This paper describes the development of a mobile museum guide. The proposed application incorporates interesting features like automatic positioning, personalization, and interface portability. Design human-computer interaction (HCI) patterns have also been applied to provide a homogeneous look and feel.

This work belongs to the area of cultural informatics, the convergence between culture and information science. Nevertheless, the design of the application tends to neglect the specific nature of the application domain. In particular, the museum visit is treated as a route planning problem, the main concern being how to locate specific objects. However, a museum visit is a learning experience, during which visitors expect to engage with objects, learn new concepts, and at the same time be entertained. Research in this area has shown that the storytelling and learning-game paradigms are more appropriate for delivering museum guides. Similarly, during the usability evaluation, visitors are asked whether the application assisted them in locating an object irrespective of whether it has added something to their intellectual or emotional experience.

So indeed the experiment shows that the mobile guide is usable, but does it really enhance visitors’ experiences, as the authors claim? This is a recurring question with respect to museum interactive applications [1]. For over two decades, museums have invested in information technologies, aiming to generate excitement, encourage active participation among people, and attract new audiences. The success of these efforts is an open issue, and in that respect this paper might present interesting reading to students and researchers in the field of cultural informatics.