Taking a Concept and Making It a Futureproof Reality

This is a case study about building a virtual museum with a focus on user experience and engagement

This case study explores how Blue Ninja partnered with a client to create an innovative Virtual Silk Road Museum. This museum serves as a digital gateway to the rich cultural history of the Silk Road, offering an immersive and educational experience for users worldwide. The museum includes more than 900 artefacts, 600 articles, and 100 videos. It is presented as a world map that allows the user to explore the history of the Silk Road during two main periods; 500-1000 CE and 1200-1500 CE.

Retired Economic Historian Richard Griffiths wanted to create a virtual museum that would offer a new way to explore the history of the Silk Road. The traditional museum model has its limitations, particularly in terms of accessibility. Richard envisioned a space that could continually evolve, offering fresh perspectives on the Silk Road and its significant impact on global history.

The Silk Road Virtual Museum was designed to be more than just a digital archive. It aims to be an immersive experience where users can explore the history, culture, and stories of the Silk Road through various multimedia elements, including 3D models, virtual tours, and interactive exhibits.

Building a Collaborative Foundation

Richard and I met during the pandemic when we were both part of a group called Leiden Expats. He put out a call for help with some video editing, which I replied to. I started developing some videos; taking the pieces he had and putting them together. Then we thought that it’d be a good idea to do voiceovers, which we started doing. Then Richard needed some help with his website and I stepped in.

Over the years we learned we get on well, and we formed a good working relationship, especially as we started talking about how to scale up the project in the last 3 or 4 months. Since I was brought into the project early on, I was able to really understand Richard’s requirements and aspirations for this project. I could then work out a plan in terms of the technology and systems he needed to bring these concepts to life.

Being involved from the start, rather than coming in later to fix systems that don’t work, was key in preventing unnecessary costs and guiding the project towards a more strategic direction.

Strategic Solutions and Rapid Growth

Because we were able to make choices about systems early on in the project, we were able to rapidly scale up the virtual museum experience while also making it more accessible and engaging for users.

One of the most challenging projects was developing a map and overlaying it onto the homepage to create a more seamless experience for users. Richard really wanted to present the information this way, because it would speak to the idea of following the Silk Road. Without it, we’d be stuck with an index of virtual museums. I was able to work with the Blue Ninja web developer to find a cost-effective solution for the world map. By tapping into his network we found an existing code base that he could redevelop instead of building the map from scratch.

Between Richard’s vision and my ability to translate his ideas into strategic cost-effective solutions, we were able to reach some amazing milestones over the last few months:

We’ve created a series of brochures as an alternative way for people to engage with the content, rather than committing to the full virtual museum experience.

We incorporated video clips into the museums to help tell the story interactively.

We accelerated the project from 4 museums to 27 (with more in the pipeline).

We built a database of over 900 artefacts and 600 e-library articles (so far), covering the different museums and exhibits.

Building Awareness and Defining Our Audience

Now that the virtual museums are in good shape, it is time to build awareness of the website. So far, this has been a little arbitrary, with Richard sharing about specific museums as they became available. Now that we have the map available, we want to get people excited about exploring the whole Silk Road.

We’ve made sure to consider SEO when setting up the website, to make sure the search engines direct people to our incredible resources. We started a mailing list and hit our first goal of 1000 subscribers and we started a Facebook group to engage with the audience and build interest in the virtual museums.

What is becoming clear as we are developing our marketing strategy, is that we are still figuring out who our exact target audience is. That’s why I advised Richard against jumping into paid ads too early. First, we need to build a solid identity and following. That means the focus now is on building the mailing list and the Facebook group. We are using social media, particularly Instagram, as a way to build awareness and showcase the content in a way that aligns with how big museums present their material.

At this stage, we are analysing the data and analytics behind the virtual museums to see what people are clicking on and engaging with the most. This data helps us understand what content is resonating, allowing us to make informed decisions about what to focus on. This data will help us understand our audience better and help us improve our promotion of the museum. It will also give us important information to share with possible sponsors and collaborators. Because while we’re making the content easily accessible and shareable to build an audience, we’re also exploring ways to partner with larger institutions to gain more visibility and credibility.

Unfortunately, many museums and institutions have not engaged with Richard despite the potential of the project. We’re waiting for a “breakthrough” moment where someone gets excited about it and helps drive more funding and promotion.

Fostering Strategic Growth and Cultural Impact

Our relationship has evolved into a collaborative partnership where my suggestions are valued and implemented. I’m not just addressing immediate needs but also thinking ahead, considering future growth and potential. By guiding Richard through these steps, I’m not just helping with the technical aspects but also encouraging him to think beyond the now and plan for the future. This has really fostered a sense of trust and understanding between us, making our collaboration more effective and impactful.

I genuinely enjoy the innovative and creative aspects of the virtual museum concept, as well as Richard’s enthusiasm for the project. Beyond the technological or commercial aspects of the museum, Richard sees this as a way to open minds and nuance people’s views of different cultures, rather than perpetuating stereotypes or nationalist narratives. He wants to showcase the rich cultural heritage and artistic expressions of civilizations along the Silk Road, which often predate and exceed the achievements of the West. Richard is driven by a desire to challenge Western-centric views of art and history, and to highlight the empathy and interconnectedness expressed through cultural artefacts and poetry from the Silk Road regions. This is also the reason he committed to explore the history of the Silk Road until 1500 AD, which is when the Europeans arrived and started dominating the narrative.

This passion is contagious and has made me equally passionate about the project. I believe the stories and perspectives Richard wants to share are important and need to be accessible to people. My strategic thinking and willingness to take initiative have added significant value, transforming the museum from a passion project into something much more robust and future-proof.

Louisa Stewart, Blue Ninja CEO

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