The wicked problem in museums and public institutions is the struggle to balance cultural preservation with accessibility. These institutions aim to preserve cultural heritage for future generations while making it accessible to a wider audience. However, this goal is complicated by various challenges, including changing cultural values, limited funding, and evolving technologies.

In the 1970s, museums and other public institutions began to experience a crisis, as traditional methods of engaging visitors became less effective. Visitors were less interested in traditional exhibits and museums struggled to attract a broader audience. As a result, museums and public institutions have been exploring new ways to engage visitors and fulfill their mission of preserving cultural heritage.

The challenge of balancing cultural preservation with accessibility is a wicked problem, meaning that it is complex, multifaceted, and difficult to solve. How might museums and public institutions address this problem and create innovative solutions that meet the changing needs of their audiences?

This remains a pressing question for those working in the field, as they strive to build bridges between art and people while preserving our cultural heritage for future generations.

The Design Thinking process consists of these five key steps

In the Empathize stage of our design thinking process, we began by conducting thorough secondary research as the first step.

After conducting individual secondary research, our group reconvened to share our findings and determine the specific user group on which to focus our efforts.

As part of our research process, we conducted interviews over Zoom with a target user group between the ages of 28 and 35. Through open-ended questions, we sought to understand the frequency of their museum visits, their perceptions and emotions towards museums, factors that would encourage them to visit museums more frequently, and their ideal museum experience.

We reached a consensus that although many express interest in visiting museums, they do not do so frequently, and we aimed to investigate the reasons behind this trend and explore ways to encourage these individuals to visit museums more often.

After conducting interviews with our target user group, we gained valuable insights that will inform our research project. Here are some of the quotes from our interviewees:
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After conducting the interviews, we gathered all the valuable insights and began organizing them into relevant categories. To make this process more efficient, we utilized an affinity diagram, a tool commonly used in design thinking.

This allowed us to visually group similar ideas together and gain a better understanding of the patterns and trends within our data.

The insights gathered from the interviews and categorized into fivemain themes: boredom, interests, pricing, marketing, and reasons to visit a museum. Interviewees expressed boredom with museums, lack of interest in the history or old cities, and a desire for more interactive exhibits and displays about the future.

Price was also a significant factor in their decision to visit museums, with many stating they would go if it were cheaper or free.

Furthermore, interviewees emphasized the importance of marketing and advertising to raise awareness of museums and attract more visitors.

Finally, social connections and the desire to benefit society were mentioned as reasons to visit museums. These insights can inform museums to enhance their exhibits and services to attract and retain more visitors by incorporating interactive displays and technology, lowering ticket prices, and increasing marketing efforts.

Additionally, creating a social atmosphere and emphasizing the benefits of museum visitation can encourage more people to attend.

Based on the insights we gathered from our interviews, we created an Empathy Map to gain a deeper understanding of our target users.

An Empathy Map is a visual tool that helps us to better understand our users’ needs, wants, and behaviors by considering their perspectives, feelings, and attitudes. It allowed us to gain insights into what motivates our target users to visit museums and what barriers prevent them from doing so.

Based on our research and empathy map analysis, we have created a user persona named Social Sam.

Sam is a social and outgoing person who enjoys spending time with friends and being part of a community. However, Sam has not visited a museum in a long time due to the lack of interactive and engaging experiences, high entry fees, and the feeling of not having enough time.

To address Sam’s needs, we suggest that museums offer more interactive and engaging experiences, such as having interesting activities and digital technologies. Museums could also promote their activities and exhibits more actively on social media to provide easy access to cultural activities. Additionally, offering entry fee discounts or special promotions could make museums more affordable for Sam and other visitors who are price-sensitive.

Finally, it would be beneficial for Sam to connect with a community of individuals who share similar interests in visiting museums and cultural institutions. This could create a sense of belonging and encourage more frequent visits to museums.

After completing the user persona for Social Sam, we considered the steps involved in getting Sam to a museum. This led us to identify opportunities, anticipate his thoughts and emotions, and understand the tasks he would perform. By putting ourselves in Sam’s shoes, we gained a deeper perspective and were able to think outside the box.

Museums and other public institutions have been in a state of crisis since the 1970s, as their core purpose is to make cultural heritage accessible to all. Our goal was to find a way to assist these institutions in fulfilling their mission by making cultural heritage more widely available.

During the ideate stage, we began concept sketching based on the insights gathered from the empathize and define stages. One of the brainstorming methods we used was the Crazy 8’s method, which is a fast and efficient way to generate eight different ideas in eight minutes.

To start, we folded a sheet of paper into eight equal sections and set a timer for eight minutes. Then, we individually brainstormed and quickly sketched out different ideas related to our problem statement within each section.

The Crazy 8’s method is an effective way to generate a large number of ideas in a short amount of time, which can help us discover new possibilities and directions. We then used these sketches as a starting point to develop and refine our ideas into more detailed concept sketches and low-fidelity wireframes.

After brainstorming and sketching various concepts, our group ultimately decided on an app called “Cultural Wizard.”

With this app, users can select their current city through location recognition or by manual selection. They can also select their interests, and based on their preferences, the app will recommend museums and art exhibitions in their surroundings.

On the main page, the user can see the top five most visited museums in their area and receive recommendations for exhibits of the month, week, and day. The app provides a personalized experience, tailored to the user’s interests and location.

Concept testing is a crucial step in the design thinking process, where a prototype or a concept is presented to potential users in order to gather feedback and insights. With this in mind, we reached out to a few individuals who fit our target user profile and asked them to test our Cultural Wizard app and provide us with feedback.

Fortunately, the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Users appreciated the app’s clean and intuitive flow, finding it easy to navigate and use.

They also appreciated the app’s recommendations for museums and art exhibitions based on their interests and location. Overall, our testers found the prototype to be well-thought-out and expressed an interest in using it in the future. This feedback gave us the confidence to move forward with the development of Cultural Wizard, knowing that it meets the needs of our target users.

During the course of our project, we wanted to ensure that our design was not just a concept but something that could be materialized. As a result, we decided to go the extra mile and design a mid-fi prototype, even though it was not a requirement.

Through this project, I have acquired valuable insights and skills that will benefit me in future endeavors. Our team’s seamless workflow and constructive discussions allowed us to refine our ideas, and the Bad Ideas Map in our Figjam File helped us turn seemingly bad ideas into insightful solutions.

In addition, I learned the importance of challenging ideas while remaining open to being challenged. This resulted in a collaborative and constructive environment where every team member had a voice and contributed to the most optimal solution. Effective teamwork, communication, and collaboration played a crucial role in our project’s success.

This experience has taught me the significance of these skills in any collaborative project, and I will apply them to future endeavors.

As a conclusion, this project was an excellent opportunity to apply the principles of design thinking and gain valuable experience in collaborating with a team to solve real-world problems. It has given me the confidence to tackle complex problems in the future and further develop my skills in user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
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