Laura Maye

In this paper we reflect on the process of co-design by detailing and comparing two strategies for the participatory development of interaction concepts and prototypes in the context of technologically-enhanced museum visiting experiences. While much work in CSCW, HCI and related disciplines has examined different role configurations in co-design, more research is needed on examining how collaborative design processes can unfold in different ways. Here we present two instances of co-design of museum visiting aids, one stemming from an open brief, another from an initial working prototype; we discuss the process in each case and discuss how these alternative strategies presented the team with different possibilities as well as constraints, and led to different patterns of collaboration within the design team. Finally, we draw a set of themes for discussion and reflection to inform and aid researchers and practitioners participating in similar co-design processes, particularly in the domain of cultural heritage.

The paper describes our work undertaken as part of a EU-funded collaborative project involving twelve partners from six European countries, aiming to provide a platform for the creation of tangible smart exhibits to enable heritage professionals to design and assemble physical artefacts enriched by digital content in a DIY manner. Our approach is grounded on principles of co-design, the broad participation of designers, developers and stakeholders into the process, and on a Do-It-Yourself philosophy to making and experimentation. Hands-on design and prototyping workshops are employed throughout the project to inform and shape development. The paper focuses on these co-design activities, wherein cultural heritage professionals (CHPs), designers and technologists work together in local and consortium-wide workshops to co-create the DIY platform. It presents the results of an investigation into the design thinking, practices, and processes of a particular set of users - cultural heritage professionals – who are involved in the design and realisation of cultural heritage exhibitions involving digital interactive technologies.

Within cultural heritage, curators, exhibition designers and other professionals are increasingly involved in the design of exhibits that make use of interactive digital technologies to engage visitors in novel ways. While a body of work on the design and evaluation of interactive exhibitions exists in HCI and Interaction Design, little research has been conducted thus far on understanding how cultural heritage professionals engage in the design of interactive exhibitions in terms of their attitudes, process, expectations and understandings of technology. In this paper, we present the results from an interview study involving cultural heritage professionals and aimed at understanding their involvement in designing interactive exhibitions. Our findings could provide the HCI community with a better understanding of the strategies and aspirations of domain professionals regarding interactive exhibitions, and to identify new ways to engage with them - particularly as these professionals’ knowledge and understanding of interactive digital technologies becomes more advanced.

Cultural heritage communities of interest have increasingly expanded from cultural heritage professionals to volunteers, special interest groups and independent citizen-led initiative groups. Digital technology has also increasingly impacted cultural heritage by affording novel experiences of it – it features in a number of activities for all the aforementioned groups, as well as acting as support for visitors to cultural heritage centres.

With different degrees of formality and training, these communities are increasingly defining and taking ownership of what is of value to them, thus reconfiguring the care, communication, interpretation and validation of heritage. Digital technology has played a crucial role in this transformative process.

In a fully international context, cultural heritage practitioners, community champions and academics from different fields of study have contributed to this book. Each chapter brings to the fore the multiple relationships between heritage, communities and technologies as a focus of study and reflection in an inclusive way. Contributions touch upon present and future opportunities for technology, as well as participatory design processes with different stakeholders.

This book brings together ideas from different disciplines, cultures, methods and goals, to inspire scholars and practitioners involved in community heritage projects.