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Rhizomatic Art Stories - Balancing between Innovation and Usability
Annette Rosenvold Hvidt and Merete Sanderhoff, SMK National Gallery of Denmark, Denmark
http://www.smk.dk/kunsthistorier
Abstract
In 2008 SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark, initiated a 5-year digital strategy. A core project of this strategy is Art Stories: an innovative online resource that offers stories and background material about artworks, artists and how they connect. The ambition is to make art history come alive on the Web, utilizing the possibilities offered by digital media. Art Stories was developed over a three-year period in a highly iterative process. Our vision has been to create an 'art history on the terms of the Web' which implies structuring the content in a complex, 'rhizomatic' way. We have repeatedly invited users to discuss and test the concept, hoping to ensure an engaging and intuitively navigable online art experience. This paper goes through the process of developing the site in dialogue with users – but also sometimes against their immediate demands and expectations.
Keywords: Art history, persuasive design, usability, iterative process, lessons learned