tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post3247728880104229883..comments2024-03-27T05:04:39.476-07:00Comments on Museum 2.0: What Do You Need to Make the Argument for Participatory Design?Nina Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-23624384017707237222009-03-03T11:26:00.000-08:002009-03-03T11:26:00.000-08:00Tina,Excellent point. I recently talked with an a...Tina,<BR/>Excellent point. I recently talked with an archivist who adamantly expressed his preference for engaging boomers - as he put it, they are a generation of experience seekers looking for something meaningful to be part of. As they start to retire (or not given their 401k situation), he wants museums to fill the void and be the place where they contribute.Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-52891844830787957682009-03-03T00:18:00.000-08:002009-03-03T00:18:00.000-08:00Nina,Regarding one of the primary WHY arguments th...Nina,<BR/><BR/>Regarding one of the primary WHY arguments that you say you feel confident making:<BR/><BR/>I think your characterization of the “creative leisure class” in argument #3 is perhaps a bit slanted toward a younger demographic than some of the activities you suggest this demographic enjoys actually attracts. There are many people “over 40” who could also qualify as being part of the creative leisure class. In addition to those that don’t have kids who are over 40, there is also a growing population of “empty nesters” that have the time, interest and financial where-with-all to engage in a variety of cultural activities, be they in the black rock desert or elsewhere. There are quite a number of people well beyond their 40’s who are involved in events like the Maker Faire and/or make the annual trek to burning man. I can't say that I know anyone who is part of a knitting circle...tina blainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03462133373615004818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-1116346048377069002009-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00Matthew,Thanks for your comment - I know you are w...Matthew,<BR/>Thanks for your comment - I know you are working with lots of museums and are probably familiar with the hesitancy/opportunity here.<BR/><BR/>I'm deliberately not writing much about social media usage by museums in the book, but I will use it as a strong model for the "whys" of physical design. Many of the "whys" of social media engagement have to do with going where the people are, joining their conversation--or suffering the silence of non-participation. I think that's a tougher sell in real space, but definitely a useful analog. What is the "cost" of not engaging in conversations with visitors on the floor? There are many studies that show that interaction with a staff member has the single greatest impact on a visitor's museum experience--I should be tying that kind of research into this. Thanks!Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-4604889475923266092009-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:002009-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:00Nina,I absolutely agree that you should include a ...Nina,<BR/><BR/>I absolutely agree that you should include a chapter, or perhaps an introduction, dedicated to the "why" question. This is a non-traditional model that many of the initiated will accept intuitively, but outlining the significance of the model explicitly would be a great assistance. If not in convincing those of us who are already on board, then in providing them with arguments to convince other members of their organization who are less familiar or open (directors, boards, etc.)<BR/><BR/>Now onto the "why". While the reasons you provide are all excellent ones, perhaps they do not go far enough. I recently came across Marta Kagan's presentation on Social Media Marketing in which she makes a very convincing argument that advertisers must recognize and participate in the social mediaverse, as it is the future of the web. Many of her points, such as a younger-shifting demographic and their preference for social online experiences apply equally to museums. If you pair that with the ratio of online to in-person museum visitation, you get an increasingly online audience with highly participatory expectations. Without fear-mongering, I think its safe to say that museums cannot afford to ignore these trends and expect to stay relevant into the future. Any museum that says that their mission does not align with a need to be participatory is, IMHO, missing the boat.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04421722450371595361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-87632920799747467632009-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:002009-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:00Matt,I tend to agree with you. But many folks on ...Matt,<BR/>I tend to agree with you. But many folks on <A HREF="http://museumtwo.pbwiki.com/Outline" REL="nofollow">the wiki</A> expressed a desire for that argument. So I'm trying to figure out how to make it as succinct and useful as possible in the context of what is otherwise a book on design.<BR/><BR/>My favorite non-fiction books are unapologetically specific about their content. For example, my fav design book is <A HREF="http://www.scottmccloud.com/2-print/1-uc/index.html" REL="nofollow">Understanding Comics</A>. McCloud made me love comics because of HIS love, not because of his argument.<BR/><BR/>So I'm really grappling with how to make this work.Nina Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723930679606298550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-2889394341756421872009-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:002009-02-27T11:36:00.000-08:00Why do you need a "Why" section at all? If you we...Why do you need a "Why" section at all? If you were writing a book on, say, diorama design, would you include a long section on why you should make dioramas? Describe the work that you and others have done, show the outcomes, and discuss what you've learned. People will see the value in that more than in an abstract argument about why you should design exhibits in one way or another.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15096366926737800712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-50868564357889975492009-02-26T16:44:00.000-08:002009-02-26T16:44:00.000-08:00Alli, I agree with you, but it's hard to be so tig...Alli, I agree with you, but it's hard to be so tight with an idea that applies across the spectrum. Perhaps Nina could have case studies in different museums to give a sense of what types of things work best in what types of environments? <BR/><BR/>Nina, as I think I said earlier- the folks that would buy the book or would be better sold on the idea would do so because there IS a book. So devoting at least a chapter to the Why is important. <BR/><BR/>Another way to handle it is with a Why Not? approach. Or you could make the "why" data part of an on-going sidebar in your book. Kind of like the comments on a blog.... yeah...Maria Mortatihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02345208082249376642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37032121.post-35859598186441239542009-02-24T19:24:00.000-08:002009-02-24T19:24:00.000-08:00After reading your introduction on the wiki, I hav...After reading your introduction on the wiki, I have a much firmer understanding of the "what" of participatory design. <BR/><BR/>In terms of audience, my thoughts center around not the degree to which the reader supports the underlying concept of participatory design, but rather what "museum" you are speaking to when you are talking about it.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps, you are struggling with delineating arguments for participatory design because you are talking in such general terms about "museums." It would be difficult to do in a simple way, but if you could cater your argument to the missions of specific types of museums. For example: science museums, art museums, children's museums, history museums, etc.Allihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13645742689462119042noreply@blogger.com