CHALLENGE
What is Heritage?
The Hong Kong Heritage museum faces an identity crisis with locals who are not interested in the “Heritage” that the museum presents in addition to struggling with differentiating the Heritage museum from other surrounding history and art museums.
REDEFINING FROM THE GROUND UP
Enable audiences to be both critical learners and creators of cultural and heritage content.
To help visitors feel engaged with the museum and its content, there needed to be drastic changes made — namely mixing up the stale content and exhibits that had been on display for ages. I identified opportunities to re-articulate the content, the format of display, and how content was interpreted so whatever we did would connect in a more personal, meaningful way. I found three things needed to be promoted in order for both locals and tourists to feel engaged by the content and empowered by the opportunities available.

INTRODUCING
HONG KONG HERITAGE
A platform for citizens and visitors to preserve and learn about Hong Kong heritage.
Establishes a participatory and collaborative method aimed at discovering what its citizens’ truly believe represents its heritage. Through multiple tools such as Smartphone apps, a website, and an installation at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, users will be able to upload and share “items, or sites” of particular importance or relevance to HK heritage. Other members in the community of users will be able to comment, like/dislike, etc in order to help curate the content and build up a visual and narrative archive of Hong Kong’s heritage.


Contribute
Your own uploaded content.

Participate
In adventures around the city.

Browse
The galleries of the cities heritage.

Explore
Locations around you in person.
Experience Ecosystem
Connect the old and new together with technology and real-life locations. All three of these tools – the website, smartphone app, and installation – work together providing content to one another that enhances the overall experience. Challenges are posted by the museum to the website and smartphone to encourage users to start a debate, or learn more – and the content they provide feeds directly into the installation back at the Heritage Museum in real time.


Leveraging Digital Tools to Bring History Into The Present
It’s a hustle and bustle world out there at the moment, and understanding how people use the tools at their disposal in their daily life is very important. No longer do people simply wait for information to be given to them, but they seek it out and want to contribute and influence the dialogue about it. This website is one step towards that goal as it gives users an additional outlet besides the mobile app and physical installation to interact and participate in the heritage dialogue of Hong Kong.

Scenario Video
Stories from the Hong Kong Heritage experience.
CREDITS
Graduate School
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Responsibilities
Concept, Art Direction, User Experience Design, Design
The Team
Work by Mark Bowers
Date
July 2011