Presentation of the paper "Physical Keys to Digital Memories: Reflecting on the Role of Tangible Artefacts in “Reminisce” at Museums and the Web 2011

1. Physical
Keys
to
Digital
Memories:
Reflec6ng
on
the
Role
of
Tangible
Artefacts
in
“Reminisce”
Luigina
Ciolfi
&
Marc
McLoughlin
Interac4on
Design
Centre
University
of
Limerick
(Ireland)

2. Bunra@y
Folk
Park

7. “Reminisce”
a)
access
portal;
b)
smart
phone
app;
c)
tangible
tokens;
d)
schoolhouse
archive;
e)
website

11. The
tangible
tokens:
-­‐ “Souvenirs”
of
small
domes4c
objects,
different
for
each
house,
connec4on
with
ac4vi4es
taking
place
there
-­‐ Provide
a
clue
about
where
to
go
next
to
keep
following
the
character’s
story
-­‐
Provide
access
to
the
Schoolhouse
Archive,
where
recordings
made
by
other
visitors
can
be
heard

12. Threefold
Role
of
the
tangible
tokens:
-­‐ To
provide
par4cipants
with
a
memento
of
their
visit
-­‐ To
guide
par4cipants
to
other
memories
available
to
them
-­‐ To
allow
par4cipants
access
to
the
memories
that
other
people
leP
at
the
site
-­‐
Added
value
for
BunraRy
Folk
Park:
design
focus
on
the
lived
nature
of
the
place
-­‐
The
tangible
tokens
presented
material,
cultural
and
social
connec4ons
with
the
environment,
from
the
content
they
provided,
to
the
shape
and
material
quality
they
took,
to
the
ability
to
encourage
social
interac4on
and
sharing
on
the
nature
of
the
Folk
Park.
-­‐
The
tangible
tokens
are
elements
for
piecing
together
the
overall
ac4vity
around
Reminisce
to
bring
the
houses
in
the
Folk
Park
to
life

13. The
tangible
tokens
trigger
the
display
of
new
content
All
visitors
had
no
problem
grasping
the
func4onality
of
the
interac4ve
desk,
and
all
were
able
to
understand
the
connec4on
between
the
content
and
the
sites
on
the
trail.
The
interac4on
with
the
desk
was
also
something
that
onlookers
no4ced
with
curiosity
and
interest

14. The
tangible
tokens
acted
as
connectors
Connectors
from
one
house
to
another
through
the
clues
they
provided
They
provided
visitors
with
a
physical
‘anchoring’
to
the
houses.
The
artefacts
are
on
site,
closely
connected
with
what
visitors
are
experiencing
in
the
house,
and
a
tangible
representa4on
of
progress
along
the
trail:
the
more
tokens
you
have,
the
more
memories
you
have
collected
and
shared.

15. The
tangible
clues
provide
a
link
to
ac6vi6es
aGer
the
visit:
Provide
par4cipants
with
ways
of
linking
their
visit
to
BunraRy
with
ac4vi4es
to
be
undertaken
at
home
(e.g.
baking)
The
tangible
tokens
provide
a
memento
of
the
visit
as
well
as
an
opportunity
for
a
new
ac4vity
when
a
visitor
returns
home.
The
pack
containing
a
small
piece
of
turf
was
one
that
par4cipants
from
abroad
commented
on
the
most,
and
that
they
decided
to
bring
back
home

16. The
tangible
tokens
as
links
to
other
par6cipants
The
tangible
artefacts
worked
as
a
trigger
for
social
interac4on,
par4cularly
in
the
schoolhouse
The
content
triggered
by
the
tokens
sparked
discussion
between
visitors,
but
also
made
them
somehow
connect
with
other
visitors
across
4me
and
space

17. Lessons
learned
Mixing
high-­‐tech
and
low-­‐tech
works
well
but
only
when
both
fit
into
the
overall
storyline
The
design
of
tangible
artefacts
needs
to
be
place-­‐sensi4ve:
physical
objects
easily
connected
to
the
place,
not
too
much
focus
on
the
high-­‐tech
components
Simple
and
cheap
but
of
value
when
perceived
in
the
context
of
the
ac4vity
They
had
a
high-­‐tech
component
that
made
them
valuable
within
the
overall
“Reminisce”
experience:
they
were
keys
to
addi4onal
content,
part
of
the
technical
infrastructure,
and
not
just
as
quaint
trinkets.
Keep
it
simple
and
easy,
don’t
turn
them
into
gimmicks

18. Thanks
• Acknowledgments:
Failte
Ireland,
University
of
Limerick
Seed
Funding
2008-­‐10,
Shannon
Heritage,
management
and
staff
at
BunraRy
Folk
Park
• More
informa4on:
luigina.ciolfi@ul.ie
•
marc.mcloughlin@ul.ie
www.idc.ul.ie;
www.reminisce.ie