Abstract
With the words ‘online pivot’ now part of our everyday language, museums around the world have adapted to new ways of engaging with audiences online. This was sometimes painful – we all know the value of face-to-face interaction with a real live human. But it has also made our museums more accessible to those that can’t physically visit, and pushed us to be more creative in how we engage our audiences. You’re probably familiar with interactivity such as online polls and Q+A opportunities for audiences. But online interaction can be so much more than this. Interactivity can be before, during, and after a program. Setting up the room, or gathering materials before an online program can build excitement about the show and investment in the experience. Interactivity during the session such as through the chat function, polls, or activities increases engagement. And interactivity after the session can extend audiences’ experience beyond the session itself. Museums Victoria has presented many online programs since the beginning of the covid pandemic for all three of its sites – the Immigration Museum, Scienceworks, and Melbourne Museum. Scienceworks especially has interactivity firmly embedded in our metaphorical DNA, and we’ve had so much fun finding different ways to ‘reach through the screen’ to provide interactive experiences for our audiences. We’ve learned valuable lessons through trying new things and making mistakes. During this interactive workshop I’ll share these lessons using specific examples and talk through how we keep audience and accessibility as central considerations when developing experiences.
Presenters
Kate BarnardPrograms Manager, Scienceworks, Exhibitions and Audience Experiences, Museums Victoria, Victoria, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2021 Special Focus: What Museums Post Pandemic?
KEYWORDS
Interaction, Interactivity, Accessible, Audiences, Engagement, Online, Programs, Activity
