Mobeum Hood Test Take Two

Mobeum Test at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College on January 28, 2010

Thursday's pilot test at the Hood Museum of Art suggests that we achieved our goal of simplifying the mobile museum tour. Unlike the previous version which conflated browsing and tour, this new dedicated Mobeum Tour proved easy to use in the gallery and on the whole more satisfying to the test participants. The test group comprised three adult community members, admittedly a small sampling, but all three stated that Mobeum Tour was easy to use.

When asked if they would choose to use their cell phone to take a museum tour, and Mobeum in particular, they all answered yes. Ease of use figured among the reasons they gave:

• Learn more on individual basis
• Interesting and informative content
• Great way to access museum information
• Control over content and pace
• Don't have to rent a headset
• Hygiene
• Like idea of being able to go to museums virtually
• Easily accessible
• Easy to use
• Normally don't take tours but would with my own cell
• Great feature: visitor choice of "More about this object"
• Ability to zoom in on photo detail
• Enriched my experience of a gallery that I've always disregarded

This final point Mobeum Tour (enriched the experience of a gallery that I've always disregarded) prompted a long discussion about content creation. Participants concurred that they would be happy to go back to a museum over and over again, if the museum provided Mobeum Tours with good, varied and fresh content.

The debriefing resulted in a list of ideas for content themes, including: looking closely, art history, technique, composition, gossip, point/counterpoint. Participants also stated that additional content at the beginning and end of the tour would improve the experience and permit the museum to make a call to action: an orientation to Mobeum Tour with instructions on how to find its mobile and desktop browser versions, an introduction to the collection from the museum director and an envoy thanking the visitors and inviting them to friend the museum in order to stay in touch.

One test participant, threw out the idea that these tours could be an attractive lunch time option for colleagues in the College's faculty and staff. Since it is common for them to go to the gym or some place else to get a break, why not package the Mobeum Tour as a 30-60 minute mind workout.

The upshot of this study is that the technical barriers to Mobeum Tour have been lowered to the point that the most compelling issue is content creation. Assuming good content, Mobeum Tour provides an exciting possibility for the museum to capture new audiences and engage them in new ways.