Museums, galleries, exhibition rooms & Co. can be experienced more intense with a smartphone than by mere signage or audio guides. But it doesn’t always have to be a homemade museum app.

The show-stopper: So-called location identifiers like iBeacons, NFC Chips and QR Codes merge the advantages of both versions, signages and audio guides. They can lead “smartly” to multimedia content. All this can be done by a simple tool that almost everyone of us has in their trousers pocket (by the way, most people wear it in their right pocket).

Omipresent technology allows artists to explain the artwork with their own words. Because of that, exhibitions become an experience, that will certainly be remembered.

Alternative to Museum Apps: Information via Smart Labels (NFC/QR)

It doesn’t always have to be the own app, the mobile web browser, already installed on the smartphone can also be used to display content. The mobile Web delivers access to innovative opportunities for exhibitors: describe objects in more detail and approach visitors directly.

Visitors just place their smartphone on top of the NFC Chip and are led to the corresponding site in the smartphone’s langauge. And the best thing: No app is needed.

NFC is extremly easy to use, because most android or windows phones have it already integrated. It can be activated in the settings menu. A more indepth list, which devices support the NFC function can be found here. iPhone users simply scan the QR Code. We recommend the free QR Code Reader by Scan.

Information via iBeacons – Advantages of Museum Apps

NFC chips are activated by placing your smartphone infront of the smart label, whereas iBeacons are already activated if you only come near it. And that’s it. No further actions must be taken.

The utilization of these Bluetooth emitters however requires an own app of the museum or the gallery. Digital treasure hunts, interactive museum guides and exclusive content, that must be unlocked by visiting the gallery, are all possible use cases.

How this works in practice is shown in the video above.

Accessibility begins in your head

2016 is heavily influenced by discussions regarding accessibility. Not only the EU is implementing new guidelines for companies, services and products, but also the Federal Chancellery of Austria grants museums fundings for innovative projects on the subject of “inklusives Museum“. The concept: Art and culture available to everyone.

However, only a few are aware that stairs and heavy doors are not the only obstacles that have to be overcome. Content also has to be accessible to everybody. While paper can never be barrier-free, smartphones doubtless can be. For instance text can be displayed in a bigger scale for people with visual impairment.

Tips and tricks for designing digital content accessible can be found in our corresponding blogpost.

Big companies are now no longer the only ones that have access to our software. Different price categories guarante that small galleries, museums and exhibition rooms can also reap the benefits.