’s sponsorship 101.
Would I prefer here to just read about apps yes, but I prefer freedom of expression more. After all isn’t that what art is all about?
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The Museum of London’s Streetmuseum app is ace. More things like that please!
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I second everything Adam says! Particularly that it’s all very well offering more, better-presented information about the object, but why can’t that be available to everyone, using that lovely, cheap, accessible technology: PAPER! I’m fed up of exhibits with badly-written, uninformative labelling.
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Seems an odd question. A bit like asking “should museums build websites?”…
To which, answer is: yes, in some contexts – no in others
I have to say, I’ve been fairly underwhelmed by a number of museum apps. I banged on about this a while back (http://electronicmuseum.org.uk/2009/12/18/great-about-mobile/) – the fascination with collections per se seems somewhat bizarre.
However – use of mobile because it is *mobile* and not just because you can – is a whole other matter. I think we’re only just beginning to see innovation in this space, and there’s lots of room for more exciting stuff.
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Yes for apps! I prefer museum apps that have additional content such as video, interviews, event details, and “behind the scenes” sort of stuff, etc. I am not so much in favor if just putting up every piece in the collection, though those who enjoy looking at art will undoubtedly choose to see a piece in a museum and not just on a device. Perhaps an app where you can curate your own show in a digital gallery space using pieces from the collection or pieces from recent exhibitions would make this approach more interesting and interactive. Bringing art to people in any way is a plus!
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If the purpose of these apps is to liberate the information and resources held by the museum, I would question whether the app stores are essentially the wrong channel for distribution. Why decide to liberate information, then put it behind a pay-wall (even if the apps are free, you still need to buy the specific application to run the app).
A more sensible use of budget would be to create engaging browser-based experiences, which can be equally rich if we leave behind the now outdated platforms. This makes the information open to all, and will hopefully engage the extremes at each end of the age bracket, who don’t necessarily have access to smart phones.
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Good point @Chris, and we shouldn’t forget that many mobile experiences with museums/galleries will still happen through the browser, no matter how many apps we have! @Keith Harrison also made the point that apps themselves are necessarily for a niche audience.
Though you say browser-based experiences can be equally rich, I wonder if there are also ways, as @Mike Ellis says, that the “mobile-ness” of mobile can be better harnessed, and whether apps currently allow us to do that more easily?
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Interesting response Kirstie. You can still optimise experiences for mobile in the browser, for instance you still have access to contextual sensors such as GPS.
We recently undertook a project for English Table Tennis, http://spotlight.etta.co.uk/. Although it’s not a museum project, it still shows how a browser based tool can work across platforms and still help people discover new venues and events using mobile specific contexts such as current location. This, for me, is the future.
An open and future proof, singular code base that isn’t tightly coupled with any particular platform or means of distribution.
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I enjoy museum apps and I use them frequently. As regards your questions, my thoughts are as follows:
1. I most enjoy/use apps *after* having visited the museum/exhibit attached to the app. While I have downloaded apps for museums that I’ve not visited since the download, after the initial viewing, I find I never open that particular app. However, after recent visits to the V&A and the National Gallery, I return to the apps as a means of reliving/re-experiencing those visits.
2. Thus, for me, it is important that apps be functional outside the museum itself. Again, for me, such is the case not as a means to “substitute” for an actual visit but, rather, as a means to deepen/prolong what was valuable about the visit.
3. I agree with above commentators vz. keep it simple, focus on the art (not bells and whistles), and do give people information about the art. Information does not equate with “taming” our viewing; it can enhance our viewing and prompt us to read/view more deeply on our own.
4. Free apps are very important. Minimize fee-based apps.
5. I agree with posts above, vz. being mindful of your associates/financial supporters. Don’t pretend that what the Tate does is apolitical. Museums are as ideological/political as any other institution (as many of your exhibits have been quick to point out).
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There seems to be an App based stampede at the momemt? I like my smartphone to give me this or that! There are many detailed and in some ways technical replys. i would like to raise a simpler question (if the moderator allows) Are these apps cost effective to produce given that the typical user appears to be a smartphone user wishing to enhance their exsperience? Would the funds be better spent producing something that reaches out to a wider audience?
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I love apps that give information about exhibitions and are a ‘souvenir’ of the exhibition. (The Cult of Beauty one was good)
No games though – not a gallery thing at all!
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You run a slippery slope asking about apps and mobile in museums when you ask a question along the lines of, “Based on what you’ve seen or done, do you think we should do more?” There are a few hierarchies of interaction with museums, and @edrodley begins to get at them above. I often think I see Maslow at work in this hierarchy.
Basic Need – what’s on, how do I get there, where do I park, what are the hours. There’s little reason to do this in an app, especially an app dedicated solely to this. Mobile web serves it well and most museum web analytics that I’ve seen have shown this to be a well-visited portion of the website.
Exhibit Derivative – the modern version of the audio tour. That, as you move about the museum, there’s additional information and content available through your mobile device. It’s where the modern layer of tech is at and tries to satisfy the visitor need of having a guide or docent available throughout the museum for everyone at all times. This is baseline app stuff but also doesn’t fundamentally change the museum experience.
Extend the Experience – This is where it starts to get interesting and some of the apps described above, Muybridgizer, Streetmuseum, Victoria’s Field Guide, Launchball, etc, head in this direction. These aren’t direct interactions with the museum and its displayed content, but leverage the museum as a source of an experience.
The Next Step – And this is rare and won’t be discovered by a focus group. This is where you try out something insanely new that sounds crazy and tickles and itch of many. Twitter nor the iPad were invented by a focus group but worked with existing tech in new ways that surpassed and delighted people.
I want to see museums innovating on the 3rd and 4th tiers, but here’s the rub. It’s hard to do those well unless you’ve worked your way up to creating those kinds of experiences. You need to cut your teeth on the lower end experiences to see how to develop, what it means to manage that sort of project, and how to create meaningful interactions. At the same time, doing that lower tier often helps museums reorganize internally to create a new digital infrastructure that allows the really good stuff to happen. If you start out at the top, you may create something brilliantly bespoke, but it’s difficult to scale that experience and succeed again.
So, yes. Do more apps. Not because everyone else is making an app but because you have something to share, an experience to extend, a way to engage people. Do the crappy apps and get them out of the way so you can wrap everyone’s head around how to do the hard stuff. It’s a learning process both internally and externally. Along the way, be insanely skeptical that this stuff is working and if it’s not, kill it off. And, when you get the crazy idea that nobody’s tried before, then you’re in a position to try because you have the mechanics in place.
The apps that create new experiences, whether it be gaming in the museum, or adding a user-contributed augmented reality layer to an exhibit, or pull the content out into the real world, are the ones that we ultimately need to create. The experiences don’t have to satisfy everyone—hell our own content doesn’t do that—and be comfortable with that.