Supporting Casual Users to Explore Digital Collections

Abstract

Today, an increasing number of art, history, and culture-related items are being digitally reproduced and displayed by cultural heritage institutions on websites. As the digitisation of cultural collections progresses, digital collection websites are reaching a broader and more diverse audience, including a growing segment known as casual users. This user group is becoming more prevalent in the context of digital collections. However, despite their increasing presence, the current interfaces of most digital collection websites do not adequately support the casual user experience. Casual users typically visit these sites without a specific informational goal, preferring exploratory browsing. In contrast, many existing interfaces are designed for users with clear motivations, focusing on targeted searches. Tools like search bars and catalogues may limit exploration for casual users, who may feel less encouraged to explore freely. This raises a critical question: how can we design an innovative exploration experience that invites casual users to explore and supports their divergent exploration?

Through a literature review of psychological theories on exploratory behaviour, design principles for supporting casual users, theories on facilitating serendipity, and user research with six casual users, a deeper understanding of the context was gained, leading to the definition of the design goal. Four interaction qualities—exploratory, serendipitous, supportive, and playful—were then established as guiding principles for the project.

Based on the research findings, four initial concepts were developed and tested with nine participants. Insights from the first round of testing were used to formulate an integrated concept. An interactive prototype was then created to conduct a second round of testing with five participants.

The final concept, Wander More, is an innovative online tool for exploring digital collections. It is designed to invite casual users to wander through diverse cultural items using connected keywords in a simple, playful, and surprising way. The key features of the final concept are as follows:

1. Wandering through various items via keyword connections in a simple and endless way.
2. Playfully dragging keywords to generate a diverse range of surprising items.
3. Viewing exploration journey summary
4. Also supporting deep and specific exploration

In the final evaluation, the design was assessed to determine how well it achieved the design goal. Five participants found it to be a simple and enjoyable experience that allowed them to explore diverse items in a playful and surprising manner.