Visitors using the iPads in the exhibition.

Overall, use of the iPads among visitors went pretty well.  We know from our statistics that 8,629 avatars were issued to visitors via the quiz kiosks, which means roughly 28% of the people coming to the show took part in the activity. Of those surveyed by Roslyn, 100% found the iPads inviting and easy to use; 82% felt the iPads provided the right kind of information, kept their attention and didn’t distract from the artwork; 64% felt the iPads provided the right amount of information; 73% felt the interactive made them think more about the artwork and was helpful to their experience of the art; 91% felt use of the iPads was a positive experience. Of those surveyed, visitors were slightly more likely to use the iPad kiosk if they were familiar with the device, but the data does not indicate a strong relationship between prior experience with the device and actual use or non-use of the iPad in this setting.  Interestingly, users of the iPad kiosks were likely to have also used other interpretive materials, indicating that this was a supplementary experience to our labels and didactics.

Even though those metrics give an overall picture that is pretty good, there are other findings we should talk about.

Visitors take a quiz to determine which avatar will follow them through the exhibition. Kiosks are located outside the exhibition space just off the elevators.

By design, we created a linear experience in which, ideally, visitors would take a quiz to determine which avatar should accompany them throughout the exhibition and then check in at other kiosks to either find their avatar in works of art or vote for their favorite depictions of their avatar in the show.

In early discussions, we decided to try something new and experiment by placing the quiz kiosks right outside the show so visitors would see them as they got off the elevator prior to entering the exhibition space.  The reasons for this were two-fold.  First, we wanted to see if this location would capture more people before they went in.  Second, we were conscious of the cultural issues with the subject matter and wanted to ensure this was seen as an optional path through the show, not a required one.

11% of visitors using the introductory "quiz" kiosk did so on the way out of the exhibition instead of the way in.

The reality is more than a few visitors missed the quiz kiosks in this experimental location because they were seen as outside the exhibition space and because of this, many visitors encountered the interactive at a later point having not taken the initial quiz.  While you could still take part without having taken this first step, the subsequent sets of kiosks were designed in a linear fashion assuming you had taken the quiz and you had a specific avatar you were trying to find.  We’ve learned a couple of things for the next time around:  1) Those first kiosks really need to be in the gallery, not outside of it.  2)  Even if we move the kiosks to a better location, we are never going to ensure that every visitor funnels through space the same way, so we need to design the interactive in a much less linear fashion or provide clearer instructions for visitors who missed the first set of kiosks.

Switching to a clear bezel helped expose the hardware. Compare to the images above where it's difficult to tell an iPad is contained in the case.

Another issue cropped up when we mounted the iPads.  Unlike our Wikipop iPad interactive for Seductive Subversion where the iPads were freestanding and could be picked up, this time we used LaunchPad mounts from Sprocket. Sprocket produces very elegant and sturdy mounts, but we didn’t expect that they would turn the iPad into a very normal-looking small touch screen because the iPad was so well hidden within the beautiful case.  Issues cropped up almost immediately. As visitors started interacting with the devices, they were treating them like a standard touch screen—we were seeing a lot of hard tapping, jabbing or trying to use fingernails to navigate—the iPads, which are used to a much more low-key touch experience, became unresponsive.  We worked with Sprocket to resolve this and they provided a clear bezel for the LaunchPad mounts, so visitors could see the hardware.  We’ll never forget going down to switch out the bezels and one visitor standing nearby said, “Oh, that’s an iPad!”  The switch to the clear bezel helped and now whenever we are using mounted iPads in the gallery, we’ll be using these to expose the hardware a bit better.

I’m not going to go too far into the actual findings around the content on the devices because without having taken part it’s a little hard to explain all the specifics.  That said, there’s an important statistic worth noting: only 64% felt the iPads provided the right amount of information.  These were activity based kiosks focused on helping visitors find avatars in the works of art and while visitors did report the iPad activity made them look closer at the works in question (yay, limited screen suck!), visitors still wanted more information. Interview participants showed a strong preference for content that would provide additional information and indicated they expected the iPads would contain didactic content and looked to the devices for it.  This is especially interesting given the findings on the Wikipop project—more, may indeed, be more.

There’s a lot of research that I can’t possibly fit into this post, but if you have questions ask in the comments and I’ll be happy to give you more.

My favorite avatar, the boar: Varaha Rescuing the Earth, Page from an illustrated Dashavatara series; India (Punjab Hills, Bilaspur), circa 1730–40. Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper, 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (26.7 x 20.6 cm) Brooklyn Museum Collection, by exchange, 41.1026

Fifteen years ago, non-Hindus had only the vaguest idea of what an avatar is.  Now most can tell you that it’s an alternate form, a new body or persona that’s assumed for special purposes, such as playing a game, or joining an on-line conversation, or infiltrating a nature-loving alien culture.  But the differences between the original, Hindu use of the term and the new use are pretty important.

Vishnu’s scariest avatar, the man-lion: Yoga-Narasimha; Southern India (Tamil Nadu), 12th century. Bronze, 18 3/4 x 13 x 9 1/2 in. (47.6 x 33 x 24.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Samuel Eilenberg Collection, New York, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998 (2000.284.4). © The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Art Resource, NY

First of all, in Hindu tradition, mere mortals don’t have avatars.  The ability to assume new bodies is purely divine, and for the most part it is reserved for Vishnu, who is one of the most powerful deities in the Hindu pantheon—some would say the most powerful.  The fact that alternate digital personae are now called avatars actually makes a lot of devout Hindus quite uncomfortable or angry, because the comparison belittles the divine avatars of their religion.  In the Hindu context, avatars aren’t just a matter of play-acting, they are manifestations of God, and evidence of Vishnu’s grace.

I don’t do a lot of gaming, but I’m pretty sure that the avatars that appear in a gaming context are typically more powerful and/or more attractive than their users.  The opposite is the case with Vishnu’s avatars.  Vishnu is said to be vast, with unlimited presence and influence that is beyond our comprehension. The avatar is only a small portion of Vishnu, designed to interact with humans on earth.  When Vishnu descends as an avatar, it is as if he is reaching his hand down: the hand is the avatar, and it is the god, but it is not the whole god.  Avatars are super-human, but they offer only a glimpse of the incomprehensible size and glory of Vishnu.

Avatar or something more? Krishna is sometimes removed from lists of avatars because he is thought to be greater than that: his devotees consider him a god in full. Krishna Fluting for the Gopis, page from an illustrated Dashavatara series. Northern India (Punjab Hills, Mankot), circa 1730. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 10 1/4 x 8 in. (26 x 20.3 cm). Collection of Catherine and Ralph Benkaim

Playing at avatars is a way of pretending to have powers similar to that of a god, but it is simply a matter of pretending.  At some point in the future, it may actually be possible for humans to take temporary occupancy of new bodies. But even if we become big and blue and can communicate with flying horses via organic extension cords we will never be the equivalent of Vishnu’s avatars, who are, after all, divine.