Knowing Your User: Museums in Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is changing the face and function of libraries, archives, and museums. Patrons of these institutions expect them to have modern website interfaces, interactive exhibits and tools, an a robust social media presence. I work for the museum department of the LBJ Presidential Library, and we are very conscious of our online presence and application development. When developing these Web 2.0 tools, it’s extremely important for institutions to identify their users and recognize those users’ needs and desires. Do patrons prefer to interact and contribute material, or would they rather passively absorb information? Should a website be developed as a destination in itself, or should it supplement the physical institution? What level of knowledge does a typical user bring to their visit? Too often these questions remain unasked as institutions waste time and money on tools their users don’t want. I’d like to point to two examples of user involvement in the development of Web 2.0 tools for museums – one done very well, and one not so well.

SFMOMA Website Redesign: Considering the User

When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) decided to re-design their museum website, they recognized the need to identify their user base as well as that base’s expectations and desires. They came up with some surprising findings – for instance, their largest user group is Business/Finance/Technology professionals, followed by students, contrary to what they expected (art professionals, educators, and museum curators). They also found that their users were less enthusiastic about interactive tools than they had expected, and preferred to passively browse material rather than contribute their own content. These findings allowed SFMOMA to develop web tools that enhanced the experience of their current user group. For example, they offered expert interpretations of art for their large user base who lacked this knowledge but were still curious.

Personal Digital Collections: Is this what users want?

In an paper for Library and Information Science Research, Paul Marty analyzed the use of personal digital collection tools in several different museums. These tools allow patrons to curate their own collection of museum objects on museum websites, and users are encourages to visit and modify their collections in the future. Marty found that while users were verbally enthusiastic about these tools, they rarely used them more than once and did not return to previously created collections. Perhaps this is because, as we see in the SFMOMA survey, users prefer to absorb and learn rather than create and curate. The problem, as I see it, is that patrons of these museums were surveyed after the fact to gauge their enjoyment of already-developed applications. Instead, users should be surveyed initially, and their responses should dictate what applications museums choose to invest in.