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Museums are embracing new technologies to better understand their audience and create a broader, more engaged customer base.

Digital technologies provide a fantastic tool for cultural institutions to democratise access to culture, open a space for dialogue, and promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

But, it’s not all easy pickings. Faced with changing customer demographics, evolving expectations and an explosion of competing new entertainment options, museums must increase their digital proficiency to offer a more engaging journey for their audience.

From the customers’ perspective, the path through a museum is often studded with age-old challenges. Just as German author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who embarked on his Italian Journey in 1786 equipped with the standard guidebook of his time, Historical and Critical News from Italy, made some questionable itinerary choices – like skipping Giotto’s widely-renowned frescoes in Assisi – today’s museum-goers, despite having far greater access to information, remain surprisingly uninformed about collections or exhibits likely to spark their particular interests. Too many are inadequately prepared for the museums they do visit and miss out on a full experience either from a lack of time, will or easy access to content. At the museum, many find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer size of a collection and struggle building a itinerary to match their interests and schedules. On their return home, few take the opportunity to reflect and connect the dots across their different cultural experiences.

read more at knowledge.insead.edu