Design - Technology
Web-based technology is continuously changing. Museums, like most business sectors, are embracing the technology that allows them to expand their contact with and commitment to their stakeholder groups. Recognizing what technology is in use on a website and how that technology works within a museum context is important when building a successful educational website.
BrowsersBrowsers interpret the HTML and JavaScript code that forms the text and layout of your website. While you may use only one or two browsers, there are hundreds of them in existence across the world. Visit the following resources to see what styles and technologies affect your visitor's ability to see and read your website:
NetMechanic
Internet Explorer
Netscape
WebTV Viewer
Popular Browsers
Cascading Style Sheets
Window SizeMonitorsYou may have noticed that your monitor size and settings can have a tremendous affect on the way you view a website. Consider designing your website to meet the needs of the average visitor. Do not design a web page to fit the largest monitor size but the most commonly used monitor size.
Connection SpeedIn April 2002, a poll from marketing research firm Ipsos-Reid showed that 48% of Canadian adults with a home Internet connection have a broadband connection. While Canadians continue to be at or near the top in the world when it comes to Internet adoption and usage, many Internet users in Canada still use phone lines to download information. Visit this speed comparison chart to see how file sizes can impact your visitor's ability to download your website.
PrintingIs your website printable? If so, how does your website look on paper? Many websites host activities and information that teachers and students may wish to print. If you want to expand your website's usage and usability, make sure you include activities in printable formats. Many printable documents are created and printed using Portable Document Format (.pdf) files.
Design and Internet TechnologiesConsider using the least restrictive technology to attract the most visitors to your website. Building a website with the latest software version may mean that a large number of visitors may not be able to see, hear, or use a large portion or all of your website. When your website designer considers what technology to use, they should also consider which software version to use.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should use specialized web technology. Technology has both advantages and drawbacks. Your content requirements and visitor's needs should determine which technology you should use on your website. Consider the following examples of large and small file size alternatives for content delivery:
The Canada Science and Technology Museum offers suggestions to visitors on how best to view its site, but it does not integrate any specialized technology into its website design.The Art Gallery of Ontario offers visitors the option of viewing their website with or without Flash Components:
Requires Flash 4+ player and a monitor set to a minimum of 800 x 600 pixels
Requires a JavaScript enabled 4.x browserVideo, audio, and interactive technologies require that visitors download user plug-ins supplied by the software makers. Examples of plug-ins include Macromedia Flash and Shockwave, Apple QuickTime and Adobe Reader for printing purposes. Plug-ins have to be downloaded and updated from time to time. Since not all computers and connections are able to accept downloads because of the file sizes, it is best to always offer HTML or JavaScript alternatives for visitors.
You will have to acquire software to create, edit and host audio, video, and interactive web files. Compare the following products, presented on the Macromedia website, to see which interactive technologies are currently used in North America.
ImagesImages can be presented on websites in a variety of ways. You can insert image files into HTML code and have them display individually, in sequence, or in rotation. If you do not have a digital camera to produce electronic images, simply scan photographs or documents to create .jpg, .tiff or bitmap files. Both file and image size will affect if and how your visitors can view images on your web pages. To make images interactive, to have them move on the page, or to have text over-writes, you will require a software program such as Macromedia Flash. Review the following examples to see how images can be integrated into website design:
Perspectives: Women Artists in North America
These images are created as .jpg files and combined with text in pop-up boxes. The .jpg images are inserted into HTML code. Images created this way can be displayed individually or as thumbnails but cannot be placed into search functions, as their sources are not housed in databases.Nunatta Sunakkutangit Museum Society
This collection is presented to the visitor in a grouping of images. It allows visitors to compare images easily while downloading only one page.Virtual Keeping House Museum Saskatchewan
This collection is presented through text and .jpg images. The artifacts are sorted by 'style' and additional information is provided through links to other pages.DatabasesMuseums that hold large collections often place images on searchable databases to serve both internal clients, such as collections managers, and external clients, such as website visitors. Databases can be created and housed in software programs such as Microsoft Excel or Access. These museums share their collections through searchable databases. Note that the website designers provide parameters for visitors to search the collections.
Mi'kmaq Portraits Collection
This website links to a database hosting images and archival information. If you look at their search parameters you can view images by date, subject matter, location, title, medium, artist or technician's name, publication data, present ownership and photonegative number or accession number.Our Future, Our Past, The Alberta Heritage Digitization Project
This website presents a number of collections, images, and archival resources that require searchable parameters and databases to present information.AudioCultural and language centres and museums with oral history collections are using audio files to share voice, language, and music with their web visitors. Some museums are also providing translations of language audio presentations in text formats. As with other electronic files, audio recordings require that permission be granted from the author or storyteller to share the recording online and that precautions be taken to protect the recording once it is broadcast through copyright protection statements. Audio files require that visitors install additional plug-ins such as Macromedia Shockwave or Windows Multimedia Real Player to hear files and that developers have production software to create audio files. Visit this website to hear audio collections online:
Heritage Community FoundationVideoWebsite video clips can be extremely engaging and educational. The quality of video, the number of frames, and file size will have great impacts on the visitor. The type of camera used is not as important as the quality of sound and light when creating new footage. Macromedia Flash and Apple QuickTime are often used to create and view footage for websites. Here are examples of historic and new video footage:
H.M.C.S. Sackville, Virtual Museum of Canada
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Virtual Museum of Canada
Panoramic and three-dimensional or cubic video (cubic video allows a visitor to manipulate their view in all directions and is the technology that allows for 'virtual' presentations) requires significant commitments in terms of time, access and resources on an ongoing basis for both the content provider and the visitor. Video components require input and direction from experienced website developers.Virtual ToursStill-image tours, panoramic video, and three-dimensional virtual tours can be found on many museum websites. See these examples of effective tour presentations:
The Costume Museum of Canada
This website uses digital video to present a three-dimensional virtual tour of the gallery space.Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Rather than use a video tour, this site allows visitors to tour the garden by clicking on a map. Still images in partnership with text boxes written in HTML or JavaScript pop-up and tell you more about the section of the garden you have chosen. While this tour hosts digital images, it does not require that the visitor download additional plug-ins.Museum of Anthropology
This website uses .jpg images, Flash Technology, and 'virtual' technology created with QuickTimeVR.Interactive technologies exact a price both for the website provider and the visitor. Interactive elements such as video or audio requires that web developers have software to create the files and web users have additional plug-ins to download files. Interactive technology often requires large file sizes that many visitors cannot download. Interactive technology can be expensive, both in human and financial terms, so use it carefully and wisely.
Technology Resources
Macromedia Shockwave
Find and try a variety of technology toolsWindows Media
Trial technologies for video and audio technologiesApple QuickTime Products
Apple QuickTime Tools
Tools to build and integrate video and audio componentsRealnet
Download plug-ins for audio and video filesC/NET
This is a resource to find trial, shareware or freeware programs.Cult3D Viewer
This resource provides the necessary components to view, design, and create interactive Cult3D objects
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