Mapping design meeting outcome: ideas, and where we're headed next

[James William Yoon]

Hey all,

We had a couple of meetings today on design: one on mobile, and the
other on mapping. These are the notes on the latter. Notes on the
former are en route.

We framed our brainstorm around the question of "Why do we want/need
an interactive map over a static map?" (i.e., "What avenues and
opportunities can an interactive map provide us that a static map
can't?", or, what can the affordances of technology bring us closer
to?)

The ideas that came up:

- Multi-modal views: same objects in spatial and conceptual maps; same
objects on screen, animate into different positions
- Create one's own experience and path within the content
- Draw up relationships between works/objects/artifacts/etc.
- Better sense of where one might find works (particularly, generally)
- Social aspect: where (spatially, conceptually) are my friends and
colleagues enjoying content?
- Interest maps: what are people interested in?
  - Ability to subscribe to interest maps (possibly with people with
credibility/fame)
- Enabling better searching experience
- Post-visit affordances
- Easier access (don't have to go to a wall for a map)
- Accessibility
  - E.g., providing easily accessible paths for wheelchairs
- Data recovery, exploration for scholars, researchers
- Entertainment value
- Seeing where others are in the virtual map, what they're looking at,
in real-time
- Real-time/offline conversations in the virtual, hybrid virtual-physical space
- Tease at social value (shared exploration, etc.)
- Footprints, leaving notes for other people
  - Electronic breadcrumbs/post-it notes
  - Follow footprints of famous/credible people
- Tease at the unspoken thoughts when an ad hoc group of people stand
at the same object silently
- Sharing content across museums
  - Vast array of maps connecting/interacting with each other: mega-museum
- Travel patterns (& "Did you know?")
- Link to things, events, happenings in community
- Social sharing: link to email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Interactive postcards: send a virtual map (say, zoomed into a
cluster of objects) w/ note
  - Provides point of entry for receiver to also explore rest of space
- Touching the artwork through the interface
- Animating, bringing to life the art/objects

Where we're headed from here:

Dale, Tona, Erin, and I are getting together on Thursday (June 4) at 8
AM PDT/11 AM EDT/5 PM CEST to go through the list, bubble up and
aggregate the most appropriate ideas, and preparing them for fleshing
into scenarios (and use cases, and wireframes). Lurkers and
contributors welcome as usual.

James