Abstract

Over the last twenty years, Digital Interactive Technology (DIT) has been extensively introduced in museum contexts. Providing guidelines for aware introduction of DIT in museum, this thesis aims to encourage a participatory experience regarding the creation of knowledge in museum. Believing that creating knowledge is a complex process that simultaneously involves multiple actions, actors, actants, and situations, I adopt the concept of Infrastructuring Knowledge for describing the participatory dynamics among human and technology for creating knowledge and for museum to be places for memories, amusing and sharing experience. Ethnography in museum environment provides first hand information for understanding the museum visiting experience. Such understanding provides three key stimulus for DIT to Infrastructuring Knowledge: firstly, stimulating people’s dialogue; secondly, supporting people’s cooperation and participation by providing occasions for sharing information and creating knowledge; thirdly, people re-frame the use of DIT when needed. Designing DIT for museum may follow some specific lines and principles for addressing challenges related to overwhelming and overstimulating spaces, and for promoting a sustainable future in respect of the production (or not) of new technology. Following lines and principles for reacting to the overwhelming and overstimulating adoption of technology in public space, I propose an -ing approach to design. This approach aims to stimulate a design for people to adopt a subjective and participatory interpretation of Digital Interactive Technology.