What is it?
Some museums (like ABBA The Museum in Stockholm) offer their visitors a so called “Audio Guide” as a complement for the exhibition. It is a device with a small speaker that plays a certain recorded scripted message when it comes in contact with a special pad. These pads are located at certain points of the exhibition and give the owner of a Audioguide some extra information about the object near the pad. The voice on the Audioguide is usually someone famous. For instance, at ABBA The Musem it is the members of ABBA themselves who have recorded the material for the Audioguides.
Target group?
The museum aim to target people who want to know more about the exhibition and are willing to pay a little extra for this privilege. So in the ABBA-case they aim to target the fans who might know alot about ABBA, but want the exclusive more personal information.
Good stuff
The Audioguide offers a personal guide of the museum and (in some cases) the privilege to listen to a famous person. It interacts with the users and serves as a complement to the objects in the museum. It gives the user an additional sense to experience the exhibition which improves the amount of information you obtain. It can create a natural path through the museum and therefore counter jams of visitors (provided enough people have Audioguides.
Bad stuff
However, it can ruin a bit of the experience when going to a museum. People usually go to museums in groups so they can share the experience. But the Audioguide can interrupt the interaction within the group because of the attention it demands from its user. It also limits the users freedom at the exhibition since the placements of the pads create a route one might feel obligated to travel. Though it usually is quite small and light, it can be a drag to carry the device during the entire visit. It seems that most museums demands a additional fee for the Audioguide which makes it into a privilege that not everyone can afford.
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