Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Museum curators and gallery managers have been concerned with increasing their visitors’ engagement in exhibition spaces. Information delivery methods and exhibit label design plays a critical role in attracting and holding visitors’ attention. Rapid expansion of mobile digital technologies is leading museum administrations to find new ways of presenting their collections to their visitors. Quick Response (QR) codes are one of these technologies with an innovative way of delivering information. However, there are limited research investigating the use of QR codes to deliver information in exhibition spaces and its’ relationship to visitors’ engagement level. The use of QR codes as an information delivery method can improve visitor engagement by supporting their learning experience, and enriching communication between visitors and exhibit objects. This study investigates the use of QR codes as an information delivery method and its’ effects on visitor engagement. A field experiment that applied analysis of the timing data and questionnaire was conducted with 63 participants at an art gallery of a large university. In the control condition, traditional information labels with an informative text were used to deliver information. While in the experimental condition, information labels with QR code directed visitors to a designed website of artworks’ explanations. Analysis of the timing data indicated that using QR codes as an information delivery method was positively correlated with user engagement. The results of the study are expected to construct a basis on implementing the QR code technology in exhibition environments to improve visitors’ interaction with exhibits.