Experiencing Momentum Through an Effective Use of Technology in Museums

Abstract

Technology can serve as a medium for visitors to feel connected throughout their museum experience. This creates an opportunity for both educators and museum facilitators to promote interactive viewing experience. This paper examines examples of the ways museum spaces have incorporated effective technology that has assisted with movement and identifies design considerations that provided positive user experience. These projects reveal that technology in museums can be used either as stationary devices to generate movement, or movement tracked by mobile technology. The literature includes studies in movement yet there is a dearth of research on the concept of momentum - continuous movement or energy - in museum spaces. Momentum is hard to maintain given the myriad of factors that may interrupt museum visitors from experiencing the momentum in their user experience. How do current museum spaces incorporate momentum in the visitor experience through an appropriate use of technology?