Introduction

This project explores the use of a practice-led research methodology in the design of generative data visualisations that can be used to record and reveal the details of an empiric museum visit. The object of capturing this visitor information is to assist in the future design and development of tools for the creation of interactive museum experiences that can be improved by connecting the physical dimension of museums and exhibitions with digital information in new and novel ways. In this research we were specifically concerned with how user engagement in the museum can be captured, visualised and represented back to a visitor, museum curator or the broader community in a way that might bring added value or insight. Moreover, the capturing of the visitor experience becomes an archival process and practice that can be used in the design of future exhibitions, and more fundamentally to inform thinking around the ongoing ontological and epistemological position of the museum.

This research was initiated through a European Union-funded project entitled Material Encounters with Digital Cultural Heritage (meSch), which had the goal of exploring possibilities for the creation of tangible interactive experiences that connect the physical dimension of museum exhibitions with relevant digital cross-media information. The meSch consortium consists of 12 partners from six European countries and was coordinated by Sheffield Hallam University. The project started in February 2013 and lasted for four years. It was funded by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme ICT for access to cultural resources (meSch, 2017).

The design research outlined in this chapter is based on exploring the premise that data collected from a museum visit detailing personal profiles; time spent at exhibits, choice and sequence of viewing and so on can be used to explore how data can be generatively visualised to allow visitors to make informed decisions about what they have seen, to help plan return visits, or acquire additional knowledge, and to help curators to organise future displays based on an improved understanding of visitor interests.

In this chapter we introduce a range of novel concepts and ideas developed by Visual Communication academics and students at Sheffield Hallam University to expand and enhance visitor experience in museums and other sociocultural settings.