There are two different viewpoints regarding their use:

– Multimedia technologies should not be used in museums, as they disrupt the sacredness of antiquity, substituting usefulness and informativeness with external appeal.

– The introduction of modern multimedia solutions, such as digital signage, helps improve the perception of information and fosters an increased interest in history, nature, and other phenomena.

Practice shows that the second viewpoint is significantly closer to the truth. Multimedia solutions:

– help offer visitors more information without significantly expanding museum space through the use of digital signage players;

– optimize material assimilation by using software for digital signage;

– attract the attention of visitors, especially children and young people, through digital advertising;

– provide an opportunity to learn more about what has piqued the interest of people visiting the museum.

Such projects can be implemented in various ways. Equipment is chosen according to the tasks set by the museum administration. For example, digital signage and interactive panels allow for the broadcasting of vivid presentations. Screens make it possible to further illustrate many exhibits with video materials and also display large amounts of text. Interactive work and navigation through menus can be provided using a tablet or a small touch display.

Multimedia solutions can be divided into two groups

– For independent work – the information stream provided by the digital signage player is broadcast independently of the museum staff, and visitors themselves decide which materials they need;

– Auxiliary – used during presentations to an audience, when it is necessary to illustrate a speech with images and videos using digital signage, interactive boards, panels, and screens.

What are the capabilities of interactive technologies?

Modern technologies allow museum visitors to interact with various devices, such as digital signage, receive answers to their questions, and find more information about what particularly interests them. This can be done in several ways:

– Through touch screens – visitors can select the menu items that interest them and receive additional information in the form of text, images, video, and sound;

– With the help of an electronic pen – it provides interaction with touch screens and also allows selecting the appropriate menu items to get more information;

– Through additional equipment, primarily for working with sound and video: speakers, a microphone, a camera, and headphones can be used;

– In online mode – visitors can explore the museum’s exhibits remotely from home without visiting the museum. In this case, the museum must have cameras capable of broadcasting images via the internet and responding to commands given by the viewer: to rotate, zoom in.

An interesting solution is simple educational games that will attract both children and adults. They can be conducted in the form of a quiz, where the winner is the one who gives more correct answers to the questions. Such a game can be offered to visitors before they leave the museum, giving them a chance to apply their new knowledge and test how well they remember everything. Software for digital signage will allow organizing such interactive activities easily, and digital advertising will help attract more visitors.

What tasks do interactive technologies solve?

There are several directions in which interactive solutions can be used.

1. Organization of presentations, video demonstrations during lectures and other public speeches using a Digital Signage system or a Digital Signage player.

2. Organization of voting. For example, if after a tour, quick feedback is needed, participants can be offered to vote in electronic format. A list of questions and answer options, prepared in advance, can be displayed on advertising screens or other devices. Visitors can select the appropriate answers, after which the digital signage system will quickly calculate the results.

3. Territory modeling. On a digital table, a biocenosis or a city at a certain historical stage of its existence can be recreated. Using a digital signage player, virtual tours of the virtual area can be conducted, simultaneously showing possible or real changes. For example, it is possible to show how the same city square looked in different eras.

4. Solving the problem of material limitations. Rare exhibits can be scanned, creating detailed images or 3D models, which will be displayed via the Digital Signage system. The 3D model can be rotated so that visitors can examine it more closely.

Interactive technologies in action

When implementing multimedia solutions in a museum, it is important to maintain a balance between educational value and appeal, especially if a significant portion of the audience consists of schoolchildren. The disadvantages of disrupting this balance:

– If it leans too much towards educational value – the visitor will be bored;

– If it leans too much towards appeal, where external effects dominate the content – the visitor will be more “playing” with the technologies without retaining important information.

In modern museums, the following solutions are effectively used:

1. Immersive technologies. They are aimed at creating an immersion effect, where the exhibit is complemented by images, sounds, and sometimes even smells. Thanks to the digital signage system, an audio recording or other media materials that create the appropriate atmosphere can be automatically turned on.

2. Augmented Reality (AR). This technology allows additional information, such as images, sound, or video, to be superimposed onto the real world on the screen of a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Digital signage players can be used to display the necessary materials.

3. AR markers. These are icons that are read by a smartphone camera. When the camera is pointed at such a marker, additional information appears on the advertising screen or other device. A 3D model can also be displayed, which the visitor can rotate for a more detailed view.

Museum experience

Many museums around the world are implementing multimedia solutions using the Digital Signage system.

– In the Carnuntum Archaeological Park (Austria), at the site of a Roman military camp, AR technologies are used to complement excavation results. Visitors can view the ruins of a gladiator school and, with the help of a smartphone, see how it looked in the past.

– In the Center for Contemporary Art in Seattle (USA), exhibitions are held where works of art “come to life” thanks to elements of augmented reality. This is implemented with Digital Signage players, immersing the visitor in the art environment.

– At the National Museum of the Republic of Mari El, a multimedia guide with augmented reality elements has been developed. A special smartphone app allows visitors to receive more information during exhibitions by pointing the camera at the exhibits.

Multimedia solutions using digital signage systems and Digital Signage increase interest in museum exhibits and attract more visitors.

Interactive technologies are becoming an integral part of modern museums, transforming them into dynamic spaces for interaction, learning, and inspiration. They allow not only the display of exhibits but also immerse visitors in the context and atmosphere of the era or phenomenon being explored. This creates a deeper emotional connection with the exhibition, allowing visitors to feel the events of the past or comprehend the complexity of the modern world through visual and audio effects.

Interactive solutions also expand educational opportunities. They offer new formats for presenting information, making the learning process more interesting and engaging. Visitors can independently choose the topics that interest them and study the materials at their own pace, which is especially important for schoolchildren and students.

Another advantage of interactive technologies is their adaptability to different age groups and levels of audience preparation. For children, for example, interactive games or quizzes can be created that not only entertain but also educate, allowing them to apply the knowledge they have acquired in practice. Adults can participate in thematic discussions, lectures, or review in-depth materials that expand their worldview.

Another important advantage is that interactive technologies allow the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage even in cases where physical access to it is limited. Virtual museum tours or digital copies of rare artifacts can be accessible to anyone anywhere in the world, greatly expanding the audience and making culture and science available to all.

Thus, interactive solutions in museums are not only a means of attracting new visitors but also a powerful tool for preserving cultural heritage, raising educational standards, and developing critical thinking. They open new horizons for museum work, making it more modern, accessible, and exciting.

Advision — Content Management System for remote management and media planning of video and audio content broadcasting. We help offline businesses and advertising companies automate their workflows and implement a robust Digital Signage infrastructure using our proprietary software and hardware solutions.

Contact us, and we will help you implement the most modern technologies to solve your problems!