Task Review
Facilitate Collaboration and Conversation About Art
New Task
Difficulty level: hard
Amelia likes to spark conversation by sharing controversial opinions. She feels like she learns through formulating arguments and loves to have spirited debates with friends. When she visits museums, she often feels that they are eerily quiet. She gets restless and becomes eager to leave. She wishes that she could share her thoughts about the art she sees with others–having discussions about the pieces would help her feel more stimulated and interested in the artwork.
Create a More Mentally Active Museum Visit
New Task
Difficulty level: medium
Dennis does not know what to think about when he looks at a piece of art. When he goes to a museum, he feels like everyone around him can stare at pieces for endless periods of time and he wishes he knew what they were thinking about. He feels self-conscious when he walks around the gallery too quickly and tries to stand in front of each work for an “acceptable” period of time. This anxiety makes his museum trips feel prolonged and unstimulating. He wishes that he had a task or question he was trying to answer when he studied the art work. If he had something concrete to think about with each work of art, he thinks he would feel less stressed out and bored in museums.
Walk Through the Museum Without Guidance
Old Task
Difficulty level: easy
Henry hasn’t spent much time in museums, but bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon, he wanders over to WCMA to explore. When he enters, he is presented with multiple possible directions to wander, and he pauses for a moment. The greeter behind the desk seems like she’s about to ask him a question, but wanting to avoid a possible guided tour or manufactured museum experience, Henry quickly chooses to go upstairs, avoiding the help of the greeter. Once upstairs, Henry is drawn into an exhibit because the music playing inside sets it apart from the other rooms. He lets himself wander aimlessly, not forcing himself to look at every piece, and only inspecting the ones that naturally catch his eye. He notices other visitors reading plaques, but isn’t interested in absorbing this information. Henry wants to think his own thoughts and experience the art independently of a predetermined perspective.
Use an Interactive and Educational Game to Teach
New Task
Difficulty level: hard
Maggie is a high school teacher and she wants to try out a unit with her students about art history. She brings them to the art museum, and the group goes on a guided tour. Many of the students don’t seem to be listening to the tour guide, and nobody takes notes. Maggie worries that her students aren’t engaging with the art, and wishes there was a way they could bring their own thoughts to the table while also learning historical content. Coming to the museum seemed better than a powerpoint presentation, but now Maggie thinks she needs to make this field trip even more interactive.
Recieving Validation or Rewards for Good Interpretations
New Task
Dificulty level: hard
Rebecca is a college student that has some background knowledge in art history. When she visits an art museum, she likes to create her own interpretations of the art pieces. However, she never knows if her interpretations are correct or close to the artist’s original message. She consults the plaque next to the art but only finds general information such as its medium, artist and title. Rebecca attempts to search online for an official interpretation, but the search results give a variety of interpretations without any measure for validity or expertise from the users that posted them. Rebecca’s inability to validate her interpretations discourages her from trying more; she has no way of measuring her improvements and no incentive to continue.
Staring at the Art Without Engagement
Old Task
Dificulty level: easy
Sterling’s friends convince him to visit an art museum with them even though he has no background in art. He quickly notices that they stare at the art pieces for a few moments before commenting on the significance of the piece or their emotions towards it. However, when Sterling attempts to do the same he sees and feels nothing. Sterling does not recognize any key features or themes within the painting and cannot empathize with the original artist. As a result, Sterling simply follows his friends around the museum and mimics their stares at the art without thinking anything. He soon becomes bored and decides to not accompany his friends the next time they visit an art museum.
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