Gamifying the Museum Experience Through Beacon Technology
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It’s a known fact that a huge number of today’s population has a smartphone, and most of those people, especially millennials, are consumed by the games and apps on their phones. Remember the game Pokémon Go? People were literally obsessed with it, and would travel far and wide to catch digital Pokémon. This same type of gaming experience can be employed by museums to present information in a way that educates, engages, and entertains their audience.
There are a number of museums that are using beacon technology and proximity marketing to gamify the museum experience through the use of mobile applications on smartphones. These interactive games help each visitor or user build their own unique experience. In the Netherlands, the Phillips Museum employs this gamifying tactic through what they call “Mission Eureka.” The game can be played in teams of up to 4 people and invites users to solve problems posing as researchers to discover fun challenges such as how LED lights work.
Gamifying an experience provides museums with a way to present content to their visitors like never before. It is nearly impossible to rip away someone’s attention from their smartphone, so why not harness this attention and use it to your advantage? Through an interactive game, visitors can use their own smartphone or device and not have to rely on a boring, guided tour to take them through the exhibits. They can choose which exhibits they want to see, in any order, and focus on the things that interest them. This is possible through beacon technology. Visitors could have the option to download the app when they buy tickets online, or download it when they arrive at the museum. With beacon technology and a gaming tactic, the focus is on the consumer, and the choice is up to them. Beacon technology is the newest thing being used to stifle museum boredom in millennials.
Using app with beacon technology in museum
Gamifying allows for storytelling “outside the museum.”
Users will be able to virtually create their own experience, and share it on any social platform. People are always looking for ways to share little pieces of their lives and experiences online, and are seeking out ways to engage with brands and companies. Through an engaging gamification model, this could be easily accomplished.
While this gaming experience is fun and interactive, it is also a way for users to find the information they want without having to interrupt their experience by having to find a museum expert to help answer their questions. All in all, by using beacon technology to gamify a museum experience is beneficial both to the consumer and the museum. One could say it is a win-win situation.
