A chart to help museums plan mobile tours. The chart provides tips to consider when producing content, a list of considerations to keep in mind when thinking about what mobile platform the tour will be delivered on, considerations for whether the museum will provide the device or whether the visitor will, and marketing, sales and distribution considerations.

1. Mobile | Content Production and Delivery Process
Content: Script Content: Media Publishing to Hardware Mktg, Sales &
Development Production devices Provisioning Distribution
Write for the Ear Use Delivery Museum owned Distribution
• 200 words = 90 Professionals • Audio only or Visitor owned? • Museum owned
seconds of audio = Because your • Smartphone devices on-site
one stop. reputation matters - App • Website
If Museum owned:
• Your words will be - Optimized Website • Podcast
• Procurement
heard not read. • Voice & acting • Cell • App Store
• Protective cases
• Talk to the listener talent
t l t • Wifi • iT
iTunes
- Add 30% to cost
not at them. • Audio recording Content Mgmt • Museum 411 hosted
• Distribution
• Each stop = a story. and engineering in • Antenna Audio • Administration &
• No jargon. sound studio Marketing
• In-house maintenance
• Go easy on the • Field recordingg • Brochures
• Museum 411 - Recharging
dates and data. • Field video shoot • OnCell - Patching • iTunes
•Keep it simple in • Digitize audio • TAP • Replacement • On-site signage and
terms of word and archives (interviews, • Tristan Interactive - Loss promotion
sentence length. speeches, etc.) • Toura - Breakage • Tour maps
•Cut script in ½ and • Music or sound • etc. … - Add 30% to cost • Website
cut it in ½ again. effects
• First show, then
Devices
• Digitize images
•iPhone
tell. Orient the • Editing
•iPod
listener to the thing • Create stops
•iPad
they are seeing. • Create output files
•Android
• Rehearse – edit –
•Blackberry
rehearse again.
•Nokia
•Feature phone Rose.Sherman@mnhs.org May 2011