April 2012 Volume 15 Number 2 - Educational Technology & Society

Table 4. Visitor sample description
Phase Characteristics
1 54 volunteer visitors between the ages of 9 and 74 years.
13 foreigners.
2 119 volunteer visitors between the ages of 6 and 77 years.
43 foreigners.
3 Three test groups were organized:
a. A group of 17 students aged 13 years.
b. Seven seniors (between 58 and 73 years old) from the community.
c. A group of 15 foreigners aged between 19 and 44.
4 Informal tests:
Nine participants (4 foreigners, 5 locals) completed the phase 3 survey.
29 exchange students (11 and 12 year olds) played the game.
Focus interview with a family of five members.
5 101 Finnish students aged 11 and 12 years old participated in an educational study.
69 volunteer visitors (ranging between 8 and 73 years old).
Tools
The tools utilized in the HCG design process can be classified in two clusters: the data collection tools and an
instrument developed to aid the creation of the HCG stories. Both will be briefly defined.
Data collection tools
Each phase had its own objective as regards the understanding of the context and the creation of the artifact. Table 5
briefly describes the methods used in the design process as per phase (I=Interviews; IF=focus group interviews,
Q1=pre questionnaire, Q2=post questionnaire, D=informal and formal discussions, P=photos, OT=object tags).
Table 5. Data collection
Phase Methods Visitor data collection
1 Q2 Unattended surveys.
Survey topics: reasons for visiting the museum, rank museum’s interesting areas, perception
of the exposition’s clarity. Additionally, sensing the play habits of the visitors and how
would they improve the museum.
2 Q2-D-P-OT The researchers carried out workshops with participatory design approaches (Schuler &
Namioka, 1993) for volunteer visitors in five selected areas of the museum. Each location
was scheduled for one day. The workshop was personalized and consisted of the following
steps:
a. Visitors selected objects displayed in the location and wrote down what they would
like to know about them. The anonymous cards were left on their selected objects.
b. Researchers administered a pre-made quiz on a mobile phone about facts pertaining
to the location. The aim was to listen to the visitors’ opinions about the application
and any other ideas.
c. Visitors filled in a survey which included the following topics: preference of media
used, senses and activities, their opinion on other digital tools used in museums,
their ideas for the museum’s improvement, their reasons for visiting the museum,
and the information they would like to know in the specific location.
3 IF-Q1-Q2-
D
The test groups filled in one pre and one post questionnaire.
Pre questionnaire topics: the visitors’ mobile phone usage and media preferences, their
opinion about museums and digital tools in museums.
Post questionnaire topics: the visitors’ motivation to play the game, their most enjoyable and
difficult game experiences, activities they liked and suggestions for improving the game.
Additionally we evaluated different usability elements, visitors’ visions of the technology
and what caught their attention during their visit.
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