Introduction
Last Autumn, I remember it was a long holiday season for me, which I decided to spend with my cousin in Washington. Being fond of historical places, we decided to spend a week roaming around the city, exploring a lot of new things. We all know, Washington is a paradise for history lovers, as it has a number of museums that are full of antique collections and historical information about the world.
It was one fine morning, when we both decided to take a tour of at least one or two museums of the city, to feed our hunger for history. We took a bus and reached our first destination, which was about 5 Kilometers away from our stay. Reaching there, we encountered a long queue waiting to collect their entry ticket. It was quite impossible for the gatekeeper to manage such a long queue, as people were getting irritated waiting there. After waiting for around half an hour, we finally got the chance to enter the museum. No wonder it was a dreamy experience for me. However, I was pretty much unhappy with the management. Most of the showcased things did not have much information attached to them. Some of the paper printed information was destroyed. And most importantly, the guides were not bothering much about explaining things properly to the visitors.
Not so impressed with such an experience, we moved towards our next museum tour. I must say, I was amazed to witness a totally opposite scenario there. There was no rush outside the ticket counter, there were hardly a few people standing in the queue. When our turn came, I noticed a few iPads put at the counter, where we were allowed to put our details by ourselves to collect the tickets. It was such a seamless procedure, that it did not take much time for the entry process. Entering the museum, we witnessed a lot of things which were not only impressive but also digitally innovative. There were individual iPads put for each section displaying the detailed information for every exhibit. There were arrangements for the visitors to have an excellent audio-visual experience. The most interesting thing that I came across with was, all of the iPads were in kiosk mode, which means, visitors were not able/allowed to use those iPads for their personal entertainment (games, internet surfing etc.). The whole experience was so mesmerizing and delightful that I completely forgot the negative experience I received from the previous visit. Putting iPads in Kiosk mode for different purposes was undoubtedly a very smart move of the management to maintain harmony in their museum. Impressed by the gesture, I talked with the team about the advantages of putting such an idea into practice. In this blog, I am going to share every detail I came across while having a discussion with them.
- Museums & iPad Kiosk
The use of digital and mobile technology is growing more and more popular amongst the world’s most renowned museums. Such technology allows museums to deliver a more immersive experience by providing visitors with more contexts through self-guided and self-driven tours, and additional historical information about the piece delivered via text, audio or video on mobile devices. Some museums have already installed large-format touch screens or iPads that display images of exhibit pieces and which allow users to learn more about exhibits in an innovative way. Others have developed apps that can be used on iPad kiosk mode, that serve as a personal tour guide to visitors. There are multiple purposes for using iPad kiosks in museums. Let’s check on them.
- Self Check-in
The iPads put in the check-in counters not only lessens the hassle of managing a large queue at the entry gate, but also gives the guests a lot of satisfaction by offering them the facility to collect tickets on their own.
- Information Kiosks
With a learning kiosk app, you can turn an iPad into a kiosk by locking it down to that specific web content. Your visitors can now browse a group of articles about the exhibit, and cannot browse anything for personal use.
- Self-guided Tour
You can lock those iPads to play specific audio or media files on the command of the visitor. As visitors move through your museum and come to specific exhibits, provide them access to audio and video to learn more.
- Benefits of Putting iPad Kiosks in Museums
iPad kiosks offer numerous benefits for enhancing visitor engagement in museums, revolutionizing the way people interact with exhibits and providing a more immersive and interactive experience. Here are some key benefits:
- Personalized Experience
With iPad kiosks, your museum can tailor the visitor experience to individual preferences and interests. By collecting data through different interactive surveys, museums can offer personalized recommendations, emphasize relevant exhibits, and offer curated tours based on visitors’ preferences. This customization makes the museum journey more meaningful and enjoyable for each visitor.
- Wide Range of Accessibility
iPad kiosks help make museums more accessible to diverse audiences, including people with disabilities and those with language barriers. Features such as audio descriptions, text-to-speech functionality, and multilingual content ensure that museum exhibits are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities or language proficiency.
- Increasing Visitor’s Engagement
The interactive and alluring nature of iPad kiosks captivates visitors’ attention and encourages them to spend more time exploring exhibits. By offering engaging content and interactive experiences, iPad kiosks increase visitor engagement, leading to a more memorable and rewarding museum experience.
- Cost-effective Solution
Implementing iPad kiosks can be a cost-effective solution for museums compared to traditional methods of exhibit augmentation. Instead of investing in expensive hardware, museums can deploy iPad kiosks tactically throughout their galleries, allowing for suppleness and scalability in enhancing the visitor experience.
Conclusion
Overall, iPad kiosks offer a multitude of benefits for museums seeking to enhance visitor engagement, accessibility, and learning outcomes. By leveraging digital technology to create interactive and personalized experiences, museums can connect with diverse audiences, foster curiosity and learning, and ensure that cultural heritage remains accessible and relevant in the digital age. If you are planning to imply such an innovative approach of putting iPad kiosks in your museum, Auro24’s MDM Solution is right here for you to make your digital journey seamless and cost-effective.
