Users as a stimulus to learning in Museums: an exploratory study

Abstract

It is common for communities to exhibit an inner desire to interact with heritage in order to become acquainted with their past and shape their identity. Cultural institutions, such as museums, are posited as information services that must manage their information objects in a way that communicates efficiently and appealingly the meaning of their artifacts to the visitors, ensuring a memorable, pleasant and knowledgeable experience. However, user experience is normally understood of systems design. This study seeks to expand the concept of experience to the visitor’s contact with the space and context of a museum. A qualitative literature review of the most relevant papers allows for an exploratory study based on a search in the references databases Web of Science and ProQuest with the aim of retrieving articles about user experience in museums. As a result, the information technology system is argued to be the mediating element between the information in objects and visitor’s knowledge. It is stated that that museums should be consolidated as spaces that promote strong personal experiences in order to enhance the learning of visitors. Although this idea is not pioneer, it is concluded that more overlooked aspects such as technology and space should be considered key criteria of that consolidation.