24 museomag   03 ‘ 2019 
THE EXPERIENTIAL MUSEUM 
ABOUT TWO “DESIGN JAM” WORKSHOPS ORGANIZED AT THE MUSEUM 
Exploring the MNHA’s 3D virtual tour, available on www.mnha.lu 
© 
élise bougelet 
Digital technologies are fundamentally transforming 
the ways in which we interact with our material and 
non-material culture. Museums have long been faci- 
litators of new and engaging experiences that increa- 
singly integrate emerging technologies into their ex- 
hibits and online collections, both as a complement 
to the in-person visit and, at times, in counterpoint to 
it. The recent release of the MNHA’s digital platform – 
https://collections.mnha.lu – comes at an opportune 
moment, as research into user experience design and 
public engagement with virtual museums has become 
a major focus within the field of cultural heritage. 
DESIGNING FOR EXPERIENCE 
The MNHA Design Jam is part of a larger research 
project that I lead as a Doctoral Researcher at the 
University of Luxembourg’s Centre for Contemporary 
and Digital History (C²DH) and the Human-Computer 
Interaction Research Group. My research explores the 
development of museum technologies with a focus on 
experience. Can browsing an online museum collection 
inspire a feeling of curiosity, nostalgia, or even wonder- 
ment for its users? The research project draws on inter- 
views and other methods from cognitive psychology 
and user experience design to identify the emotional 
and aesthetic experiences underlying memorable mu- 
seum visits. By understanding how these experiences 
occur, they can be integrated more readily into online 
platforms and other virtual museum technologies, such 
as augmented or virtual reality, to encourage deeper 
engagement with museum collections. 
Before coming to Luxembourg, I worked for Arts & 
Humanities Research Computing at Harvard University 
where I specialized in the design and development 
of innovative user interfaces for cultural heritage. In 
this role, I had the opportunity to support a number 
of archives and exhibits, including design for Beyond 
Words: Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections, 
an exhibit that allowed visitors to interact digitally 
with a series of illuminated manuscripts on display 
across Boston’s cultural institutions.