In the digital age with Queen Alexa and heir to the throne Elon Musk, hardly any museum can be considered contemporary if it does not enable a “complete visit experience” via an app, as the Louvre advertises for its museum app, for example. Munich museums want to keep up, which is why a number of new apps were developed this year. The Pinakothek der Moderne, for example, presented an app on the occasion of its 20th birthday in July, which, according to Eva Tillig from the Pinakothek der Moderne Foundation, which financed the app, is an “important step towards a digital future”. Visitors could thus experience the four museums as a unit and deal with the works in an easily accessible but intensive manner. The Deutsches Museum recently remodeled not only its building, but also its app. It helps “to find highlights” in eight languages. Intensive discussion, multilingual orientation, that sounds like a good premise, but do the apps fulfill their noble approaches, what added value do they provide, and do they work at all? Two museums, two apps and two very different results.
The app of the Pinakothek der Moderne relies entirely on pink and is quite intuitive to use. It has all the essential information about opening hours, program, toilets and the café. Guided tours are called “walks” here and are intended to take visitors through the four museums on the basis of an overarching theme (color, body, crisis) – “Mix and Match” says hello. For example, the “Crisis” walk shows paintings by Max Beckmann and Neo Rauch from the State Painting Collections, but also design objects such as a television by Philipp Starck or a pendant light made from PET bottles by Heath Nash. Audio tracks are available for the works, which, albeit quite unemotionally, impart interesting knowledge. Works can be saved and put together in your own tour using the scan and favorites functions. You can also search for individual artists. All nice ideas that could enrich a visit to the museum – if the app would work. Unfortunately, despite the cost of half a million euros, it doesn’t.
The museum’s WLAN, without which neither the audios nor the walks work, is already evaporating under the rotunda, and in the basement not even your own mobile data can help. The positioning via the location is just as difficult, which makes it impossible to find the next object. One would love to know more about Yasuki Hiramatsu’s necklace if one could find it and listen to the accompanying sound. Wistful thoughts of audio guides surface, those ugly black bricks with three buttons that at least played sounds reliably. Ironically, according to Eva Tillig from the Stiftung der Pinakothek der Moderne, the app replaces the audio guide, which “was no longer up-to-date in terms of content and technology”. Within an hour, the display also sent the happy news twice that the technically up-to-date app no longer reacted and whether one wanted to wait or leave it. Good question. Perhaps it would be better to continue to the museum that is entirely dedicated to technology: the Deutsches Museum.
Here you feel well taken by the hand: the Deutsches Museum app.
(Photo: Screenshot)
Already the first few seconds are positive. Unlike the Pinakothek, the app is not only available in German, English and simple language, but in six other languages in addition to German sign language. The WLAN works perfectly in the 20,000 square meters of exhibition space, and the app works as steadily as the engines of the planes on the first floor once did. Like that of the Pinakothek der Moderne, this app also provides tours through the building, scan and favorites functions, and organizational information. The Deutsches Museum has found a clever solution for orientation in the huge house: pictures with arrows lead through rooms, up corridors and stairs to the next object. You feel well taken care of. The information on the space suits, experiments, cameras and chemical formulas is also presented in an exciting and enthusiastic way.
The Deutsches Museum app manages to provide guidance instead of being overwhelmed. The Pinakothek der Moderne can also do this as soon as the WLAN problem has been solved. The inclusivity is probably the most important added value of the apps, since museums can now be explored in different languages, via stairs or elevators, in easy language and largely barrier-free. The Deutsches Museum app can be adjusted according to needs. The apps are also free of charge and thus democratize access to additional knowledge. Museum and knowledge for everyone! With well-designed, inclusive apps, the phrase can finally become a reality.