Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Testing and scholarly research are sort of similar. You have a problem, and you want to understand why that problem is occurring, for example. Both use quantitative and qualitative data. But, in research, you want to be conclusive, exhaustive, and categorical. In testing, you just want to make the problem better. So, in that way, …
Tasks, Tasks, Tasks
You might have a problem and a desire to solve that problem but where do you go next. Imagine being in a situation where your museum app is opened regularly but then no other features are accessed, as assessed through analytics. You know that you need to figure out why this is happening. What is …
Formative vs. Summative
Do you have that sweet or salty conversation with people? For your information, I am salty. If you actually know me, this is not a surprise. I reading about formative testing versus summative testing, I have been trying to really understand when each is best. Is this more personal preference on the part of the …
User Testing vs Research
When I think of the term ivory tower, I have a very clear mental image. A glistening white tower, rectilinear in its aspect, is poised atop a rocky outcropping, on a lonely island. The beach, an access point to the tower, has a pier on it. Museums are like that beach. There are in the …
JOINT STATEMENT FROM MUSEUM BLOGGERS & COLLEAGUES ON FERGUSON
JOINT STATEMENT FROM MUSEUM BLOGGERS & COLLEAGUES ON FERGUSON The recent series of events, from Ferguson to Cleveland and New York, have created a watershed moment. Things must change. New laws and policies may help, but any movement toward greater cultural and racial understanding and communication must be supported by our country’s cultural and educational …
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MCN 2014: Performative Participation and Diversity
This the last of my wrap-up posts on MCN. I also storified my notes, so they don’t complete disappear into the ether of my Twitter feed. Race, culture, and socio-economic class also loomed large for me at #MCN2014. Certainly, the wonderful Ignite helped move me towards that conversation. But, given my own professional labors in …
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MCN Recap 2014: Open Authority/ Shared Access
Open-authority, shared-authority, open-access, shared-access was another theme that seeped through many of the conversations at #MCN2014. People all over are now finding/ demanding transparency of organizations and even governments. If ISIS has annual reports about their reports, then shouldn’t museums? But, in what ways can museums open up access while at the same time maintaining …
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MCN 2014 Recap: Nomenclature/ Content
There were a number of fruitful conversations about nomenclature this year at MCN. I thought I would write down some thoughts should I hope to remember them in the future. As a practitioner, I understand the desire to just get the work done rather than focus on the details of naming the work you are …
Remembering My Student
On the eve of Thanksgiving, I think of a boy I once knew. He was 17 years old. He was tall. He still had a baby face. He stopped smiling if you noticed. He was trying as hard as he could to look tough, to be tough. He was like lots of other kids in …
Visitor Flow through the Museum
I recently came to the revelation that while I might consider myself an Information professional, the concept of information is not something that I have considering fully. What is information? How do my clients, museum-goers, use the information that museums offer? Upon entering the museum, visitors are faced with numerous choices. Selection Evaluate the choices …