GIFT is an EU-funded research project in which I led a consortium of 10 international museums in an 18-month design-research process focused on expanding technological infrastructure and developing playful museum experiences.
During this 18-month process, my colleagues and I designed and executed a series of labs focused on creating unique, forward-thinking cultural experiences for a range of audiences. Between workshops, we held online coaching sessions with our museum partners, during which we focused on organizational development, design methodologies and state-of-the-art research related to GIFT’s project themes of playfulness, personalization and audience engagement.
Over the course of this process, we have been developing and implementing tools for reflection, content development and evaluation. These tools, as well as best practices we have observed during the process, will be published for use by other cultural institutions interested in developing playful experiences at their own institutions. This research process is just one part of GIFT; other areas of the project include prototypes, critical theory, and design tools.
