1. Key Learning Themes to date
Workshop A, Sept 27th Learning Event

2. This document
The Learning Team associated with the Digital R&D Fund has
been interacting with the funded projects through a variety
of different ways. From all those different contacts we’ve
started to identify and group the challenges and experiences
into what we call Key Learning Themes. We have identified 7
so far as well as an eighth category of issues which aren’t
arising but possibly should be.
This is not an exhaustive list and will no doubt have gaps. It
is a work in progress and as the projects develop we shall
continue to grow, refine and re-present these themes in
different ways.

3. TECHNICAL
COLLABORATION
USERS & DESIGN
What is the information that is
helping projects make key
technical decisions ?
What are the tools and ways of
working that bring the best out of
projects with both arts &
technology partners?
How do arts organisations relate
to their users and how can they
be effectively involved in project
design and development?
ORGANISATIONAL
PEOPLE
How can the host arts
organisation engage with their
R&D project in a way that is
supportive?
What are the perspectives and
skills required to enable valuable
innovation projects?
SUSTAINABILITY
What can be done to ensure that
these projects are not just oneoffs?
POLICY
What are the areas of attention
that have to be addressed at a
sector-wide level?
WHAT’S MISSING?
What conversations are we not
coming across which are
conspicuous by their absence?

4. TECHNICAL
MOBILE WHAT
IP DIVERSITY
OWNING DATA
The debate between
building native mobile
apps vs a mobile site
Range of experiences re:
IP considerations of
content assets
Organisations don’t
always have access to
their own data
PRE-RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
Value of using a rigorous
competitor analysis
before final specification
Choosing a devlpt
methodology (e.g. Lean/
Agile)

5. COLLABORATION
REMOTE TEAMS
METHODS
RELATIONSHIP
Basecamp is good but
working remotely can be
challenging
There is a culture clash
between Prince2 & Agile/
Scrum methodologies
Mindset change from
client-service to peers &
partners
KNOWLEDGE
New tech partners can
need to check levels of
understanding of arts org

6. ORGANISATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES
COMMS
REPUTATION
Organisational view isn’t
always the most
appropriate for the user
Value & status projects
have to be communicated
& sold internally well
Conflict between
prototyping & perceived
reputational impact
CURATORSHIP
Conflict between
crowdsourcing approach
& democratic user input

7. PEOPLE
RECRUITMENT
DECISIONS
PRODUCERS
It can be hard to recruit
for new types of digital
project roles
Project leads require
confidence in major
technical decisions
The value of digital
producers over digital
project managers

8. USERS & DESIGN
LISTENING
CO-DESIGN
USER GROUPS
How important is it to
listen to users and how
to use feedback?
Co-design is hard
User groups are often
already very close to the
arts partners
SCALE
PRIORITIES
DESIGN TOOLS
When is the right to start
thinking about
marketing at scale
Arts org priorities are not
the same as user
priorities
Rrange of design tools
being used, but rarely
native to the arts org

9. SUSTAINABILITY
SKILL LOSS
INTL IMPACT
Non-staff teams can lead
to loss of in-org
experience at close
Making sure the project
has a lasting impact on
the participating orgs

10. POLICY
R&D CLASH
PEER-TO-PEER
RIGHTS
Academic, commercial &
creative R&D are each
different
How to make peer
support and knowledge
transfer work at scale
Difficult rights models
often make contracting
difficult
CULTURAL DATA
Lack of open standards
for cultural data makes
integration inefficient

11. THE MISSING CONVERSATIONS
STRATEGY
ENGAGEMENT
How do the projects fit
into the arts or tech org’s
longer term plans?
How will these projects
attract users at a decent
level of scale?