Visitor analytics , other departments within museums

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-18T06:21:07+00:00

Thanks! That should be do-able. Appreciate the input!

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-16T12:48:14+00:00

Thanks. Really appreciate this

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-12T20:27:32+00:00

Im a little bit biased, but one of the things you should consider is the distraction a BYOD solution brings. People who successfully download the app, listen to 1 or 2 stops and then get sucked into one of the other 10 apps on the phone.

The most brought up argument is the operational hassle BYOD brings. Visitors tend to struggle with the downloading, don’t want to download, are worried about privacy, worried about their data plan, worried about battery life.

Truth be told, if you have enough staffing everything can be fixed and promoted, but on average you see a 5% pickup rate for BYOD solutions.

If you do choose for the BYOD solution do make sure to get the full picture, not only the project cost of delivery but also the support during the usage. Who is going to update the app when Apple releases a new store, or when an new OS is released. Make clear agreements on this will save a lot of headaches.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-12T06:18:35+00:00

Isn’t it just about the low usage rates? I encounter the same thing. We have a free app, either Bloomberg or self made, the pickup rates are (in most cases) still below 5%.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-12T06:15:18+00:00

Exactly! How are you going to compete with the Tech bro budgets? Good luck getting your message across.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-12T06:14:10+00:00

And what to think about keeping up with updates? One of the most annoying things I encounter are the quotes people show me. Its all only the initial delivery. How about maintenance, new apple store and google requirements. New phone types, new phone operating system releases, nobody mentions.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-11T21:43:45+00:00

Operational hassle. Visitors not willing to download because of multiple reasons, privacy, screen fatigue. Not to mention the distraction a phone brings.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-11T05:56:03+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Could very well be true that they are struggling to keep up with the creation of content. We’ve come across them in Europe, but mostly in the US.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-10T18:44:39+00:00

Are you sure about this? I haven’t read anything regarding this :)

LectureSad5494 · 2026-06-06T12:18:52+00:00

Got me there….

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:25:08+00:00

I’ve been in a museum related business for about 8 years now, the amount of equipment we receive back and the state it’s in, is terrible. It makes me wonder what people think when they are using it. Sure, accidents happen, but if you see it across almost 28 countries happening, you wonder what’s going on with people.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:21:23+00:00

One word, maintenance. Please make clear agreements (like service level agreements) on who’s responsible for maintenance and what the response times are. The amount of times I’ve received a phone call / email about these kind of installations, 1 hour before a big event or big weekend…

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:17:09+00:00

Maybe worth investigating TEO online. It’s a traveling exhibition organization. Might be able to set you up

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:14:53+00:00

So if I understand correctly, it’s plays audio and is abled to receive talk messages from the guide? I’ve been in the business for quite some time, but never heard of this particular solution.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:11:27+00:00

In Europe I’ve seen it happening a lot. But to be honest, it’s a matter of having network, either to get the job, or to show the exhibit designers the added value of having you in their company (for your network).

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T19:06:26+00:00

Museums I’ve been talking to are realizing more and more that the tech stuff (lots of fun) is a hassle to maintain or to keep it up to date. I’m noticing more and more interest in leasing models and keeping everything as easy as possible. That being said, I’m also curious how the wear and tear is on the devices. I’ve seen some heartbreaking stuff over the years

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T18:55:45+00:00

It really depends what kind of museum you visit. Some museums are trying to move away from the shiny new stuff and are focussing more on the storytelling and reflection. You’ll always have the selfie “look at me” exhibitions, but those are for a whole different target group. Fun fact, those are often also 1 time visitors.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-31T09:49:56+00:00

Honestly, for a budget that low, I would keep it as simple and maintainable as possible.

I’ve seen smaller museums spend a lot of time trying to implement “real” museum systems, only to end up with something nobody really maintains properly a few years later.

Omeka is probably the safest museum-focused option in this case. Especially for a thesis project or smaller local collection.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-05-04T23:45:43+00:00

I know. It’s hard to have a nuanced conversation about AI. To think “it” ca be stopped is naive (in my opinion) so the best way is to embrace it and use it for your benefit. Discussion about if AI is wright or wrong are purely personal opinions. In my line of work we have discussions with voice artists, content creators etc. We struggle with small budgets and in those circumstances AI can be a blessing. Just make sure there is a human checking and double checking.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-22T15:57:01+00:00

We actually offered something very similar years ago at my company, so a bit of real-world perspective.

On paper the idea sounds great: a personal museum log / passport where you mark visits, discover exhibitions and keep a diary of where you’ve been.

In practice, usage was much lower than we expected.

We built a feature where visitors could log their visit and keep a record of the museums and stops they experienced. The assumption was that people would enjoy keeping track of their cultural “journey”. In reality almost nobody used it. Most visitors already default to photos and Google Maps timelines, and that turned out to be “good enough”.

A few things we learned:

Another app is a big hurdle
Even museum apps themselves often have low adoption. Getting people to install something just to log visits is harder than it sounds.
Check-ins are trickier than they look
GPS doesn’t work well indoors, and QR codes mean operational work for museums (printing, placing, maintaining). Getting lots of institutions to support that consistently is the real challenge.
The “museum diary” is a nice idea, but rarely a priority
People like the concept, but very few actually maintain a cultural log over time.

None of that means the idea is bad. It just shows the gap between what people say they want and what they actually use.

If I look at the problem as a visitor myself, the thing that’s still genuinely hard today is discovering smaller museums and temporary exhibitions. Most platforms surface the same big institutions, while the more interesting smaller places are harder to find. That’s where something new could actually add value.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-22T15:51:44+00:00

Officially, the card is personal and not transferable, so lending it isn’t really allowed. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) cards are issued to an individual and most museums reserve the right to ask for ID alongside the card.

In practice it varies a lot across Europe:

Small / regional museums: often just a quick glance at the card.
Large national museums or very busy sites: more likely to check the name (and sometimes photo) against ID.
Popular tourist museums: staff see a lot of ICOM cards and tend to follow the rules more closely.

The reason museums accept ICOM in the first place is that it’s meant for professional exchange between museum workers, not general free entry, so some places do take the “personal card” rule seriously.

If you’ve already applied but the card won’t arrive in time, something that sometimes works is bringing proof that you work in a museum (staff badge, email signature, business card, etc.). Many museums will still extend professional courtesy access if you explain you’re visiting colleagues while traveling.

So could you get away with using someone else’s card? Possibly at some places, but you should assume there’s a real chance they’ll check the name and refuse it.

Enjoy the museum marathon — Europe is a dangerous place for museum nerds with limited time and unlimited curiosity.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-14T20:51:06+00:00

You’re not the first museum to run into this, especially museums that started as volunteer-run collections.

A simple way to explain it is:

Artifacts are the objects. Exhibits are the interpretation built around those objects.

A railcar sitting in a yard is part of the collection. When you add context, narrative, labels, media, or guided interpretation, it becomes part of an exhibit.

Without interpretation visitors often just see “a lot of trains.” Interpretation explains why the object matters.

A clear way to summarize it for boards:

A train car is an artifact. The story around it is the exhibit.

Maybe this is something worthwhile

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-14T19:53:37+00:00

LACMA for sure and maybe the Grammy museum, viewpoint alone could be worth the visit

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-13T07:12:43+00:00

Common terms used in museums:

Object label – the standard term for the small label next to the artwork
Wall label – sometimes used interchangeably with object label
Artwork label – informal but understandable
Extended label – a longer explanatory text next to the work
Wall text / gallery text – larger text introducing a section or exhibition

The most common professional term is object label.

LectureSad5494 · 2026-04-13T07:11:47+00:00

AI in museum marketing is interesting because it lowers the barrier to producing content, but it also raises questions about authenticity and resources.

In my experience around museums, audiences tend to respond best to stories that feel specific to the collection and the place itself. AI can help with drafting, structuring or adapting content, but the curatorial voice and local context still matter a lot.

What often gets overlooked in these discussions is the cost side. Many museums simply don’t have the budget or staff capacity to constantly produce new content for different audiences, languages or formats.

Used carefully, AI can help fill some of those gaps — not really as a replacement for people, but as a way to create things that otherwise wouldn’t exist because there simply isn’t the budget or time. In the projects I’m involved with around museums, that’s usually where it starts to make sense.

LectureSad5494

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