Making Smarter Museums Through New Technologies

Abstract

Smart technologies have a significant potential to impact people's behaviours thanks to their ability to increase access to different resources and the ability to influence technology-based encounters. The objective of this chapter is to deepen the theme of smart technologies in the museum environment, to describe the elements and the main dimensions capable of impacting both visitors' perception and overall experience. The authors analyze the use of smart technologies to 1) increase people's knowledge and skills in providing intelligent service in cultural heritage and 2) promote the involvement of visitors and improve their experience. Findings show that visitors increasingly lose the role of passive users to play an active role in the co-production of museum experiences. Smart museums lead to cognitive and engaging learning, touching, feeling, and experiencing different emotions, encouraging a return to the museum, inviting to learn, and shaping one's personal experience.