The Canadian Museum Reference in Technology

Mobile ApplicationsThe Canadian Museum Context

April , 2012julie.marion@pch.gc.ca

Mobile Landscape in Canada, 2011

27 M Internet users in Canada 20.1 M Canadians own a

mobile phone 9.1 M Canadians own a

smartphone

Predictions show that in 2012, smartphones will account for 50% of all mobile.

In

Source: ComScore, 2012 data; Ipsos Inter@ctive Reid Report.

Traditional Mobile Phone vs. Smartphone Users in Canada, by Age, March 2011 (% of

respondents)

Source: ComScore, November 2011

Smartphone Usage

Source: ComScore, November 2011

A Few Facts

Users spend 17.3 hours/week on their smartphone 54% of smartphone usage is for activities other than talking 96% of iPhone users have downloaded an App

vs. 59% for BlackBerry and 66% for Android

Average number of Apps on a smartphone is 19- iPhone: 34- BlackBerry: 6

Average number of Apps on a tablet is 25

Ipsos Inter@ctive Reid Report, 2011

Types of Approaches

Native App: Downloadable from a store

Mobile website or Web App: URL access

Website optimized for mobile

Welcome to the App Store, Market, World…

Apple App Store500,000 apps -- 25,000,000,000

Android Market (Google)400,000 apps -- 10,000,000,000

BlackBerry App World25,000 apps -- 2,000,000 (daily)

Windows Phone Marketplace8,000 apps -- n/a

Source: CNET TV / CBS interactive 2012

Smartphones / Tablets

1. Weather 65% 67%2. Games 64% 76%3. Social Networking 57% 41%4. Maps & Navigation 52% 47%5. Instant Messaging 43% 21%6. Entertainment 42% 53%7. Music & Audio 36% 43%8. Search Engine 35% 46%9. News 32% 49%10. Sports 28% 24%11. Books 18% 61%

Source: Ipsos, June 2011

Top Native App Genres

Mobile Device Functions

Integrating relevant content with mobile device functions create an experience:

CameraAccelerometer / Motion sensorCompass GPSInternet accessHD quality audio, video, images Touch screen

Museums Embrace Technology to Educate and Engage

There are approximately 250 museum native apps. 20 from Canadian museums.

Mobile today: 29% of museums have mobile program in place 27% plan to develop one 34% have no plans to go mobile

Most common current/planned mobile activities: Audio tour

Most common goals of mobile: Provide supplementary info Experimentation Create an interactive experience

Source: Museums & Mobile Survey 2012

Museums and Mobile

Greatest challenge in implementing mobile: Cost

Greatest challenge posed by mobile once it’s implemented: Encouraging adoption among visitors Producing content Keeping that content up to date

Source: Museums & Mobile Survey 2011

Museums and Mobile (2)

Potential User Barriers

Not owning the right smartphone or model Excessive downloading time Data pack usage (cost and battery) Poor usability or intuitiveness Slow movement/reaction within the app Lack of awareness for the product’s availability Lack of understanding of the product’s benefits Inferior than expected experience

Considerations /Challenges

Organization’s goals Target audience(s) User benefits / Space

in the market Choice of platform Life span / Life cycle Native vs. Web Launch and

promotion Evaluation

Organizational structure (ownership)

Approval procedure Content format Copyrights Technical glitches Value – ROI Updates and maintenance Wi-Fi availability Cost