design for participation

nina simon, museum 2.0nina@museumtwo.com@ninaksimon on twitter

a workshop at Museums and the Web

slides at http://bit.ly/MWnina

introductionsdesign theory with activitiesproject brainstorming

the plan

where i live

what i dobalboa park online collaborativeboston children’s museum calgary science centerchabot space science centerchicago history museumdenver art museumexperience music projectgirls math and science partnershipinternational spy museummonterey bay aquariumoakland museumSFMOMA smithsonian museum of natural historystatens museum for kunsttech museum of innovation

a participatory institution is a place where visitors can create, share, and connect with each other around content.

what i focus on

in cultural institutions, that can mean...

Stanford Art Center upper: chicago children’s museumlower: Science Museum of Minnesota

Minnesota History Museum

Authority is content provider Authority is platform provider

Authority is platform provider

why?

participation does five things best:

deliver personal relevance

celebrate and network diverse voices

deliver dynamic content

encourage interpersonal dialogue

support collaborative + creative practice

Authority is platform provider

why?

To be most satisfying, leisure should resemble the best aspects of work: challenges, skills and important relationships.

Geoff Godbey, professor of leisure studies Pennsylvania State University

Authority is platform provider

how?

what do they need?

what will these relationships look like?

what are you about?

web 2.0 is software that gets better the more people use it

-Tim O’Reilly, technologist and publisher

how can your museum get better the more people participate?

Worcester City Gallery and Museum

an exhibit that gets better the more people use it?

four techniques for participatory engagement

1. ask good questions

2. design for diverse user motivation and behavior

3. support dialogue around museum content

4. move from contribution to community

four techniques for participatory engagement

1. ask good questions

2. design for diverse user motivation and behavior

3. support dialogue around museum content

4. move from contribution to community

WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT?

PHOTO BY NATHANINSANDIEGO, FLICKR (HTTP://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/NATHANINSANDIEGO/3455796359/)

WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?

LESSON 1:MAKE SURE YOU CARE ABOUT THE ANSWER. TO YOUR QUESTION.

LESSON 2:MAKE THE QUESTION PERSONAL.

NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

DAISY: How do I know I'm talking to a human and not just another machine? DAISY: Are you sure that I'm not a real person talking to you by e-mail? What would it take to convince you?

EXPLORATORIUM

LESSON 3:ASK SPECULATIVE QUESTIONS.

PLAY.SIGNTIFIC.ORG

WORLDWITHOUTOIL.ORG

WOULD YOU GO TO MARS?

SPECULATIVE

PERSONAL

FRAMES EXPERIENCE

Write down a question for which you have a genuine interest in knowing other

peoples’ answers.

LESSON 4:SITUATE YOUR QUESTION WISELY.

STORYCORPS BOOTH BY LOCAL PROJECTS

CANADA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM

CHIC CHICAGO, CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM ADVICE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDENT CENTER

Lowell National Historical Park

Take Action at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/take_action/

Pick a good question. How would you situate it to make it most effective--both

online and in-gallery?

four techniques for participatory engagement

1. ask good questions

2. design for diverse user motivation and behavior

3. support dialogue around museum content

4. move from contribution to community

what do people already do in museums?

explorersexperience seekersrechargersfacilitatorsprofessional/hobbyists

what do people already do on the web?

and what do they need to be happy?

satisfying work to do

the experience of being good at something

time spent with people we like

the chance to be part of something bigger

Jane McGonigal, Director of Games Research &DevelopmentattheInstitutefortheFuture

where does it come together?

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/

What does your website or project tell people about what they will get out of

participating?

four techniques for participatory engagement

1. ask good questions

2. design for diverse user motivation and behavior

3. support dialogue around museum content

4. move from contribution to community

what’s a social object?

“social networks consist of people who are connected by a shared object”

- Jyri Engeström, 2005

flickr

what kind of social behavior makes sense to promote around your objects?

Science Museum of Minnesota

pointing

Experience Music Project

taking photos

Powerhouse Museum

writing stories

Denver Art Museum

sharing memories

Chicago Children’s Museum

sharing experiences

Advice, University of Washington

using familiar structures

lab.signtific.org

gaming

make it shareablePick a piece of content or experience that you would like users to be able to share with each other. Using questions, instructions, secrets, or other design tools, develop a feature set for how people can share that object, content, or experience.

four techniques for participatory engagement

1. ask good questions

2. design for diverse user motivation and behavior

3. support dialogue around museum content

4. move from contribution to community

contributory collaborative

co-creative host

visitors help weave a net at sfmoma co-design of media products for smithsonian

wing luke museum community exhibit process youtube meetup at the ontario science centre

WHICH MODEL IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

150 entrants12 finalists4 concerts

1 cd

expanding participation: Sound Off case study

Current Program Participants

teen artists (13-17) - makers, musicians

family who come see performance/show

Their Audiences

teen bands (13-21) (don’t have tight relationship) friends who come

for the show

fans of the bands

Sound Off audiencebands who don’t get into

Sound Off

youth advisory board (13-18) who volunteer with Sound

Off + other projects

Interests/Desires from Site

behind the scenes influence

becoming pro musicians

learning to play music/cultivate arts

Experience the Band - ensemble musicians

Affinities

playing in a band

meet other kids like them/finding community

meet pros

get scholarships to Berklee

school groups

On Stage

SoundLab

reading

skateboarding

comic books

gaming

musiciansfans of rock

music collectors

people into music history

artistsdreamers

people into scifi history

car guys

tattoomovie buffs

DIY

science enthusiasts

architecture/design enthusiasts

graphic design/illustration

activate historic interest

be a part of the music making history

sharing passions with family/friends

personal quest for improvement

close to celebrity

play the music you love

meet heroes

specific program interest

finding new things you’ll like

validating your nichehope to replicate peak

experiences

entertainment

one-off programs

guest events

peers other teen musicians

teachers

out-of-school facilitators

part 1 - identifying audiences

Sound Off currently...Creators: kids in bands

Critics: Facebook voting, pro critics, judges

Collectors:

Joiners: MySpace communities around bands,

Spectators: people who come to the show

ADD:-open submission process online (get other bands more out there)-YAB switch from judging to press corps/critics, bloggers-open vlogger competition-oral history live with youth-tracing past bands over time-fans and bands that lose have online community to support each -monthly challenges, lightweight, write a song based on X or using -Sound Off backstage - other roles

part 2 - identifying opportunities

part 3 - rolling out new services with impact assessment

year 1: - digital, online submissions (private), culled by staff + youth advisory board - engage the other bands in social network around Sound Off!

- light merchandise contest, gig promotion, musician meetups - youth advisory board produces journalistic content about finalists and events - live event text voting “people’s choice” by audience

year 2: - digital, online submissions (public), culled by online audience, then staff + youth advisory board - social network members produce journalistic content inc. behind-the-scenes

- youth advisory board manages social network - youth advisory board begins oral history live project around all-ages scene

contact me anytimenina@museumtwo.com

@ninaksimonhttp://www.museumtwo.com

slides at http://bit.ly/MWnina