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Introductory Experience (website presence and download instructions, interface introduction/onboarding)
Accessibility
Customization Features (eg. language, custom playlists)
Landing Page Technology RequirementNavigationSearch/ FiltersVisual AppearanceContent Description Content OrganizationOn/off site optionKey strengths/ unique features
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National Gallery of Art appNo onboarding. Cannot control audio volume. Audio is automatically connected to phone call audio.N/AMap is the landing page that shows stops and facilities in the buildings. Not all stops have audioMobile phone, WifiBottom navigation has links to Map, Must See, Events, and Info.N/AContent with audio have a headphone icon. There is some white space under audio play button. Text and audio are separated by different tabs. Icons are clear and easy to recognize. From the map, some objects with audio content do not have the headphone icon (eg. Tableau No. IV).Audio track have links to mapMust See Tours are organized by Building and floors. Not all content have audio.Yes. Asks if user is currently at the gallery.Text descriptions and audio tracks are on separate tab pages. Has an Appfeedback link under Info.
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National Gallery of Art Self Guided Tours webpageExplains how to use the Tours page at the beginning if the page. Suggests using a smartphone and looking up stop numbers.Content hierarchy is clear with different weights of text. Header text size is large and easy to read.6 langugage options besides English. No sharing options for audio tracks.Self Guided Tours page has list of audio tours. Individual tours page has a description, stop number search tool, and a list of stops.Any device (smartphone was suggested), WifiA return to top link is available since the tours pages are long.Can search audio stops by stop number. No response is returned when a wrong audio stop is entered.Play buttons and photographs of each object are small. Clicking an image leads to the objects page instead of expanding, and automatically stops the audio fromplaying. There are many return to top links repeating.Each Audio tour stops have an image link to object page, a soundcloud audio, and a text descrption (not a transcript of audio).Tours are grouped by building and composed of featured selections from the buildings. Each stop is listed in the order of stop number.N/AHeader text is large in size and stand out.
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Louvre Abu Dhabi appOptional onboarding screens explaining some features like favorites, what's around, map, and keypad. Can choose size of header text. Good black and white color contrast. Combination of icon and text.7 language options. Can favorite objects and view history of objects clicked under Profile.Links to guidelines, collections, audio tours, highlights, app reviewMobile Phone, WifiSimple icons and clear wording, minimal. Can find audio tours from map, home, or keypad.Suggested search auto fills when typing. Cannot search object number. No sort options.Distinct sections, high quality photographs of objects.Concise yet clear description, but text cannot be enlarged and object page layout is crowded (small space for description text).Clear hierarchy of objects by location in Around Me and Map featuresYes. Gives option to stream content or download full content Map feature has bottom object carousel for better navigation. Keypad is its own feature. Has long audio tours separate from audio descriptions that most objects have. Provides onboarding for long audio tours that urges user to relocate if necessary.
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Rijksmuseum appNo onboarding at first use, but there is an onboarding when using Guided Tours for the first time.Shows the number of stops in an audio tour. Good contrast of white text on dark background, but cannot control the text size). Some links (Tickets, Info, and Account Register) open in a separate webpage. Some links do not look clickable (eg. object titles and external links).10 language options. Can create own tour route by selecting favorite artists, object type, or departments. Can favorite objects to save to a personal account and share objects on social platforms.Rijkstudio (collection search) is the landing page that shows highlighted artists' works and a search tool.Mobile Phone, WifiHamburger menu with Guided Tours, Rijksstudio (Collection search), and Tickets. Landing page also has links to Visiting Information, Language, and Login. Audio guide maps show clearly labelled maps to object. Map feature in Audio section uses a magnifying glass icon that looks like a search tool.Suggested/ Popular Searches are shown when search tool is opened. Can filter by Works of Art or Sets. Does not offer suggestions for misspelled search terms.High quality photographs of objects, good amount of text, Consistent grey color scheme, Animated icon appears when a screen is loading.Concise and clear description of each object. Can read the biography of artists along with their artworks.Rijksstudio shows most popular objects first, and then custom object collections made by visitors in the highlights. Audio tour transcripts are sectioned into Introduction and Learn More.Yes.Has numerous guided tours. Can create custom tours by selecting favorite artworks yourself, or using the Choice Assistant tool. Audio Tours show the current screen number out of the total screens to inform users of the length.
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The Dali Museum appAsks permission for many settings for best experience: Bluetooth, Location, Notifications, and Camera. Self guided audio tours can be accessed from clicking Tours link on landing page.Consistent red and white color scheme. Can adjust font size.6 language options. Can favorite objects and tours, take photographs and selfies through the app. Virtual Tour link is shown at the top. Links with icons for Map, Hours, Tickets, Tours, AR, and Events. Hamburger menu has similar links along with other options (eg. quizzes, what's nearby, cafe, store, join, donate, faq, and settings). More icon links with no text appear next to humburger menu (home, map, camera, favorites, and search)Mobile Phone, Wifi, Phone space if want to download audio or AR assets, replicas of artworks to experience AR at home.Mostly simple icons and clear wording, but some icons with no text are confusing (eg. the touch icon shown on 360 degree tours.Can search by name or item number. No suggested search for no results. Hard to search for objects by keywords.High quality photographs of objects. Minimal detail for each object (eg. title, artist, size, and medium). Cluttered menu and icon links on the landing page (eg. repeating map link).Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same. Tour length is mentioned at the beginning. No link to object location given.Tours are grouped by themes. Long list of 15 items in hamburger menu can be categorized better.N/AHas a three different types of tours to choose from: Virtual 360 degrees tours, self guided audio tours, and AR tours. Had a camera feature within the app to take pictures or selfies.
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MFA MobileTours menu option is visible from the landing page.Consistent red and white color scheme. Not as many helpful hyperlinks (eg. location description on audio tours do not link to map).3 language options. Can create an account to save tour stops.Clear image links to On View, Monet Tour, Masterpieces Tour, Basquiat Tour, and Map, along with bottom navigation menu.Mobile PhoneBottom nav menu to has links with clear icons and text to home, Tours, Search, Map, and MoreSearch icon opens a stop number keypad instead of general search tool.High quality photographs of objects or museum interior when used, but overall lacks images. Many components are small (text size and menu icon size) and map is not interactive.Intro pages of tours show short description, language translations, and tour object location. Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same. Narrator voice is hard to hear sometimes and transcript can be long.Content for tours are shown in order of stop number.N/AHas a list view option to view tour content besides continuously clicking next. Easy to scroll and view landing page image links. When entering a tour that was previously clicked, it gives the option to start over or continue from where it was left off.
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Art Institute of Chicago appAsks to select a language upon first use. Has onboarding screens for Map feature. Pull up menus for object description and some play buttons are small. Clear hierarchy of content with use of different font weights, styles, and color. 5 language options. Says welcome, and shows relevant news at the beginning, then Tours, On View and Events. Navigation bar is at the bottom.Mobile Phone, WifiBottom nav bar with Home, Audio (keypad), Map, and Info links with text and icons.Shows suggested searches and links to facilities on map. Suggestions appear as a search word is typed. Has Suggested, Artworks, Tours, and Exhibitions filters.Consistent blue/turquoise color scheme throughout, including the map. Simple icons are used wherever helpful. Headphone icon on search results show which content has audio. Uses high quality photographs for objects.Shows related tours along with image, description, and transcript or credits. Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same.Content in a tour is not ordered by stop number but rather by location in the room. The audio tour does not proceed automatically to the next stop (the user must manually slide to the next stop) and the user cannot skip stops from tour slides. Selecting an audio tour from the landing page automatically takes the user to the map page. Individual object pages have links to the map and audio along with its description and image.Asks if user is onsite before using the map.Audio Tours start playing automatically when after selected. When a new tour is selected in the middle of playing another, a confirmation message shows up. Has option to become a member or access member card from the app.
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British Museum Audio Guides webpageCan access audio guides link from footer of homepage or from the menu > Visit.Audio guide introductions and audio collection highlights that are alternatives to the full physical audio guide are offered on Youtube Music, Apple Music, or inbrowser soundcloud.Audio guide offered in 10 languages. Can add audios to playlist on Youtube Music, and share audio files on both Youtube and Apple Music.Audio Guide page shows links to Youtube Music, Apple Music, and Audio Collection Highlights Any device, WifiLinks for the Youtube Music, Apple Music, and Highlights on the landing page are underlined and distinct from rest of the text.Cannot search audio guides by stop number.Expanding images of audio files does not properly enlarge the image that fit the screen. Play button of Apple Music is small. No transcript for audio files. Images cannot be seen for each audio file, especially files from soundcloud.Audios are organized by room number on Youtube Music and Apple Music.N/ACan use any device to access audio files, and have a choice of Youtube or Apple Music to listen to audio and make custom playlists.
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V&A Audio Guides webpageCan access audio guides and descriptions on the Disabilities and access page link at the homepage footer. How to use this guide onboarding screens can be accessed from menu bar of the audio guide page.Links to the audio guides are hard to find from website.Can download audio files for audio descriptions (eg. furniture gallery overview) but not Touch Tour Audio or Europe in-gallery audio guide.The disabilities and access page shows links to audio descriptions and audio guides at the bottom,Any device, WifiMenu gives option to explore rooms, explore tours, galleries introduction, and how to use this guide.N/APlay button and icons are small. High quality photographs are used for some objects.Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same. Links to object location are given for most objects.Can view content by rooms or by toursN/ACan skip slides in audio tour.
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MoMA Audio Guide webpageCan access audio guide from homepage > Visitor Guide > Audio Visitors can enter a stop number or scroll through audio playlists. Play and skip buttons for audio may be small. There is an option to use high contrast text, which will ensure that all text will be white on a black background. 10 language options are available. Audio page shows link to see all audio playlists, as well as playlists by time period and floor location. Any device, WifiThere is a back to top link for audio pages with long text description.Can use the stop number search to look up audio guides. The general search tool also shows audios in the results when the title or stop number is searched.Uses good quality photographs for each audio, but images cannot be enlarged. Maybe too much white space between content for some pages.Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same. There is a link to view the object in the collection under the text description.Playlists are themed by art movements, timelines, highlights, and other themes. The landing page showed playlists grouped by floor location.N/AHas an option for high contrast text. Easy to read text from contrast of white text on black background.
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The Whitney Museum Audio Guides webpageHomepage shows exhibitions with audio guides. Can also access them by clicking Art and Artists > Audio > Audio GuidesBig audio control buttons.English or Spanish language options.Audio Guide page shows a list of all audio guides with floor numbers if applicable.Any device, Wifican skip audio stops from list view or using the skip buttons.N/ACannot expand photographs of object, but have a width of the entire screen. Play and skip/back buttons are big and easy to use.Audio Tour audio and the text transcript are the same. The main page for each audio tour has a link to the floor location if applicable, then lists the total number of stops and the links to the audio.Audio guides are made with audio tracks based on similar themes or that are part of the same exhibition.N/ALarge play and skip buttons. Audio play tool sticks to the bottom of the screen and continues playing even while browsing other audio guides.
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The Rubin Museum Audio Tours webpageFrom homepage, click Watch and Listen from the menu to access the audio tours. Landing page message ways tours can be streamed online or in the Rubin App.Some small text in red may be hard to read (eg. the Listen buttons. There was also a typo). A new tab opens when an audio tour is clicked.Can favorite, share, or download some soundcloud audio but not all.Audio tours landing page show a list of tour for on view exhibitions and then lists self guided audio tours of past exhibitions at the bottom. Any device (for streaming), Smartphone (for app), WifiHard to navigate back to landing page because a new audio tour opens in a new tab.N/AConsistent color scheme of red and white used throughout. The soundcloud button colors fit with the theme. The play button is large and easy to click, but the share buttons are small.Location is given for each on view exhibition audio tour. Each audio tour page has a short description, and a list of tracks that are soundcloud audio. No transcript is available.Audio Tours are composed of artworks in current exhibitions. Some tours explaining a style of art (eg. Himalayan Art). N/ASoundcloud color and website color scheme match.
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The RIngling Museum of ArtTwo clicks from the homepage (Guides and Maps > Museum of Art Audio Guide). Gives instructions on how to navigate and use the audio stops at the top of the landing page.Need to manually scroll the page to find audio tours of intended room. Audio controls are overall easy to see. Can see the number of tracks in a room playlist.No language options for audio. There is an accessibility settings that can be edited: can choose out of 6 accessibility profiles, scale content or font, and adjust color. Can favorite tracks through soundcloud player.Gives audio tour instructions and lists track playlists in order of gallery number.Any device, WifiProvides external link to transcripts (pdf download link) of audio guides. Top of the page gives link to skip to the family version audio guide.N/AImages of gallery space can be viewed through the soundcloud's visual player, but there are no images for individual works of art.Can ony see the title of the audio track. Can download transcript of the audio guides.Playlists are grouped by location/Gallery number.N/AProvides instructions on how to use the audio guides at the beginning of the page. Also has accessibility settings link on the page.
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