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Museum kiosks offer a new view of old treasures

Kiosks and museums mix newer technology with art and artifacts to the delight of museum visitors. With approximately 16,000 museums of various sizes in the United States, the museum market presents a great opportunity for kiosk solutions.

December 13, 2004 by

When is the last time you visited a museum? Has it been awhile? If so, you may be surprised to learn that kiosks and handheld devices are being used frequently in many museums across the country.

Kiosks and museums are not exactly new to each other, according to Paul Fisher, director of development for SmartPants Media, a software development company. Museums were using laser discs to liven up exhibits many years ago. "They (museums) are by far the leader of the entire (kiosk) industry," said Fisher. "Museums were doing touchscreen-based exhibits long before kiosks hit the mainstream."

Fisher's company has its roots in educational CD-ROM development. SmartPants Media's first educational CD eventually became a kiosk.

Fisher explained that there is an entire industry devoted exclusively to museum exhibit development, an industry he credits with with pushing the envelope of kiosk design. In museums, the kiosk is often incorporated into an exhibit design.

Exhibit designers want to remain competitive by creating engaging exhibits, as exhibits are changed frequently in many museums. Larger museums, noted Fisher, change their exhibits on a schedule planned years in advance. Kiosks, or interactives as they are sometimes called in the industry, can give exhibit designers an edge.

"In the last five years, the kiosk has evolved from being a gimmick to being a necessary aspect of museum exhibits," said Fisher. His experience includes working with museums within the Smithsonian Institution as well as smaller, more specialized museums across the country.

Multiple-use software

Museums are primarily educational in nature and, as such, use CD-ROMs and videos as part of their programs. Kiosks are a natural extension of the interactive CD-ROMs that many museums sell in their gift shops. The educational component is important to keep in mind when it comes to kiosk software design, noted Fisher.

When discussing software development, Fisher advises museum personnel to think outside of the kiosk. He cautions against "pigeonholing" material for one exhibit.

Fisher lets museum staff know that the same material can be gathered and used in different ways on the kiosk, on the Web site, and as part of an educational CD-ROM. CD-ROMs have the added benefit of a longer shelf-life than many exhibits that are replaced or put out on tour. "It's harder to convert it (material) later, after the fact, for CD-ROMs and Web sites," Fisher added.

Working in the museum space, you can expect to work closely with museum personnel, especially curators, as well as exhibit designers. "One of our biggest roles is helping shape content," explained Fisher. While some museums offer little input, others come to Fisher with content and the materials needed to produce the software. Fisher has had to handle very delicate, priceless artifacts. He's also been fortunate to see rare video footage and other items not always on display to the public. It's up to Fisher to translate the ideas and the materials into something usable on a kiosk.

Kiosks allow museum visitors to experience more fully objects they're not allowed to touch. Fisher found it's not always easy to create an interactive program around an artifact. For example, he takes dozens of photos of artifacts at every conceivable angle to create 360 degree representations. The end result is an interactive kiosk that lets visitors turn a picture of the artifact around to view the front, the back or the bottom, and to zoom in for closer inspection. The software adds another dimension to the item.

Riding the sales cycle

Don't be fooled into thinking that all museums have tiny budgets. Fisher said it is "amazing how much money goes into museums." Even those with smaller budgets can find ways to incorporate a kiosk solution.

Fisher once changed his software design to run on a museum's donated hardware. The effect was not as "smooth or clean as some of the other stuff done by bigger museums," noted Fisher, but the kiosk did the job for that particular museum.

Fisher reminds his museum clients that they can often recycle or reuse 80 percent of what goes into an interactive kiosk. He has seen his kiosks go on the road as part of a traveling exhibit and moved to classrooms for continuing educational programs.

Most museums, when initially considering kiosks, are looking to replace their traditional looped video tapes. It can be an expensive proposition. Fisher cites one smaller museum that spent $80,000 on software development alone for three kiosks. The end result, however, is more dynamic content that can be used across multiple channels.

Handing out handhelds

If kiosks are a natural extension of educational CD-ROMs, then handheld devices are a natural extension of kiosks. Allison Wickens is an education specialist at the National Postal Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

photo courtesy Smithsonian National Postal Museum

The National Postal Museum has been using 15 Hewlett Packard IPAQ handheld devices, each with a stylus and headphones, since July 2004. The devices were originally rolled out as part of a special exhibit of postage stamps from the collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

Relying on a small docent staff for tours, the museum lends the handheld guides to visitors interested in moving through the museum on their own. When not in use, the handhelds sit in a docking station on a cart near the front desk, Wickens explained. Signage and helpful museum staff direct visitors to the cart and provide instruction on using the devices. Visitors turn over a form of photo ID in order to borrow a handheld while on tour.

"The material on the handheld does not duplicate what is in the exhibit," noted Wickens. "It gives them (visitors) extra research information." For example, the curator's tour provides back story about the curator's favorite items and why they were chosen for an exhibit.

Another activity, found only on the handhelds, geared more toward children and families, is similar to an "I Spy" game. It helps people find things in the museum they may not have noticed before, such as the bathroom on an old mail railroad car.

"Handhelds aren't for everybody, but they're not just for kids or tech-savvy people," said Wickens. "Technology can enhance experiences for many people." Wickens likes the handhelds because "not everybody responds to text on a wall," referring to more standard museum exhibits.

Interactive devices, such as handhelds and kiosks, help tie together themes across exhibits. According to Wickens, the National Postal Museum plans a second-phase of its handheld project that will incorporate the gift shop, museum Web site and other Smithsonian museums.

Quiet please

Too much technology in a museum can actually be a bad thing, Fisher pointed out. A certain level of quiet is usually maintained in museums. Kiosks in close proximity to one another, complete with sound, may compete with each other for visitors' attention. Worse yet, they may simply drown out each other.

In these instances, Fisher recommends investing in a sound dome. Only the person standing directly under the dome can hear the content, which plays continually. Kiosks and sound domes are replacing the more traditional sound sticks found in museums.

POS the next big push?

To keep up with museum trends, Fisher attends the American Association of Museums tradeshows. He predicts the next big push will incorporate point of sale. "Most of the kiosks are standalone," he said. "Museums need to get away from that (and) bring more IT and POS into it." Wireless will also come into play, Fisher added.

While the novelty of kiosks may be wearing off, their utility isn't, noted Fisher. He'd like to see more technology used in museums, primarily handheld devices, card readers and Bluetooth. The ideal kiosk solution, according to Fisher, would track visitors' usage, favorite exhibits and museum interests. The museum could then tailor promotions, presentations and museum gift shop items to these visitors.

Although museums are using kiosk technology, the industry has a way to go. "For as much as we have changed, we are not all the way there yet," said Fisher.