New media design for cultural institutions

Community co-creation programs are increasingly used by cultural institutions in an attempt to draw new audiences to their collections. By providing engaging interactive experiences in partnership with the community, institutions may well increase their audience numbers in the short term; but to optimize the viability and longevity of such programs, institutions and designers should consider the integration of strategic design methods with curatorial processes in order to reconsider the capture, display and promotion of collections and/or exhibitions. This case study uses a project from the State Library of Queensland, Australia to showcase a human computer interaction-derived design method developed by the authors to ensure a strategic response to community co-creation initiatives. Using a variety of media, the new Multi-Platform Communication Design method has enabled the design of web-based distribution; a community and a facilitator’s training program; and the development of a mobile multimedia laboratory. This paper details the design method by which these multiple communication platforms were developed and implemented to achieve successful project delivery.