Are Screens Killing Museums?
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I don't really think I agree with this post but it is something worth thinking about. Even though we support 45, soon to be 60 screens, not all of them are used properly. We're moving to fix that.
There is a lot of bad screen design everywhere you look (not in our place heh). Screens are put up with 10 minute long videos on them. Screens are loaded with text. Screens have amazingly primitive, straight out dumb games put on them so they appear interactive and it is wrong and nobody benefits.
It's like a checklist approach to digital design. People that do no know what they are doing watch TV, so they think they know how screens work. People that design for screens, want to be getting credits in TV so they build for TV. Both groups lead people down the wrong path.
The checklist comes in when they look at the exhibit and they say we want some interactive stuff and we want screens, screens are great, we'll put lots of info on them.
So then they get some games, or some standard button pushing, and check, they have their interactive. They get some five minute profiles, or talking head interviews, and they are delivering a whole lot of info through their 65 inch plasma. Check and check, interactive and lots of info. Everyone gets a commemorative mug and a hug. Job well done.
Their checklist has led them astray. Their is no accounting for visitor interaction and visitor satisfaction. They built for a spec sheet checklist instead of a visitor experience. Screens will always fail under that approach
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2 comments:
The old hugs and mugs syndrome that coined is the problem with projects in general. You get what you asked for, but not what you want (or need.)
good research and work on your part makes you a rare bird sir, not many people hold their own feet to the fire to get what is wanted and needed. Kudos. :)
Ahh hugs and mugs. I still use that term and it is not very popular.
I don't think you ever get what you want or what is needed. It's always a compromise, but the level of compromise is the key. It's always a fight, either against others with bad, or distracting ideas, or against time or resources.
Really you just want to get to the end and be mostly happy. It sounds kind of defeatist but I don't think you ever get to the end of anything and think, "hot damn, that is freaking perfect"
My biggest problem is compromise. Some things I feel strongly about, others not so much, sometimes I make the mistake in the "others" category. I should not compromise as easily, but then again, stuff needs to get done.
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