Listening to the Future:Museum Podcast

Research

Glenda SimsBlanton Museum of Art

University of Texas at Austin

Audio Assets at the Blanton

• AudioTour - Uncommon Commentary– Acoustiguide– ExSite Wand

• Music for the Blanton – Live– Composed by Donald Grantham– Inspired by specific works of art

• Student Podcasts – Rachel Varon’s Thesis:

Podcasting in the Museum: Giving Emerging Adults a Voice

Uncommon CommentaryAudioguide

Music For the Blanton

Prelude

Beckoning Music

Joaquín Torres García Constructif en

rouge et ocre

Student Podcasts

Claude Vignon, David With the Head of Goliath

To Podcast or Not to Podcast?

20%

47%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

US Adults UT

Blanton iTourPDA Research

Experience

UT MP3 Player Penetration

Blanton Mission & Brand

Extraordinary Experiences

Connecting visitors with art and ideas

Art IdeasExperiences

Podcast Research Focus

• Will visitors successfully use audio on their own MP3 players?

• Advantages/disadvantages of MP3 players & wands

• Will free podcasts marginalize museum audio players?

• Museum’s best interest to podcast audioguide content?

Podcast & Audio Research

• Test subjects: – Museum visitors– Original Target:

• Own mp3 players• Download prior to arriving at museum

• Device Comparison– Each test subject experiences both devices– MP3 Player & Acoustiguide ExSite Wand– 2 Blanton iPods (backup)

• Audio Content– Uncommon Commentary (31 episodes/stops)– Music for the Blanton (18 episodes/stops)– Student Podcasts (2 episodes/stops)

Podcast Download Barrier

Requires visitor pre-planning

Find and successfully download podcasts to MP3 player

Format IssuesM4A Enhanced

(-) iPod only

(-) 31 stops = 31 chapters LARGE download

(-) No ability to customize

all or none

(-) No easy random access

(+) Easy to download

MP3(+) Device agnostic

(+) 31 stops = 31 episodes small downloads

(+) customize, pick stops you want

(+) easier random access

(-) Default download behavior 1st episode only

(-) Download not intuitive

Device Comparison

WandAdvantages• Intuitive, easy to use,

user friendly, simple• Familiar known interface,

like a TV remoteDisadvantages• Bigger *• No headphones *• Can’t fast forward *• No image *

* Based on Blanton’s audio player selection. Other Acoustiguide devices offer these options.

MP3 PlayerAdvantages• Multimedia/image• Smaller• Personal• Fast forwardDisadvantages• Attempted download but

incomplete (failure)• Didn’t download prior to

visit• Complex confusing

compared to wand• Headphones/isolation• Menu – too many choices• Fragile

Device PreferenceNow that you have experienced the Blanton’s

audio content on both the ExSite wand and an MP3 Player, which would you choose to

use next time?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

mp3

wand

no pref

Podcast Advantages

• Visitor Involvement (download)

• Customizable & Personal• Preview/Review content• Provides more choice• Inspiration to visit

Implications & Recommendations

• Uncommon Commentary Audio Tour– Personal: Offer Visitor Choices

• download podcast to personal mp3 player• use free audioguide in gallery

– Device: Keep It Simple• Museum provides free random access audio wand

– intuitive, simple– no headphones (?)

– Podcast: Just Do It!• Museum multi-purposes quality audio content

– already in mp3 format– transcripts provided by Acoustiguide

Implications & Recommendations

• Music for the Blanton– Offer as an album, not a podcast– Add an audio introduction– Add a map

Podcast Research Summary

• Personal MP3 players successful? YES & NO– 61% preferred them – download barriers – need on demand access

• Free podcasts marginalize audio tour? NO– Not today. Devices continue to evolve. Visitors

continue to want quality content.

• Provide audioguide as podcast? YES– For the Blanton? Absolutely! – Broader reach, more choices, personal, allows for

planning, preview and review.

Student Podcast ProjectRachel Varon’s Thesis: Podcasting in the Museum: Giving Emerging Adults a

Voice

1) Select a work of art2) Brainstorm ideas3) Audience – UT Students4) Justify your claims5) 1 - 4 minutes6) Research recommended7) Podcast review parties

8 podcasts created. Only 2 3 published on official Blanton Web Site.

X

Student Podcasts: The Challenge

• Discerning: Formalize a Review Process – Constructive comments – Diverse opinions– Critical Thinking– Evaluation with evidence

• Quality: Set expectations for official publishing

• Free Thinking: Outlet for Unedited Podcasts– subversive/dissenting– need an outlet for the renegade– student blogs

Student Podcast Researchselected excerpts

Podcasting in the Museum: Giving Emerging Adults a Voice

- Rachel Varon

Benefits of Student Produced Podcasts

• Connect with art in a format that is familiar to them– digital technology

• Actively engage in a discussion about a work of art– not just a consumer

• Become a guide or authority on a work of art – via podcasting

• Understand that there is more than one viewpoint– listen to peers’ opinions about a work of art

• Question and engage more deeply with sources– Variety of voices and sources of information

Multisensory

Personal

Podcasting in the Museum: Giving Emerging Adults a Voice - Rachel

Varon

Producing Podcasts = Constructivist Teaching

Conversational

Imaginative

Experiential

Podcasting

Art, Ideas & PeopleA Meaningful Dialogue

Are You Listening?