Comments on: Testing Amsterdam museums with Seb Chan http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/ Thoughts, examples and best-practices for innovation in museums and the cultural sector. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: The Museum of the Future » Blog Archive » The Ruhrmuseum in Zollverein; a full sensory experience aimed at discovery http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-43 The Museum of the Future » Blog Archive » The Ruhrmuseum in Zollverein; a full sensory experience aimed at discovery Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:10:37 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-43 [...] most important lesson I learnt when I tested Amsterdam museums with Seb Chan is ‘deliver what your visitors expect’. Last Friday I visited the Ruhrmuseum in [...] [...] most important lesson I learnt when I tested Amsterdam museums with Seb Chan is ‘deliver what your visitors expect’. Last Friday I visited the Ruhrmuseum in [...]

]]> By: Jasper Visser http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-28 Jasper Visser Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:07:11 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-28 @Jim, of course a museum's function is to educate (apart from maybe the art museums). A beautiful an original artefact can be a tool to do so, as can a multimedia installation. I think what we've seen in this tour is that too often screens distract the visitor's attention from the artefacts before s/he had the time to quietly observe the artefact. I think that is a bad thing. Communicating "we're fun" is probably the worst a museum can do, imho. @petermo, what were your findings? Can you share them? @Jim, of course a museum’s function is to educate (apart from maybe the art museums). A beautiful an original artefact can be a tool to do so, as can a multimedia installation. I think what we’ve seen in this tour is that too often screens distract the visitor’s attention from the artefacts before s/he had the time to quietly observe the artefact. I think that is a bad thing.

Communicating “we’re fun” is probably the worst a museum can do, imho.

@petermo, what were your findings? Can you share them?

]]> By: Jasper Visser http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-264 Jasper Visser Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:07:00 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-264 @Jim, of course a museum's function is to educate (apart from maybe the art museums). A beautiful an original artefact can be a tool to do so, as can a multimedia installation. I think what we've seen in this tour is that too often screens distract the visitor's attention from the artefacts before s/he had the time to quietly observe the artefact. I think that is a bad thing. Communicating "we're fun" is probably the worst a museum can do, imho. @petermo, what were your findings? Can you share them? @Jim, of course a museum’s function is to educate (apart from maybe the art museums). A beautiful an original artefact can be a tool to do so, as can a multimedia installation. I think what we’ve seen in this tour is that too often screens distract the visitor’s attention from the artefacts before s/he had the time to quietly observe the artefact. I think that is a bad thing.

Communicating “we’re fun” is probably the worst a museum can do, imho.

@petermo, what were your findings? Can you share them?

]]> By: Jim Richardson http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-27 Jim Richardson Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:58:56 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-27 Hi Jasper I don't agree that a museums objective is to 'show beautiful artefacts' surely if that was true no museum would try and explain what the artefacts are. Is the objective of a museum not education? To educate a person about an artefact, to educate a person about the world, to educate people about themselves? You are quite right that a museum should not be confused with an amusement arcade and I think many institutions think that communicating 'we are fun' will somehow trick visitors, but everyone knows that a museum is an educational experience not funland. Jim Hi Jasper

I don’t agree that a museums objective is to ‘show beautiful artefacts’ surely if that was true no museum would try and explain what the artefacts are.

Is the objective of a museum not education? To educate a person about an artefact, to educate a person about the world, to educate people about themselves?

You are quite right that a museum should not be confused with an amusement arcade and I think many institutions think that communicating ‘we are fun’ will somehow trick visitors, but everyone knows that a museum is an educational experience not funland.

Jim

]]> By: Jim Richardson http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-263 Jim Richardson Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:58:00 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-263 Hi Jasper I don't agree that a museums objective is to 'show beautiful artefacts' surely if that was true no museum would try and explain what the artefacts are. Is the objective of a museum not education? To educate a person about an artefact, to educate a person about the world, to educate people about themselves? You are quite right that a museum should not be confused with an amusement arcade and I think many institutions think that communicating 'we are fun' will somehow trick visitors, but everyone knows that a museum is an educational experience not funland. Jim Hi Jasper

I don’t agree that a museums objective is to ‘show beautiful artefacts’ surely if that was true no museum would try and explain what the artefacts are.

Is the objective of a museum not education? To educate a person about an artefact, to educate a person about the world, to educate people about themselves?

You are quite right that a museum should not be confused with an amusement arcade and I think many institutions think that communicating ‘we are fun’ will somehow trick visitors, but everyone knows that a museum is an educational experience not funland.

Jim

]]> By: petermo http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-26 petermo Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-26 This is very intersting, and a very worthwhile thing to do. We recently had a visit from Elaine Heumann Gurian, the respect museum consultant from Washington, and she met with groupd of staff during her time with us, during which she took us on a walk through the spaces at the Powerhouse and asked us to reflect on what the visitor experience might be. We spent a lot of time looking at our entry, front of house and signage experiences, and from that have an action plan of (sometimes small) changes that will better communicate who we are and what we offer. I found the observations in you post very relevant. This is very intersting, and a very worthwhile thing to do. We recently had a visit from Elaine Heumann Gurian, the respect museum consultant from Washington, and she met with groupd of staff during her time with us, during which she took us on a walk through the spaces at the Powerhouse and asked us to reflect on what the visitor experience might be. We spent a lot of time looking at our entry, front of house and signage experiences, and from that have an action plan of (sometimes small) changes that will better communicate who we are and what we offer. I found the observations in you post very relevant.

]]> By: petermo http://themuseumofthefuture.com/2009/11/01/testing-amsterdam-museums-with-seb-chan/#comment-262 petermo Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000 http://themuseumofthefuture.com/?p=62#comment-262 This is very intersting, and a very worthwhile thing to do. We recently had a visit from Elaine Heumann Gurian, the respect museum consultant from Washington, and she met with groupd of staff during her time with us, during which she took us on a walk through the spaces at the Powerhouse and asked us to reflect on what the visitor experience might be. We spent a lot of time looking at our entry, front of house and signage experiences, and from that have an action plan of (sometimes small) changes that will better communicate who we are and what we offer. I found the observations in you post very relevant. This is very intersting, and a very worthwhile thing to do. We recently had a visit from Elaine Heumann Gurian, the respect museum consultant from Washington, and she met with groupd of staff during her time with us, during which she took us on a walk through the spaces at the Powerhouse and asked us to reflect on what the visitor experience might be. We spent a lot of time looking at our entry, front of house and signage experiences, and from that have an action plan of (sometimes small) changes that will better communicate who we are and what we offer. I found the observations in you post very relevant.

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