The Application

This section presents the application, including its structure, functionality and the intended use experience. The application is currently in its final state of its process of development. Thus, there are still a few unsolved issues; however, the current state will be presented and discussed based on feedback from the two user groups.

In this project, we have utilised location based technology and AR, which adds a new dimension to the‐ normal exhibition experience (Lemmens, 2010; Krauß and Bogen, 2010; Hainich, 2009). Instead of merely being a spectator, the visitor has the opportunity to be a participator when experiencing prehistoric finds in the landscape.

We have utilised GPS (Global Positioning System) in order to specify the locations (x,y,z position) of‐ each interest point in the landscape. Each point (we aim at approx. 50 points of interest) is established by the curators, who utilise an editor tool to add the GPS location, text, pictures, videos, links, etc. ‐

The users will encounter the application by learning about it from signboards on location or from information on the web. The users can download the application on site by scanning a QR code⁷ on a signboard (making people aware of the app), or through App Store and Android Marked. In this manner, the means of communication is a dynamical extension and remediation (Bolter and Grusin, 2000) of the current means (signboards and leaflets), chosen to embrace new target groups, who

7 http://www.qrcode.com/index e.html. A QR (Quick Response) code is a 2D barcode with a unique identity, which is used as a‐ quick reference to content of relevance to the context and location where it is displayed.

Proceedings of The Transformative Museum page 35

rarely visit museums. Today, the Internet and the possibilities provided by mobile devices have changed our manner of communicating and the manner in which we appropriate information. By ntroducing an app, the museum experience is not bound to the physical walls of the museum during opening hours, but can be had where the excavations were located, at any hour. In the following subsections, we will introduce how we have chosen to communicate the finds in the landscape.

Figure 3: The main menu. On the left, the older version of the menu is displayed. Based on feedback from the users, this version was changed to the version on the right. The users found the previous version too unattached from the

subject area and the fact that the experience takes place in the landscape.

4.1. Structure

The application consists of four levels (for an overview, see Figure 7). The first level is the main menu displaying three buttons as entry points to level 2 (see Figure 3). At level 2, the user can browse material in different modes.

4.1.1. Level 2

Firstly, the user can choose to explore interest points as a digital layer on top of reality; also known as AR (augmented reality (see Wellner et al., 1993)). A short explanation of what AR is, is explained at the button at level 1 (See figure 3). Although the majority of our user groups did not know of the term prior to their participation in the project, we chose not to change it. We tried coming up with

alternatives in Danish with the users (e.g. “Udvidet virkelighed”, “Lag på virkeligheden”). However, we agreed that none of them were concise and accurate enough; and furthermore, in time more people will know the term⁸.

When the user pans her phone’s camera across the landscape, she can see where in the landscape the interesting spots are located. As each point of interest is set up based on its x, y, and z

coordinates, the application can recognise the points by utilising GPS. Furthermore, the application utilises the phones built in compass and accelerometer to determine which interest points to display in‐

8 As an example of applications utilising AR is the mobile browser Layar (http://www.layar.com/).

Proceedings of The Transformative Museum page 36

the landscape, which is done by showing semi transparent labels on top of the actual locations. Each‐ label contains a headline, a thumbnail, and a specification of the distance to the point in question. The labels are displayed in relation to the direction of the user. From a small dot in the middle of the screen, a thread is linked to the labels, so that the user is made aware of where to look for interest points in the landscape. This feature was made to provide the user with an alternative to the “radar”

function, which is often used in Layar applications. The threads provide the user with an immediate direction and contextualises the points to the user. Furthermore, the labels are displayed in a Fish eye‐ perspective, meaning that when a given label is at the centre of the screen (directly over the dot), the full label is shown and made clickable, whereas the label is smaller if it is in the periphery of the screen, only displaying part of the headline. User evaluations have shown that not all users understand the dot, and thus, we are experimenting with making the dot look like a sight (as on a riffle), to spur the users to put the labels at the centre of their screens. In addition, the user can utilise a filter tool to filtrate in the possible points of interest to be displayed. The top part of the tool allows for filtration in distance (from 0 meters to 100 km) and the lower part handles filtration in period of time (from 10.000 B.C “Ahrensburgkultur” to 2012 “Nyere tid”). Each filter has two points of control making it possible to choose an interval. Initially, the filter tool was only intended for the AR mode and the map‐ (as will be presented shortly); however, the users thought it would be helpful in all three modes, and that a setting in one mode should correspond with that in the other modes. Furthermore, the users requested the names of each period in order to better relate to the datings.

Figure 4: Two screenshots showing the AR mode. In the picture to the right, the filter tool is activated. However, the names of the periods are not yet implemented.

The user can browse the different points by pressing the labels, which will provide the user with a teaser. A teaser is a semi transparent window containing a headline, a picture and a short description‐ of the point. From the teaser, the user can go back to the AR mode, or gain more knowledge on the finds by pressing the “More info” button, which will take the user to level 3.

The second mode in level 2 is a map, where the user can see the interest points as pins at a map. The location of the user is displayed with a red semi transparent cone illustrating the direction of the users‐ field of vision. The map gives the user a different approach to the points of interest as the map mode can be used to create an overview, and thus to plan ones visit prior to actually going somewhere. At the map, it is possible to zoom between different levels, using satellite pictures for the highest levels of zoom. As in the AR mode, the points are connected with threads, and it is possible to utilise the filter tool and to click on the pins to have a teaser displayed.

Proceedings of The Transformative Museum page 37

Figure 5: Left: A map displaying the finds with blue pins. Right: A list showing the distance to the finds from the users position.

The third mode at level 2 is a list mode, which displays the points of interest in a list starting with the nearest point. Each point is displayed with a headline, a thumbnail, and a specification of the distance to the point in question. In order not to dilute the list mode, the user goes straight to level 3 when clicking on one of the points without having to go through a teaser.

Apart from these three modes, the previous version also included a fourth button, called “Om denne app” (About this app). The developers originally thought of it as a colophon, mentioning the project team behind the app. However, the user groups thought of it as a manual on what to do, and

consulted it before doing anything else. In the current version, we have redesigned the buttons with a short text explaining the three modes, to hopefully obviate the need for a manual. If this solution turns out to be inadequate, we are considering making a different button to content that is both colophon and manual.

4.1.2. Level 3

Level 3 is where the user finds the contents of the application. The entry point is a description consisting of a headline, a banner picture, and a longer text possible containing more pictures. The text is written in smaller subsections to ease the reading experience on the screen.

The menu bar at level 3 makes it visible, that it is possible to navigate between sliding tabs. Left of the description, there is a tab called “Tråde” (Threads) and further on: “Video”. “Tråde” links the find in question thematically to other finds, for example, to related finds; and if a video is made of the find, it is displayed under “Video”.

Proceedings of The Transformative Museum page 38

Figure 6: A panorama view of three out of five tabs at level 3.

To the right of the description, there is a tab called “Vidste du?” (Did you know?) and further on:

“Links”. “Did you know” displays facts listed in a concise manner. Under “Links” the user can find links to external databases such as “Musernes Samlinger”, “Fund og Fortidsminder” or the website of Museum Midtjylland.

Figure 7: The structure of the application, containing four levels and a part, which is only activated when the user is on site.

4.1.3. On site & level 4 ‐

Apart from the above described content and functionalities, there is an extra bonus for those who are

Proceedings of The Transformative Museum page 39

actually near some of the points of interest. Initially, the idea was to implement some vista points (udkigspunkter in Danish) located close to some of the interest points (which we call special interest points). The vista points can also be seen at the map at a close zoom level. When a user ventures into one of the vista points, a message appears at the screen marked with an icon of an eye. The message is accompanied by a buzz and a sound (see the left picture in Figure 8). Further, the message

explains that it is possible to get an extra experience if she holds up her phone and search for a special interest point, which is in fact a filtered AR mode at level 2.

At the current stage of the process of development, we may exclude the mentioned vista points, as the users do not seem to understand why they should go to another location than the one they want to know more about. An alternative could be to increase the radius of each special interest point to make the user aware of the extra feature when they are close to the site.

Regardless which way the user learns about the extra feature, she will then be instructed to hold up her phone and search for a special interest point. A compass and a frame at the screen guides the user to turn in the correct direction, and when the user has found the right place, a picture of a

reconstruction is displayed on top of the location, creating an image of how it could have looked at the time when the site was in use (see the right picture in Figure 8). Once the picture is locked, an

animation will divide the picture into a grid of eight possible active parts of the picture. Each active part is a link to a fourth level, where elements of the reconstruction can be examined further. At the fourth level, pictures are prioritised and text is scarce.

Figure 8: Left: A vista point is found, and if the user chooses to see the content, she will be instructed to hold up her phone and search for the reconstruction (as seen in the picture to the right).

The reason why an “On site” part of the application was developed was to have the users go look for‐ the actual locations. The yield of utilising AR is much larger when the user is in the vicinity of the points of interest, as it creates a bodily relation to the locations. The museum experience gained when using this application is not meant to be one without a place. Rather, the experience is transformed from a centralised experience, where the finds are presented at a place outside their original contexts, to a decentralised experience, where the user can explore the places of the original contexts instead of the finds themselves. And it was in order to maintain the “place” of the experience, location based‐ technologies was utilised and in this manner link the site and the finds together.