Creating Engaging Online Experiences: An Introduction for Museums and Heritage Organizations

Module 1: The digital context

1.1.1. A whole new digital world

We lead digital lives.

1. We connect with friends, family, and colleagues through FaceTime, Zoom, and social media.
2. We post about our experiences on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
3. We stay up to date on what is happening around the world through Twitter and online news sources.
4. We shop and consume cultural products online.
5. We increasingly work and study remotely.

We employ a wide range of digital technologies and digital media in our day-to-day activities. Though often discussed and used in tandem, digital technology and media are not exactly the same thing.

• Digital technologies include software, apps and platforms, hardware such as computers, tablets and mobile devices, and networks including the internet and cloud services.
• Digital media is any form of content that uses digital technologies for distribution and consumption.

Digital technologies and media are constantly reshaping how we think, learn, and communicate—and they have been for decades. As with so many other sectors, the heritage sector has felt the impact of digital.

1.1.2. Museums go digital

Digital technologies and media appeared relatively early on in museums.

Key Areas

• Collections Management
  e.g., Collection management systems (CMSs)
• Interpretation
  e.g., audio guides, CD-ROMs, virtual museums, touchscreen kiosks, interactives, and old-style interactive games using buttons, keypads, and joysticks
• Marketing and Communications
  e.g., websites, public newsletters

Over time, developments in digitization and information management, digital content delivery mechanisms, such as QR codes and apps, and communications media like social media enhanced these areas. Digital also expanded in other areas of the museum, like online shopping and ticketing, events, fundraising, finance and IT security. In the 2010s, the museum community celebrated the launch of many innovative digital projects.

2010

The American Museum of Natural History launches the Explorer app, which combines state of the art location awareness (real-time navigation) with interpretation and social networking to enhance the visitor experience at the museum and online. Read more about it here.

2012

The Cleveland Museum of Art opens the Gallery One interactive art gallery and launches the ARTLens app to inspire visitors to engage more directly with the permanent collection. Read more about it here.

2014

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, provides visitors with an interactive pen that allows visitors to “collect” objects digitally and create their own designs inspired by the collection. Read more about the pen here.

2016

The Lost Palace immersive experience by Historic Royal Palaces allows visitors to explore the history and former site of Whitehall Palace—the largest palace in Europe until it burnt to the ground in 1698.

2017

Tate Modern opens Modigliani VR: The Ochre Atelier, an immersive experience fully integrated into the temporary Modigliani exhibition, rather than a standalone add-on. The experience allows visitors to explore the artist’s final Parisian studio in virtual reality.

2018

The Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre launches the website Sq’éwlets: A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Community in the Fraser River Valley, an inclusive, co-created, an inclusive, co-created sharing of a vibrant First Nations culture through their own words.

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For reasons of mission, scalability, and resources, these types of innovative projects tended to be one-offs. For the past twenty years, many museums viewed digital as a marketing tool or add-on rather than a mission critical to meeting their visitors’ needs. That all changed in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 hit and museum buildings closed.

According to the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University, the pandemic sped up the digital agenda in museums by 10 to 20 years. As museums looked at what they already had online and how they could continue to engage audiences, initiatives that had seemed optional or too challenging before the pandemic suddenly became essential.

After an initial wave of improvised and adapted digital offerings, confidence began to grow, and logistics and technologies started to fall into place. Museums began to think more strategically about how they could incorporate and enhance digital across their programs and services. Most agree that digital has evolved to a point in museums where it is not going away. A hybrid onsite-online approach is emerging as an essential feature of an inclusive, responsive, and sustainable organization.

1.2.1. What is an online project?

Digital Museums Canada (DMC) supports Canadian museum and heritage organizations in creating what we call online projects. An online project is a type of digital project. It uses digital technologies to distribute content. But where a digital project can include everything from a corporate website, to a speaker connecting with students via videoconference, to a location-based smartphone tour, an online project—at least for DMC and the purpose of this course—has certain, defined characteristics.

• Online projects have a web address, or URL, and are accessed through a web browser on a personal device, such as a phone, tablet, or computer. They do not require any downloading or specialized equipment, like a virtual reality headset. Online projects are asynchronous, meaning that the user does not need to be present at a certain time or in a specific location to experience the content, as it is available online 24/7.
• Online projects are designed for users. They target specific audiences, and the benefits of engaging with the content are clearly defined as outcomes. Projects deliver the benefits through interpreted subject matter and a rich user experience. Projects must meet strict technical requirements that reflect best practices in web design and development. This helps to make them engaging and barrier-free for all users, regardless of their ability or the devices they are using to access the content.
• Online projects are complete. The content at launch provides the full user experience and does not depend on future additions or phases. Content generated by users in response to the online projects—like posting an artifact, video, or comment, or sharing their curated collection—can be added throughout the life of the projects.
• Online projects can provide informal or formal learning experiences. They may be tied to school curricula, or have more generic outcomes, such as enjoyment, inspiration, or creativity, at their heart. They do not include a commercial or fundraising component. DMC requires that all online projects be produced in both official languages. A third language can be added when relevant.

Online projects can include virtual exhibits, virtual tours, online games, educational resources, and more...

Online projects do not include straight digitization initiatives or databases, games and applications that require downloading, platforms without content, synchronous and/or location-based experiences, corporate websites, e-commerce platforms, and more...

1.2.2. Why do an online project?

Online projects are an effective way for museums and heritage organizations to fulfill their mission. They extend the experience beyond the walls to include, provide access for, and engage diverse audiences, many of whom may never physically visit.

Organizations can...

• Create dynamic user experiences.
  • Place users in the body of a dancer
  • Make an underwater archaeological site available for users to explore
• Provide access to something in the material world that would be impossible or difficult for users to experience otherwise.
  • Show users what lies underneath the paint layer of a painting
  • Take users on a journey through space and time
  • Enable users to explore many large-scale artifacts in one location, like 50 canoes
• Share collections and stories more widely.
  • Make an important local story known beyond its community by putting it in a larger social context
• Preserve history, heritage, and culture.
  • A First Nations organization creating and sharing resources to help young members of the community learn the language and to educate others about the nature and significance of the nation’s knowledge and cultural heritage
• Highlight new research and share important collection material.
  • Present new findings of a recent archaeological dig
  • Share behind-the-scenes information about collections and exhibits, spotlighting expertise from the organization and the community
• Build digital and museological capacity.
  • Develop skills related to preparing and presenting online content and to project management
• Strengthen online presence, grow their networks, and build new relationships.
  • Showcase engaging new projects on the website
  • Reach and engage with new audiences
  • Build strong, collaborative relationships with other organizations, community members, and service providers

Users can...

• Engage with diverse stories and unique digital experiences.
  • Listen to community members talk about their lives and work
  • Explore a museum storage vault in 3D video
• Access and explore rich material.
  • See rock paintings in remote locations up close
  • Leaf through a fragile literary manuscript
• Learn a new skill.
  • Curate a collection of objects
  • Play the spoons
  • Bead footwear
• Experience a shift in attitude or behaviour.
  • Engage with histories and stories that were previously unknown or unfamiliar
• Experience enjoyment and inspiration.
  • Explore a garden in full bloom
  • Learn about a transformational community builder
• Become inspired to visit the museum!

There are many benefits associated with online projects. While doing one is a significant commitment, online projects can help organizations meet their goals and respond to audiences’ changing expectations and behaviours around accessing information, learning, and communication.

1.3.1. The elements of online projects

Online projects can take a variety of different forms. But they all have several key elements in common.

Some of these elements may be familiar from other types of museum projects, like physical exhibits and public programs.

In the planning stage, it is important to describe all nine elements in as much detail as possible. There should be good alignment among the elements, so together they provide a coherent roadmap for the project. Things can change as a project evolves, but fleshing these elements out in the beginning helps projects stay on track and provides the basis for success.

• Over the next two modules, we are going to address each of these nine elements in turn. In Module 2, we will focus on those elements directly tied to the design and development of online projects: target audience and outcomes, subject and content, and user experience and technology.
• In Module 3, we will turn our attention to the logistical elements that support online projects’ success: project team, schedule, and budget.

As we will discuss further, working with the elements is not a linear or fragmented process. You do not deal with one and then move on to the next. The elements inform and shape each other throughout a project’s development. Like ingredients in a hearty soup, each element contributes to the overall flavour.

And so

In recent decades, the evolution, adoption, and consumption of digital technologies and media has been rapid. In museums, where the pace has generally been slower, the pandemic accelerated the digital agenda. Organizations first grappled with how to engage audiences when buildings were closed, and then looked for ways to start or to further embed digital across their activities, programs, and services. Going forward, museums need to view digital as mission critical. Digital initiatives like online projects offer the opportunity for museums and heritage organizations to create dynamic user experiences, share collections and stories more widely, strengthen their online presence, and build greater digital and museological capacities. These online projects can take a variety of forms, but they all share key elements: target audience, outcomes, subject, content, user experience, technology, project team, schedule, and budget.

By acknowledging the importance of digital and by building the digital capacity of staff and volunteers, museums will ensure that they have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet users’ needs and to thrive in a digital society.

Module 2: Designing online projects

2.1.1.The power of user-centred design

As we discussed in the previous module, online projects are designed, built, and tested around the needs and interests of the audience. This is known as user-centred design (UCD).

UCD is a key concept for successful online projects. It is a strategy that focuses on users and their needs at each phase of the process. It guides decision-making throughout the planning, design, and development stages.

Consider the following analogy:

Say you want to cook an elaborate meal to share with others. Chances are you are not going to just go ahead, prepare the meal, and then leave it outside, hoping that someone will walk by and eat it.

You are more likely to:

• Consider the context or occasion of the meal (e.g., is it a birthday, a catch-up with neighbours, a retirement dinner, a relaxing night with close friends, etc.?)
• Decide who to invite
• Research recipes and maybe even test some
• Make a list and shop for the ingredients
• Design the mood for the gathering

Then, on the appointed day of the meal, you would probably:

• Get everything ready
• Welcome your guests
• Serve the meal
• Listen for feedback (e.g., “Best birthday ever!” “So nice to get together!”)

UCD is much the same! It involves identifying the intended participants and designing an experience that caters directly to their needs and interests.

2.1.2. Making user-centred design inclusive and accessible

When designing online projects around the needs and interests of users, inclusion and accessibility are important concepts to understand and consider. After all, to return to our analogy, you do not want to spend time preparing a meal that some of your intended guests are not going to be able to enjoy.

Rather, you want each and every guest to feel welcome and relaxed, and to have a good time. That is a kind of inclusion.

You take time prior to your dinner to confirm any allergies, dietary restrictions or preferences among your guests, and adjust your menu accordingly. That is a form of accessibility.

Designing online projects for inclusion and accessibility entails a similar process. It is about striving to ensure a barrier-free experience for everyone by actively identifying any potential obstacles to full participation.

One in five Canadians identify as having some form of disability. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary or episodic, and visible or invisible. With UCD, nothing should be assumed. Inclusion and accessibility should be baked into projects from the very beginning.

Inclusive UCD focuses on people.

It recognizes that projects are designed and created to be accessed and used by actual people. It asks who these people really are and considers the types of circumstances that might inform their preferences, motivations, or behaviours.

Inclusive UCD avoids assumptions.

It is based on the understanding that even with research and testing, it is impossible to predict accurately the infinite circumstances influencing an individual’s preferences, motivations, or behaviours.

Inclusive UCD provides options.

It means that the most important content can be accessed in more than one way.

UCD in online projects is about keeping users at the heart of decision-making—from defining a subject, to selecting and creating content, to designing the user experience and identifying the technologies you will use to deliver it. But before you can address these key elements of an online project, you must first identify who you are creating the experience for and why. In other words, who is your target audience and what do you want them to gain from the experience?

2.2.1. Who is it for and what is it about?

Two of the most important elements of user-centered online projects are target audience and outcomes. These two elements should be defined at the very beginning of a project.

A target audience is a group of intended users who share certain characteristics, such as demographics, psychographics, behaviours, geography, activities, or interests.

• Grade level (i.e., primary school, junior high/middle school, secondary, post-secondary). The needs and interests of students in lower grades are very different from those in higher grades.
• Prior level of expertise (i.e., novice, expert). An expert in a subject will require a different approach and level of detail than a novice with no prior knowledge or experience.
• Membership in a community (e.g., the ice fishing community, the Syrian community, the community of St. Martins, New Brunswick, the LGBTQ2S+ community). Members of a community will have different contextual knowledge and may have different expectations for online projects than people who are outside the community.
• Comfort level with and use of technology (e.g., gamers, active on social media). Users who are accustomed to complex game environments will have different skills, expectations, and understanding than people who are not gamers, for example.
• Social context for engagement (e.g., individual, family, school class). A child on holiday with their parents may enjoy a different approach to a subject than when they are in class learning with their friends.

Organizations may consider a number of factors when it comes to deciding who online projects should reach and why.

1. Factor One
   The organization has a strategic priority to develop a new audience.
   For example, an organization may be looking to attract more young adults or families with young children to their physical location to grow membership over the long term.
2. Factor Two
   An audience has expressed an unfulfilled need.
   For example, teachers may have requested material to support their efforts in teaching difficult subjects such as residential schools. Co-creating resources with Indigenous communities can help build important relationships and ensure Indigenous voices and perspectives are centered. Linking outcomes to specific curriculum objectives will strengthen the projects.
3. Factor Three
   A “natural fit” has been observed between an audience and a particular collection or subject matter.
   For example, many young children love dinosaurs, while DIYers enjoy studying handmade objects and crafts. Offering complementary online experiences can increase engagement with exhibits and organizations as a whole.

Inclusion and accessibility are important considerations when defining target audiences and outcomes. This involves abiding by key regulations and standards like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) the official international standard for web accessibility. It also involves considering the needs of users more broadly, including their media consumption preferences, available free time (when, where, how much), the quality of their internet access, as well as their social identities, backgrounds, and experiences.

It can be helpful to translate this information into audience personas. These are fictitious stand-ins for target users that reflect their demographics, behaviours, goals, challenges, interests, and more. User personas and feedback gathered through evaluation with actual target users are effective ways of keeping online projects on track.

In addition to defining the target audience, it is also important to consider how users will benefit from engaging with the online projects. These benefits or takeaways are described as outcomes.

How will users benefit from the experience?

• Learn something new - Could literally be anything!
• Develop a skill - e.g., cooking, tying a fly for fishing or a sailor’s knots
• Be inspired to act - e.g., becoming involved in a citizen science initiative, like counting local bird species in a set period of time
• Experience a shift in attitude - e.g., developing a greater understanding of another culture
• Be surprised and delighted - e.g., experience awe and wonder at the sheer scale of a landscape or beauty of a piece of music

Target audience and outcomes should be clearly defined and researched at the beginning of a project. Projects that have clearly defined target audiences and outcomes at their core are more focused. They are more likely to succeed than projects that are generally meant to engage everyone.

Think about it!

Think of a successful online project. It may be one with which you are personally familiar. Or, choose a DMC-funded project. Who does the target audience appear to be? What benefits or outcomes does the project seem to deliver? Turn to ACTIVITY II in your workbook.

2.2.2. What’s the big idea?

Many online projects do not start with the target audience and outcomes. More often, they start with the subject and content. After all, museums and heritage organizations have rich collections, sites and stories that they are keen to showcase. These include, but are not limited to:

• Artifacts and specimens
• Artworks
• Archival documents
• Audio and video recordings
• Heritage sites

Organizations may want to highlight the histories, traditions, contributions, accomplishments, and legacies of specific people and communities.

Broadly identifying what projects are about—Canadian women in science, Inuit prints and drawings, or shipbuilding on the East Coast, for example—is seldom an issue. This is the subject of an online project.

Nailing down what to actually say and how much to say about a subject, however, is challenging. It is also critical to projects’ success. This “big idea” or main message is closely related to the target audience and outcomes. It can be understood as the one thing above all others that the audience should understand and take away from the experience.

One subject has many potential main messages. For example, a project about Canadian women in science could examine how scientific innovations by women have changed modern medicine, how attitudes about women in science have evolved in Canada, or how key female figures have impacted scientific training over time. Whatever the angle, a main message should focus on aspects of people, places, periods, events, activities, discoveries, practices, traditions, movements, or issues that matter to users. A subject will also warrant secondary messages that support or enrich the main message.

Online projects are built using content. This element fleshes out the subject and helps to communicate the main message and deliver on audience outcomes. Content in online projects can be thought of in two parts.

1. The actual material to be featured (e.g., artifacts and specimens; people; artworks; archival documents; audio and video recordings; physical sites; and the practices, expressions, knowledge, and skills associated with intangible cultural heritage).
2. How the material will be presented (e.g., by photographing it, recording it on video or audio, writing about it, illustrating or animating it).

Some useful questions to consider when selecting content.

• What content will support the audience outcomes?
• What content is less important?
• What material does the organization have? And what does it need that it does not have?
• Who else has this material and is it possible to collaborate?
• What content does not exist—like interviews with key people or drone videos—that needs to be created?
• What copyright and permissions are associated with the content?

Think about it!

Return to the online project you chose in the previous activity? What is the subject? What materials and content were used to deliver the project outcomes? How might the approach to the subject change if the target audience were different? Turn to ACTIVITY III in your workbook.

2.3.1. Creating an experience

As with subject and content, decisions about what type of digital experience to create for users are directly related to how the target audiences and outcomes are defined.

Consider, for example, the difference between these two user experiences. Both focus on the subject of fishing, but in profoundly different ways.

In one, users find themselves in a lakeside campsite at night with waves lapping the shore, an owl hooting, a campfire crackling and the ability to navigate in 360 degrees and click on hotspots to trigger content, including a fishing guide telling a story.

In the other, users are presented with a 3-D map and an interactive timeline about fishing, where they can move through time and locations and click on photographs, archival documents, video and audio clips to access interpretation.

Think about it!

Who do you think these two experiences are for? Who might the target audiences be? What outcomes could the different experiences deliver? Turn to ACTIVITY IV in your workbook.

For organizations who are generally more accustomed to developing physical exhibits and in-person programs, it can be challenging to conceive of the user experience for online projects.

Types of online experiences

There are many types of online experiences. Keep in mind that these categories are not mutually exclusive—a single project might encompass one or more of these experiences.

Once the “what” has been determined, you move onto the “how.” The how is design. There are two parts to design: form and function. Form is how something looks, and function is how something behaves. A video player, for example, has multiple elements, including playback buttons, a progress bar, a title, etc. The capability to drag the progress bar, mute the sound, toggle between play and pause, are examples of functional capabilities or functionalities.

Technology enables functionality and is a key element in creating user experiences. Depending on the outcomes for the target audience, a wide range of digital tools and platforms may be required to create, manage, and distribute content to users.

It is best practice for technology decisions to support the desired user experience, rather than drive it. Technologies should never be used simply for their wow factor. When planning user experiences, project teams should also consider what technologies are available, if the team has the knowledge, skills and financial resources to use them, and, importantly, how the technologies will meet the technical requirements of user-centred inclusive online projects.

Unsure what type of user experience you are looking to create? Putting yourself in the users’ shoes and walking through the experience step-by-step is a helpful strategy.

1. Imagine what will happen when users click on the project’s URL. Where will they find themselves?
2. What will users see, hear, or be able to do?
3. What will happen next?
4. What will be the tone or mood of the experience, including language and the overall look and feel?
5. In what formats will featured material appear?
6. How will users navigate the site and engage with the content? What type of functionality will be incorporated?

2.3.2. Creating online projects for all

Within an online project, organizations might also design different user experiences supported by different technologies to present key content in more than one way.

For example, a masterfully crafted, immersive experience may be desirable or practical for most members of an intended audience but less than ideal for users facing one or more barriers or impairments, such as a slow network connection, a cognitive learning disability, or blindness. In such instances, presenting the same content in a more straightforward, linearized way, provides users with an accessible alternative, letting them decide which option better suits their circumstances and preferences.

Taking this approach can also help organizations address accessibility concerns in a simpler and more cost-effective manner. For example, adapting a virtual tour for a blind person navigating with a screen reader can be complex and costly. But, more importantly, it is often cumbersome for the user, and can negatively impact their experience. Offering both an immersive and non-immersive experience can help satisfy accessibility criteria, including Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and makes access easier for everyone. This is known as the curb-cut effect.

The curb-cut effect refers to when curbs were originally altered to accommodate people using wheelchairs so they could move more easily at street crossings. But others also found this change useful—people using handcarts, strollers, or walkers or riding bicycles and skateboards, for example.

What is essential for some is helpful for all—this is the essence of inclusive UCD.

And so

Online projects are built around the needs and interests of their users. Projects that have clearly defined target audiences and outcomes at their core, and that are built to be inclusive, are more likely to attract, engage, and retain users. Other key elements for designing online projects include: identifying the specific subject and content, deciding on the overall user experience, and selecting the appropriate technologies. Working with these elements is not a linear or fragmented process. They inform and shape each other throughout a project’s development and help determine the nature and scope of the more logistical elements—the team, schedule, and budget—which we will discuss in the next module.

Module 3: The road to success

3.1.1. Recognizing the project scope

Online projects tend to be long and complex and require significant oversight and management.

Projects typically take between 18 and 36 months to complete, and can encounter a range of challenges from the commonplace, like changes in the project team or technical issues, to the unusual, like natural disasters or a pandemic impacting staff and sites.

The length and complexity of online projects depend on a number of factors.

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Like other types of projects, online projects are created in phases. There are four main phases: planning, design, development, and launch.

Following these phases can help better identify and organize the key elements of user-centred and inclusive online projects.

1) Planning

The planning phase is when the roadmap for the project is established.

Two detailed plans typically anchor the planning phase. The first is a production plan. A production plan includes a description of the project as well as a schedule and budget, which we will discuss in more detail shortly. A project team should also be identified at this phase.

The second is an interpretive plan. An interpretive plan addresses many of the elements discussed in the previous module. It identifies the subject and main message, describes the type of content and materials that will be featured, and delineates the overall look, tone, and experience. An interpretive plan should always take into account the target audience and outcomes. It should include a list of the key features and functionalities beyond basic text and images, and outline a preliminary accessibility strategy.

2) Design

Two things happen during the design phase. The project elements are given form, texture and colour. This is known as the look and feel of the project, like fun, sophisticated, sombre, or nostalgic. The design of the project includes specific design elements, their functions, and where or how they come together.

3) Development

The development phase is when the project is built. Web developers are programmers or coders responsible for transforming design ideas and prototypes into functional products. Front-end developers specialize in client-side user experiences. In online projects, whatever users see and interact with in the browser is the client-side. Back-end developers specialize in server-side tasks, like the content management solution. Full stack developers can do both.

4) Launch

The launch phase is the final phase in creating online projects. This happens once everything has been built according to the plans, evaluated with the target audience, adjusted, and validated. Online projects are only publicly accessible after they are launched.

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Developing projects in distinct phases can help keep projects on track. It also presents opportunities for iteration. Through an iterative approach, new information or lessons learned can be used to tweak or improve upon certain projects’ elements as they are developed. Close monitoring and management and a positive “can-do” spirit can also go a long way towards keeping projects on track.

Though creating online projects requires a significant and sustained commitment, the work is richly rewarding and the benefits to organizations and audiences are many.

3.1.2. Dream team

A skilled and experienced team can make the difference between online projects achieving their outcomes and falling short.

Online projects tend to be rich and complex. This has two important implications.

1. Highly Specialized Tasks

Creating online projects involves many and varied highly specialized tasks requiring a range of roles to deliver them.

Some of these roles can be played by the same person, but different people with different types of expertise and experience are needed. Team members can come from the organization leading the projects, other organizations, the community, and service providers. Typical roles include:

• project manager
• researcher
• interpretive planner
• writer, editor
• translator
• videographer
• content consultant or subject matter expert
• designer, web developer
• test audience
• marketing expert

Depending on the project, some roles can be removed and others added. It is also best practice where possible to identify back-up people to step into roles if necessary.

2. Scaling Up Digital Capacities

Creating online projects may require organizations to scale up their digital capacities.

Online projects require expertise in a wide range of technical and non-technical areas.

Technical areas

• Digitization
• Videography
• Accessibility
• Writing for the web

Non-technical areas

• Project management
• Evaluation
• Text preparation (e.g., editing and translation)

Organizations who have created online projects with the support of Digital Museums Canada report significant gains in these areas that are so critical to museum work in the twenty-first century.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of skilled project management in creating successful online projects. A capable project manager with the authority to make decisions is an extremely valuable team member. If the project manager comes from outside the lead organization on the project, they should have a solid understanding of the organization and its vision for the project and a sound working relationship with the organization. There should also be ongoing close collaboration between the manager and the organization throughout the project’s development.

3.2.1. Keeping the project on time...

In online projects, it is important that the schedule aligns with the other elements and accurately reflects the project’s scope in terms of time and cost. Generally, the more detailed the schedule in the planning step, the more smoothly the project will run. Adjustments can—and will—be made as a project progresses, but a clear and detailed schedule from the outset will help to guide it.

Wondering where to start? Steps to keep projects on time:

1) Itemize all the tasks involved in the project.

What tasks are involved? Can those tasks be divided into further tasks or subtasks?

• For example, project material needs to be digitized.
• The main project texts need to be written. They will be evaluated by members of the target audience.
• Underwater video and oral histories need to be filmed.

2) Identify who will perform each task.

Who on the team is best suited to complete a specific task? (Consider the level of expertise, as well as availability and associated costs.)

• A summer student will be hired to do the digitization work.
• The organization’s educator will draft the texts.
• A local class of Grade 6 students and their teacher will evaluate the texts.
• A multimedia agency will do the filming.

3) Estimate how long each task will take.

Approximately, how many hours will it take to complete each task?

• Digitizing the material will take approximately 150 hours.
• The main project texts will take approximately 75 hours to draft.
• Evaluating the texts will take four hours.
• Filming will take approximately 20 hours.

4) Determine the date range and order in which tasks must be completed.

When do tasks need to be done? Do certain tasks need to be completed before you can move on to other tasks? Are there tasks that can be completed concurrently? Are there tasks that are weather or season dependent?

• Between July and August, the summer student will digitize the project material, while the educator drafts the texts, and the agency conducts the underwater filming.
• The oral histories will be filmed over a weekend in October.

***

The project schedule should be structured around key dates and deliverables. Launch dates can align with important anniversaries or events, and deliverables are chunks of completed work associated with project milestones or gates, like creating a prototype, testing the usability of a project, and making revisions.

3.2.2. ...and on budget!

The budget includes realistic costs for all tasks described in the schedule and aligns with the project description. Some of these will be covered by the organization leading the project, others by participating organizations.

Costs can be:

• Financial, expressed in dollars and cents
• In-kind, where the value of something is calculated and included in the budget, but no money changes hands

For example, paying for the services of a translator or a graphic designer are financial costs. A salaried researcher conducting research, or a teacher volunteering to test draft content with their students are in-kind costs. In either case, a solid budget includes notes showing how costs were calculated, and any quotes for supplies and services that help to understand the scope of the work and to arrive at the most accurate pricing. It is also best practice to consult a trusted expert when assessing technology-related costs, as these can be outside the organization’s expertise.

Many things can throw off the schedule or budget of online projects. Remaining agile and responsive when they arise—and they will—can help to lessen their impact. Helpful strategies include building extra time into schedules at the outset, and referring back to the target audience outcomes and the capacity of the team when making adjustments.

3.3.1. It’s live! (Now what?)

Online projects are not over when they are completed and launched. They require positioning, promotion, monitoring, and maintenance throughout their lifespan online, and an archiving strategy when it comes to an end.

Target audience members need to be able to find online projects created for them. Two main strategies to accomplish this are:

1. Linking
   It is best practice for an organization to feature a project prominently on its website and to provide a link that takes users directly to the project’s main page.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
   This is a way to optimize and increase the quality and quantity of traffic to an online project through searches on search engines like Google. A series of descriptive keywords attached to the project—like nature, environment, plants, medicine, healing, Indigenous knowledge—make it easier for a search engine to find a project and rank it higher in the search results.

Promoting online projects to their target audiences helps make them known to the largest number of potential users possible. Organizations should promote project launches and plan for ways of attracting users throughout their lifespans online. Social media and other types of campaigns, e-newsletters, events, and presentations can be effective.

Analytics are a helpful way of tracking engagement with online projects. Added at, or following, launch, these codes are embedded in certain pages or sections of the projects. As users engage with the projects, data is gathered about things like the number of visits, where users come from, how long they spent, where they went, and what they did. Analyzing this data gives organizations an idea of how online projects are performing.

Think about it!

Return to the successful online project you chose in the previous activities. What strategies might you use to ensure that this project reaches and engages users? What strategies might you use to promote the project beyond its initial launch? Turn to ACTIVITY VII in your workbook.

3.3.2. Staying responsive

Gathering feedback directly from users is an effective way of monitoring online projects to better understand if and how they are meeting the outcomes for their target audiences. Strategies include summative evaluation, user-generated content, and users’ comments. Though relatively uncommon, it can be helpful to evaluate a project after it launches—by conducting usability testing, for example—to see if it is meeting its outcomes, and to make adjustments where possible. Insights gained can inform upgrades and future projects.

Users’ feedback is also useful and can take many forms, including:

• contributing objects or stories to a collection,
• responding to a social media post,
• submitting a question or comment via “Contact us.”

Organizations should ensure they have the resources in place to respond to users’ feedback in a timely manner throughout the lifespan of the project.

Online projects require maintenance on an ongoing basis. Links need to be verified. Project infrastructure—like servers—needs to be managed and maintained, and any hosting fees paid. A maintenance budget can help address bugs that surface as a result of using the projects in live environments. There may also be the opportunity to tweak content or features as new information and improved technologies become available. In this case, the same or higher quality standards than the original projects should be respected.

And so

Digital is constantly transforming the ways we live. While museums have long used digital technologies in key areas of their work, the pandemic brought with it a critical sense of urgency around digital, particularly in reaching and engaging audiences online. This shift is likely to be permanent. It represents an exciting opportunity for museums to build digital capacity in their staff and volunteers. Online projects of the kind featured in this course are one way that museums can build digital capacity, developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet audience needs. The benefits of online projects for organizations and users are many. Together they support museums that are more inclusive, responsive, and sustainable in a digital society.

Congratulations and certificate

Congratulations. You have now completed Creating Engaging Online Experiences: An Introduction for museums and Heritage Organizations by Digital Museums Canada.

To print a certificate of completion for your records, please fill in the information below and print this page.

Acknowledgements

This course was developed in close collaboration by Digital Museums Canada and Athabasca University. Thank you to the following contributors:

Digital Museums Canada (DMC) is a national investment program that supports Canadian museums and heritage organizations in creating online projects to share stories and experiences with people everywhere. For more than 20 years, we have provided investments ranging from $15,000 to $250,000 to develop virtual exhibits, virtual tours, educational resources, online games, and more. DMC-funded projects meet high accessibility standards and can be explored anywhere, any time via web browser, without special equipment.

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Athabasca University (AU) is one of the world’s fastest-growing digital education institutions. It has offered programming in Heritage Resources Management (HRM) over the last two decades. The HRM Program offers courses in heritage and museum studies. DMC’s online projects are included in the HRM courses to support learners in advancing their understanding of digital tools and technologies and their applications in museums and heritage sector.

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PowerED™, an entrepreneurial unit within Athabasca University, builds on the university’s rich history of online learning, flexibility, and accessibility. At PowerED™ we embrace innovation and next-level learning. We provide online, on-demand learning for organizations and individual learners. We focus on assisting organizations to develop and deploy their digital learning strategies, build hard and soft skills, and drive results. We provide tangible tools and training to inspire breakthroughs — for individuals, employees, and organizations — in a meaningful way with immediate impact. Power for Business. Power for People. Power for Good. Visit PowerED.ca.

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Digital 55 is a collective of award-winning designers, developers, content producers, and media experts working together to create innovative interactive digital products and modular learning experiences.

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Dr. Shabnam Inanloo Dailoo: Shabnam has two decades of national and international experience in heritage conservation theory and practice. She holds a PhD in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary. Her post-doctoral research with the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal examined the application of the values-based approach in heritage management. She previously worked as Heritage and Community Engagement Advisor. Her research interests include cultural landscapes, nature-culture interrelationships, and World Heritage.

She is currently examining the state of heritage education in Canada. Besides her role as Director of the Heritage Resources Management Program, Shabnam teaches graduate courses and supervises undergraduate and graduate practicum students. She serves as Co-Chair of the National Roundtable on Heritage Education and the Canadian Chapter of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS). She is Board Member of ICOMOS Canada and the National Trust for Canada and Athabasca University’s focal point for Climate Heritage Network (CHN). She coordinated the 2022 ICCROM International Summer School on Teaching and Communication Skills in Conservation and Science.

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Megan Richardson has three decades of experience leading national museum programs that support meaningful connections among people, collections and stories. With expertise in education, interpretation, digital, strategic planning and management, she is committed to helping build capacity in the Canadian museum community. Major achievements include renewing the Digital Museums Canada investment program at the Canadian Museum of History (CMH), and, at the National Gallery of Canada, establishing a vibrant digital interpretation program, reimagining the family learning program, and developing a multimodal education offer for major exhibitions.

Megan has presented at museum conferences nationally and internationally, created award-winning online projects, and led the Diversity and Inclusion Group at CMH. She is the past director of Digital Museums Canada.

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Leah Resnick (she/her) is a seasoned museum leader with a proven track record directing and forging strategic partnerships nationally, internationally and in cultural diplomacy. She is currently Director of Digital Museums Canada. Over the course of her career she has led close to 100 high profile cultural projects (digital initiatives, exhibitions, grants, art commissions, festivals, art prizes and community engagement). Highlights include leading the Sobey Art Award, Venice Biennale, and a number of world class travelling exhibitions. At the National Gallery of Canada, she was instrumental in reinventing the National Outreach Program. She champions the power of digital, diversity and inclusion, accessibility and sustainability in museums.

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Michel Joanisse (he/him) is an inclusive and accessibility design practitioner at the Canadian Museum of History. Over his 12+ years of experience, he's contributed to hundreds of small, medium, and large projects in both the private and public sectors. His multifaceted background (from UI and UX design, to writing code, to technical writing and more) allow him to see problems and challenges from wide-ranging perspectives, and as a result provide guidance to other technical experts with a particularly keen expertise on pragmatic, human-centred, and accessible design solutions.

Additional contributors include:

• lionbridge.com for translation and revision services.

Congratulations on completing this course.

For more information on upcoming events, projects, and resources, check out Digital Museums Canada.