waltee’s quest: an object-based learning website for families
DESCRIPTION
Waltee’s Quest: An Object-Based Learning Website for Families. Presented by the Walters Art Museum & Audience Focus 2009 NAEA National Convention. The Walters Art Museum. Just for Kids: Kid-friendly Collections Interface Timeframe: Summer 2006- Spring 2007 Budget: $7,500 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Waltee’s Quest: An Object-Based
Learning Website for Families
Presented by the Walters Art Museum & Audience Focus
2009 NAEA National Convention
The Walters Art Museum
Transition to Thinking BIG:Decisions, Risk-Taking, and
TransitionJust for Kids:
Kid-friendly Collections Interface
• Timeframe: Summer 2006- Spring 2007
• Budget: $7,500• Funding Source: Internal grant• Goals:
– To provide a kid-friendly interface to the new Walters Art Museum website and online collection.
– To further the Walters’ mission of bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning.
– To extend investigations of art at home before and/or after a successful museum visit.
– To expand the museum’s audience and educational reach to a world-wide community of children.
Waltee’s Quest:Web-based Educational Game
• Timeframe: Summer 2007- Winter 2008
• Budget: $75,000• Funding Source: Board Technology
Committee • Goals:
– To provide a variety of fun, informal educational activities which utilize works of art for children and their families.
– To support self-constructed, experiential learning.
– To improve the users’ visual, text-based, and web literacy skills.
– To extend the time a user spends engaging with a work of art from the Walters collection.
– To foster inter-generational learning by virtually bringing art objects into the home.
– To support the Walters’ mission of bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning.
Websites Consulted•Arturo Art Stories (DMA) http://arturosartstories.org/
•Build Your Wild Self (NYZA) http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
•The Chronicles of Narnia (Disney) http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/princecaspian/
• Collections Central Online (BCM) http://www.brooklynkids.org/emuseum/code/emuseum.asp
•Destination Modern Art (MoMA) http://www.moma.org/interactives/destination/
•Discovery Kids http://kids.discovery.com/
•Dress the Sauce Packet (Taco Bell) http://www.tacobell.com/dsp/
•Get the Glass! (Got Milk?) http://gettheglass.com/
•PBS Kids http://pbskids.org/
•Scholastic Kids http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/index.asp
•Winged Sandals (ABC) http://www.wingedsandals.com
Building the Framework:Best Practices for Process=Product
• Establish a vision & user narrative• Follow a Request for Proposals (RFP) process• Build consensus and creative collaborations
– Internally and externally
• Establish an advisory committee• Integrate evaluation • Seek a flexible developer who will support
vision• Define phases and benchmarks • Flexible timeline (launch date and
expectations)
Evaluation & Development: An Integrated Process What:
• Two rounds of early formative studies
Why: • Usability, appeal, & age
appropriate• Buy-in from target audiences• All decisions supported by data
How:• Collaboration between 3
partners• Evaluation with families in the
museum• Think-aloud interviews• Surveys
Results – Round 1High level of excitement
• Definitely! Would love it. 91%• Probably, seems interesting: 9%
Exciting names create interest• Secret, Forbidden, Sunken, Treasures, Mummy
Mini-Games
Results – Round 2Usability Testing
•Navigation
•Heads-up-Display
•Levels of Difficulty
Too easy
=BORING
Too hard=
FRUSTRATION
Levels of Challenge
=Engagement
Decisions Made Based on Evaluation Results
• Game title• World and object
nomenclature• Mini-game selection• Walteepedia • Game interface
– Navigation tools– Object lists– World HUD (“Heads-Up-
Display”)
• Level of difficulty/ challenge
• Incentives
The Launch and Life After
• Website launched October 25, 2008– 4,085 site visits; 2,762
unique visitors– 32% return visitors– 1,719 registered users
• 23 completed game
• Kiosks launched February 28, 2009
• Recipient of a regional Gold Addy Award & a MUSE Award
• Summative evaluation going forward
