A study of portable computers and interactive multimedia as a new tool for interpreting museum collections

Abstract

Over the last two decades the introduction of interactive multimedia applications complimenting existinginterpretative techniques in museum displays has become a widely accepted practice. Indeed fixedinteractive multimedia applications can communicate large amounts of often complex information in auser friendly and accessible way. A drawback is their fixed position. This research project identified thepotential of using a portable computer with an interactive multimedia application manipulated through atouch screen interface. This thesis describe& the results of a series of empirical studies to design and testthe effectiveness of a portable computer as a new tool for interpretation in a museum gallery.The central aim of the research, funded by the GEMISIS 2000 initiative, was to examine potentialinnovative applications of new interactive technologies for heritage attractions and museums. Exploratoryresearch progressed from discovery and gaining insights into the diversity of interactive multimediaapplications in heritage attractions to the dynamics of interactive multimedia as a powerfulcommunication medium. The main study fell into three distinct yet complimentary research pathwaysnamely 1) to design an interactive multimedia application for a portable computer, 2) to examine the useand effectiveness of the portable computer with museum visitors, 3) to assess the application as a newtool for interpretation in a museum setting. The conclusions of this research project are based upon theresults of a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation study, which combined a questionnaire survey,structured unobtrusive observation and interaction logging.As the research project was initiated there were few other projects in this field of study, and no formalevaluation had been published. At the completion, four research projects were identified and are detailedin the conclusion.The results of this research project have confirmed the hypothesis that a portable computer with aninteractive multimedia application has the potential to enhance interpretation and to become a new toolfor interpreting museum collections. As the number of homes with multimedia capable computersequipped with CD-ROM drives and connected to the Internet grows and exposure to computers at workand at school increases, visitors are well prepared to handle the new technology. The projects resultsshow ease of use and an increased recall of exhibits by visitors. Visitors experienced discovery basedlearning at their own pace facilitated by a portable touch screen computer.Limitations of the project are discussed and future research topics identified. These included expandingthe interactive multimedia application to cover the whole gallery, exploring alternative interactionmodels, evaluating the impact of age and gender, evaluating the portable computer within other categoriesof museums, to evaluating location aware positioning systems and to investigating Personal DigitalAssistants as a potential hardware platform