[Artbeyondsightmuseums] Thoughts on Audio Tour Access

[Tina Hansen]

I've been reading up on the state of audio tours in museums, so I want to add some thoughts and ask some questions.

>From what I've seen, most audio tours at museums go for one of two approaches: Either the audio content is keyed to stop numbers, or the material is location-based.

Both types have benefits and drawbacks. On the former, a blind user needs to bring someone with them to get the right stop numbers. Yet there is incredible random access and the content is interactive.

On the loction-based units, the blind person can travel alone or with a friend, but they nave no control over what content gets played.

I know of one site, the Bristol museums and Galleries, that has gotten around that by using the Pen Friend audio labeler The user can travel alone or with a friend, and they need only find the label to trigger audio. I also like this because the content can be broken down.

Other audio tours use a cell phone number, but I don't like to hold a cell phone to my ear for long periods of time.

Has anyone designed an audio tour framwork or system that allows the blind museum visitor to take the tour either alone or with a companion, while also giving the user full control over content? If so, how are you addressing these issues? Thanks.