Waltee’s Quest: An Object-Based Learning Website for Families

1. Waltee’s Quest: An Object-Based Learning Website for Families Presented by the Walters Art Museum & Audience Focus 2009 NAEA National Convention

2. The Walters Art Museum

3. Just for Kids: Kid-friendly Collections Interface Timeframe: Summer 2006- Spring 2007 Budget: $7,500 Funding Source: Internal grant Goals: To provide a kid-friendly interface to the new Walters Art Museum website and online collection. To further the Walters’ mission of bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. To extend investigations of art at home before and/or after a successful museum visit. To expand the museum’s audience and educational reach to a world-wide community of children. Waltee’s Quest: Web-based Educational Game Timeframe: Summer 2007- Winter 2008 Budget: $75,000 Funding Source: Board Technology Committee Goals: To provide a variety of fun, informal educational activities which utilize works of art for children and their families. To support self-constructed, experiential learning. To improve the users’ visual, text-based, and web literacy skills. To extend the time a user spends engaging with a work of art from the Walters collection. To foster inter-generational learning by virtually bringing art objects into the home. To support the Walters’ mission of bringing art and people together for enjoyment, discovery, and learning. Transition to Thinking BIG:Decisions, Risk-Taking, and Transition

4. Websites Consulted • Arturo Art Stories (DMA) http://arturosartstories.org/ • Build Your Wild Self(NYZA)http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ • The Chronicles of Narnia (Disney) http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/princecaspian/ • Collections Central Online (BCM)http://www.brooklynkids.org/emuseum/code/emuseum.asp • Destination Modern Art (MoMA) http://www.moma.org/interactives/destination/ • Discovery Kids http://kids.discovery.com/ • Dress the Sauce Packet (Taco Bell) http://www.tacobell.com/dsp/ • Get the Glass!(Got Milk?)http://gettheglass.com/ • PBS Kidshttp://pbskids.org/ • Scholastic Kidshttp://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/index.asp • Winged Sandals (ABC)http://www.wingedsandals.com

5. Building the Framework:Best Practices for Process=Product • Establish a vision & user narrative • Follow a Request for Proposals (RFP) process • Build consensus and creative collaborations • Internally and externally • Establish an advisory committee • Integrate evaluation • Seek a flexible developer who will support vision • Define phases and benchmarks • Flexible timeline (launch date and expectations)

6. Evaluation & Development: An Integrated Process What: Two rounds of early formative studies Why: Usability, appeal, & age appropriate Buy-in from target audiences All decisions supported by data How: Collaboration between 3 partners Evaluation with families in the museum Think-aloud interviews Surveys

7. Results – Round 1 • High level of excitement • Definitely! Would love it. 91% • Probably, seems interesting: 9% • Exciting names create interest • Secret, Forbidden, Sunken, Treasures, Mummy • Mini-Games

8. Results – Round 2 • Usability Testing • Navigation • Heads-up-Display • Levels of Difficulty Too hard = FRUSTRATION Too easy = BORING Levels of Challenge = Engagement

9. Decisions Made Based on Evaluation Results • Game title • World and object nomenclature • Mini-game selection • Walteepedia • Game interface • Navigation tools • Object lists • World HUD (“Heads-Up-Display”) • Level of difficulty/ challenge • Incentives

10. The Launch and Life After • Website launched October 25, 2008 • 4,085 site visits; 2,762 unique visitors • 32% return visitors • 1,719 registered users • 23 completed game • Kiosks launched February 28, 2009 • Recipient of a regional Gold Addy Award & a MUSE Award • Summative evaluation going forward

20. Contact Us! EmilyBlumenthal eblumenthal@thewalters.org Michelle Hagewood mhagewood@thewalters.org Kathy Nusbaum knusbaum@thewalters.org Jeanine Ancelet jeanine@audiencefocus.com