A New Look at an Old Friend: Re-evaluating the Met's Audio Guide Service

T: @lhmann @franklygw @iamgracetung @metmuseum

A New Look at an Old Friend:

Re-evaluating the Met’s Audio

Guide Service

Laura Mann, Frankly, Green + Webb

@lhmann @franklygw

Grace Tung, Metropolitan Museum of Art

@iamgracetung




Audio guide = product


We need an

app

A more modern

device

New tours,

more options

Beacons!





Audio guide = productservice



A service helps someone do

something

service


Design Principle

Build digital services,

not websites

Our service doesn’t begin and

end at our website. It might

start with a search engine and

end at the post office.

UK Government Digital Service

https://www.gov.uk/design-principles


Design Principle

Build digital services,

not websites

Our service doesn’t begin and

end with the audio guide device.

It might start with the website

and end at the gift shop.


Attract

Mobile Service Design

User Journey

Decide UseDeliver

Value


Attract

Mobile Service Design

User Journey

Decide UseDeliver

Value

1. Attract: Who are the users and what are their

needs?

2. Decide: Do visitors understand the offer?

3. Use: Is it easy to use?

4. Deliver value: Does it add value?


New Audio Guide Launches

September 2013

• Long-standing service

• 250,000 users annually

• 3000+ audio messages


Goals

1. Actionable

recommendations

1. Evidence base for

future decision-

making

2. Tools for on-going

evaluation


• Quantitative Survey

• Audio guide users and

non-users (n=492)

• English, Mandarin and

Spanish

• Qualitative Interviews

• Usability Testing

• Think aloud method

• Structured & unstructured

How We Went About It



User Journey Part I:

Attract

Who is being attracted to

of the service and what

are their needs?


Let’s meet the users

cc images courtesy of Ed Yourdon on Flickr

International

and Domestic

Tourists

New York City

and Tri-State

(NY, NJ, CT)

19%

81%

Audio Guide Users


Tourists are the ‘natural’ market for the audio guide

cc image courtesy of Ed Yourdon on Flickr

The audio guide offer:

Helps them navigate the

Museum, conceptually and

physically

Helps them find the

‘Treasures’

Provides content in their

own language

International

and Domestic

Tourists


Locals are a more diverse audience–one size will not fit all

cc image courtesy of Ed Yourdon on Flickr

New York City

and Tri-State

(NY, NJ, CT)

The audio guide offer:

Special exhibitions

✖ Perceive the guide as a

service for tourists

✖ Different touch points


What does this

mean for you?

1. Service design is a

strategic cross-departmental

process

2. Services need to be designed

for specific audiences. Who

is your service targeting?

3. Understanding the visitor

journey will allow you to

target visitors at the right

moment


User Journey Part II:

Understanding

Is the service easy to

understand?


No. Why is that?

• Audio guide is large and

ambitious: 25+ tours for

highlights, collections

areas, themes and families

• Describing the audio guide

offer is challenging for

staff

• Complex offer means visitors

may not be able to make

informed choices

• I think there's a

lot more on [the

audio guide] than

I realized.

Emily, age 35-44


Can visitors make an informed choice?

Natalie looks for a highlights tour

…I don’t know what’s in

any of these so I don’t

know where to go first…


What does this

mean for you?

1. More content and features:

not necessarily better

2. Give visitors a basis on

which to make informed

choices – that reflect their

needs

3. Design for short transaction

times and no learning curve


User Journey Part III:

Use

Is the service easy use?


Visitors reported that the guide was very easy to use

76%Rated the guide “very

easy” to use

I just type in the

number

-Jason


Say ≠ Do


Digging a little deeper

I think that they’re just

dual numbers and I don’t

understand why they would

have that because I’m

sure 3806…is going to

give me the same audio

(enters 3806 and listens)

Yeah, it was the same

thing except a different

voice.

Lucy


I was looking at some of the

tours but I wasn't sure

where they started relative

to where I was so I just

kept going with the stop

labels

Sarah, age 35-44

Usability is not only about what’s on the device’s screen


What does this

mean for you?

1. Ensure that in-gallery, on-

screen and in-ear are

aligned

2. ‘Start mobile and stay

mobile’ - ideate and test

the experience and content

in the gallery space

3. Innovation should be driven

by user needs, making things

easier for users, not harder


User Journey Part IV:

Value

Does the service

deliver value?


Overall, visitors are satisfied with the audio guide

90%would recommend the

guide to a friend

81%rated their overall

audio guide experience

as good or very good

Yes!

Best $7 we’ve spent

Louise,

age 35-44

It was awesome. Totally

converted to the audio.

Anna, age 35-44


The guide makes for a more meaningful visit

Q: As a result of taking the audio guide today, have you…

Learned about art

Noticed details in the

art works

Enjoyed your visit

Explored the Museum more

Discussed what you saw

and learned

Felt inspired

It draws your

attention to things

you might not have

noticed yourself.

Jake, age 18-24

…It's like getting

to know someone

rather than just

finding them

pretty.

Caroline, 25-34

N=341


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Much worse than

I had expected

Worse than I

had expected

Same as I had

expected

Better than I

had expected

Much better

than I had

expected

Guide Users

Non-Users

It improves the overall experience of the Museum

N=341Q: Overall, how satisfied are you with your visit to the Museum today?


Foreign language speakers are having a less positive

experience

90%Rate their experience

good or very good

73%Rate their experience

good or very good

English Other Languages


English Stops2601

Spanish Stops141

Mandarin Stops 44

Main Building

The offer looks different depending on what language you speak

Focusing on the needs of

foreign language

visitors will improve

visitor experience and

audio guide take up rate


What does this

mean for you?

1. Guide users have a better

overall museum experience

2. Raising take up rate =

improving the visitor

experience

3. Visitors value close looking

and meaning over information

But, dig deeper…

4. The service may not deliver

the same value for all users


The impact of the

process and the

path forward


THE KEY LESSON

Who are our users?

What do they need?


3 OBJECTIVES

• Improve User Journey Fluidity

• Attract the Local Repeat Audience

• Provide for First Time, Foreign-Language Speaking

Audience


CONSOLIDATION

The User Journey is

not smooth. The User

is overwhelmed.

• Simplify interface, limit choices

• Condense labeling, clean metadata

• Cohesive signage, logos, supplementary materials

• Clear, multiple distribution points

WHAT WE’LL DOTHE PROBLEM


PERCEPTION + ACCESS

Local, repeat visitors

are not attracted to the

Audio Guide offer.

THE PROBLEM

Try it yourself! Go here: www.metmuseum.org/audioguide

• Focus on special

exhibitions

• Audio Guide Web Feature

• Research and test

WHAT WE’LL DO


CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

First-time, foreign

language speaking

visitors need more

content.

• Produce 300 translated

stops in 9 languages per

fiscal year

• Highlight permanent

collection

• More thorough analytics

THE PROBLEM WHAT WE’LL DO


AUDIO GUIDE = SERVICE