Pro gradu thesis: Interactive technology in museums – results of an experiment in Arktikum
11.6.2015 15:39
In his pro gradu thesis, Guillaume Delvaux studied the potential and challenges of using technology to promote visitors’ experiences in museums. His research design included an experiment of interactive items (Sami songs item, animal noises, winter art, etc.) in Arktikum museum, observation of visitors, and a post-experiment questionnaire.
The results showed, first of all, the popularity of interactive items. By using technology, visitors’ passivity transformed into active behavior and they had a feeling of having more influence and power to design their own experience. The educational aspect plays a major role in interactive technology in museums. However, it may have social consequences also: socializing with other visitors can be made easier by designing group-based activities.
From an authenticity point of view, interactive items may have some unexpected impacts. While some visitors are extremely happy with the new technology, some are more doubtful. For the latter, interactive items do not represent the real but just an electronic image of what could be real.
Guillaume Delvaux: Understanding and analyzing the behavior of tourists using interactive items in museums: Experiment in Arktikum, Rovaniemi, Finland.
The supervisor of the thesis was Professor Antti Haahti.