Jessie Pallud

Effective website design for experience-influenced environments: The case of high culture museums

Abstract While most research on website has focused on functional tasks, the Internet offers many opportunities for leisure as well as experiential activities. Because of the evolution of developed society toward an experience economy , analyzing the role of technologies in the presence of prior user experiences makes sense. This research identifies variables that play a role and influence online behaviors in a specific experiential environment, namely the high culture museum website. Relying on the literature on experience, we propose a research model tested with two different websites. The results of the free simulation experiment indicates that (1) esthetics is the most important design criteria for experiential interfaces and (2) that website design influences intentions to visit a physical place.

Impact of interactive technologies on stimulating learning experiences in a museum

This research proposes a model to assess visitors learning and engagement with interactive technologies. We test this model with a field study conducted at a French museum where 174 surveys were returned. The results indicate that IT dimensions, namely ease-of-use and interactivity, influence emotional processes (authenticity and cognitive engagement), which in turn influence learning. Our findings show that when users perceive the interaction with technology as being intuitive and interactive, they experience higher levels of cognitive engagement. We also provide recommendations to professionals of the edutainment sector to use interactive technologies to engage their audiences, thereby ensuring positive learning experiences.

The role of technologies in cultural mediation in museums: an Actor-Network Theory view applied in France

Abstract This paper examines how museum professionals perceive the role played by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their institutions. We conceptualise the interaction between museum professionals, works of art, the public and ICT in terms of a mediation process, which we define and discuss from an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) perspective. Using a qualitative research approach, we examine the different components of this process within four major museums in France. Our results indicate that two kinds of ICT-supported mediation types emerge: visitor-oriented (entertaining and customised) and curator-oriented (scientific and content-driven), and that the pre-supposed positive impact of ICT on the professional practices of museums seems controversial.