Applied Sciences, Vol. 12, Pages 12330: The Value of “Values”: A Case Study on the Design of Value-Inclusive Multimedia Content for the Menorah Artefact Collection at the Hecht Museum, Haifa, Israel

All participants in the evaluation were educated and reported as having completed high school education. Every participant was also conversant in the English language which was necessary to understand the videos. Even so, there were only three native speakers of English out of the 25 total participants. The open-ended responses to the six questions were recorded and transcribed. The text files generated from this transcription were then processed using the AntConc version 4.1.3 which is a freeware that can be used for concordance and text analysis of a corpus of text files. This method was used to obtain word counts and conduct pattern finding studies in the responses. Another aspect of the analysis was a qualitative assessment that was designed as part of the targeted evaluation questionnaire. The responses to the specific understanding and content appreciation based questions were analysed in the context of the visitor demographics. The responses were also studied for signs of perception of values that were included or a lack thereof in case the user viewed the Info version of the application.

4.1. Summary of Analysis

All participants commented that the Menorah was an important religious and national symbol according to their understanding and users who were also Israeli nationals felt that their perspective was included in the content. Users of both versions commented that they were able to understand Dr. Hecht’s vision better from the application than from the panels explaining the same displayed on the walls. Users of the Info + Values version stated that it was clear how the land and the people of Israel were represented by the various collections at the museum (not just the Menorah collection) after viewing the content. They also stated that the discovery of these artefacts and the understanding of the evolution of the Menorah symbol over time confirmed their view that Jews lived on this land long ago. Some users felt that this helped them reinforce a belief that Israel was a land of Jews in ancient history. The belief that they carried was substantiated with the knowledge. A number of users, who identified themselves as Jewish, shared their perception of Menorah by quoting religious teachings and ideologies with anecdotal stories, for example, a user translated a Hebrew saying as part of their response “If you light a candle with my light, we both have shared the light”.

Participants who viewed the Info + Values version and identified themselves as believers of Judaism responded that they knew the information and values shared about the Menorah and felt that the content could be used to teach other people about the subject. A user appreciated the application and praised its authentic and credible knowledge-sharing. Two users with Jewish heritage commented that they were interested in knowing more about the stamps and were able to learn a new point about their historic use. The stamps were used for marking the special ‘matzah’ bread made during Jewish religious holiday of Passover by Jewish bakers and they had the symbol of the seven-branch Menorah on them. The description in the museum beneath the stamp states that it belonged to a Jewish baker in the Roman-Byzantine period. This does not explain how the stamp was used to mark the ritualistic purity of the bread for consumption by Jews. The stamp is shown and the ‘description’ of what it is has been provided but an ‘explanation’ of how it was used or the ‘significance’ of why it was important to a community in a period in history is not provided. Users pointing this out as a new learning showed us that the deliberate value inclusion was being appreciated.

Participants who viewed either version and were not followers of Judaism commented that there were symbols or representations that were of a similar importance as the Menorah is to Judaism in their religious belief systems such as the Cross for Roman Catholics or the Crescent moon for Islam or the symbol of Om for Hinduism. It is of particular interest here that the concept of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem being a central focus of Judaism was lost on some non-Jew users. When the difference was explained to them, they stated that they had missed the point. Some visitors were unable to understand how or why Menorah was seen as a symbol of redemption or renewal. This could be related to the previous observation of non-Jewish users not being able to differentiate between the Jewish Temple and a Synagogue. In contrast, self-identified believers of Judaism spoke about the representations of Menorah in a synagogue as being inside or outside the ‘Temple’ without any confusion. Visitors who were not citizens of Israel and did not have Jewish heritage reported that they had not understood why the Menorah symbol was on many places (such as the Israeli passport) or that they had not appreciated why the Menorah was seen as so important. The content had helped them understand and appreciate its importance.

One user of the Info + Values version felt that the museum on its own was not capable of making people without a prior knowledge of Judaism understand the meanings behind the artefacts. This user also commented that the application can help at some level but the emotional impact of the information included in the content would be lesser on a non-Jew especially when compared to a Jew. The implication here seems to be that those with a Jewish heritage may be emotionally invested in the artefacts and their history regardless of their level of religious belief or knowledge of history. The additional information and values provided by the application does add value and meaning to their experience also. Commenting on the specific content and their content choices within the application, two users reported that they chose to view videos on the stamps/tokens because they felt that it looked like jewellery and they like jewellery. Another user reflected on contemporary uses of the artefacts with a comment that seeing factory-made (contemporary) lamps in the shape of religious symbols such as the Star of David or the Menorah was important to them since it was a way of preserving their history and tradition. A user who said that they were well aware of the artefacts respective histories stated that:

Basalt is a very hard stone to work. The stone is far away from Jerusalem and only available in Golan heights. The ancient community had the motivation to bring the stone, had the wealth to hire a craftsman who would put in the effort to carve the stone.

This, according to the user, communicates more of the values that were placed by the ancient community on its religious buildings and symbols. One user who used the Info version of the application wondered why the Menorah representation was only on coins from a certain period. Another user who used the value version of the application appreciated learning that the Menorah representation was at one point seen as a symbol of defeat which is why the coins from 130 CE did not have a Menorah representation.

The responses fell mainly within the expected patterns and the users who viewed the Info + Values version of the application responded with more clarity and appreciation for the CH values included in the application. An unexpected outcome was the failure to communicate the meaning of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in Judaism and its association with the Menorah symbol. On the one hand this was never explicitly covered by any of the artefacts in the museum and on the other hand we had not prominently presented this information.

A 4-word limit N-Gram count of the responses showed that out of the 12 respondents who viewed the Info version, 4 participants stated that they did not know something, while three stated that they were able to learn ‘a little bit more [than what they already knew]’ from the content. This shows that about half of the participants were aware of the content displayed in the Info version of the application. The majority of the information within the Info version was sourced from artefacts and text panels within the museum and yet 50% of the viewers of the Info version were able to learn something new. This could be due to the fact that the application reinforced or highlighted some information and associated values from the content presented at the museum. This shows that even a digital multimedia reiteration of the existing information can benefit a casual visitor.

The same counting method was applied to the responses for the Info + Values version of the application. The analysis revealed that 70% of the users stated that they did not know something they saw in the content. This meant that more than two-thirds of the users in this case were able to glean new information by viewing the value added version of the application. Looking at this from the other side, three users each of the Info + Values and Info versions of the application stated that they knew about or were already aware of the content they watched.

‘I am not sure’ is another often repeated 4-word phrase that appeared three times and all from the same user of the Info version group and six times from three different respondents of the Info + Values version. Looking at the contexts within the responses, to understand why participants were ‘not sure’ revealed that users attempted to process and reflect upon new information that they received, which left them unsure about their interpretations. The videos were presented to the participants at or near the display for the menorah collection within the museum and the questionnaires for both versions were administered as soon as the users watched the videos. This could be one of the reasons why the users found it difficult to consolidate their thoughts. Another aspect is also that the language for the questionnaire and discussion was in English, which is not the local language of Israel or the native language for most of the participants who viewed the videos.

The analysis of the word ‘interesting’ or its variations, using a keyword in context (KWIC) search, showed that seven respondents for each version had found something that interested them. This would mean that a marginally higher number of the Info version respondents were engaged by the content than the Info + Values version. This is not surprising since both versions included custom-made illustrations and well-edited voice overs with a script that was refined after feedback from the testing of Prototype 1. Even so, the overwhelmingly one sided effect with regards to new knowledge delivery was not seen here. A similar result came for the words ‘emotion’ and ‘meaning’ which appeared once each from users of both versions.

Using the same search method for the word ‘important’ returned a ratio that was more in favour of the Info version of the application. Once again, seven out of 12 respondents of the Info version had felt that some point in the content was important but only five out of 13 of the users of the Info + Values version used this word. This could be attributed to what ended up being a shorter viewing time for the Info version when compared to the Info + Value version purely due to the fact that the former had less content and therefore ended up enhancing the impact of what was already there.

4.2. Discussion and TakeawaysBoth versions of the application undoubtedly provided knowledge and generated interest among the users even if they were previously aware of the information. Figure 14 shows the result of a word cloud generated from the 4-word limit N-Gram analysis done with the responses from both versions to the questionnaires of Prototype 2. A 4-word limit N-Gram was chosen over a higher or lower word N-Gram since 3-word or lesser N-Grams would pick more initiating or connecting phrases such as ‘something to do’ or ‘I think it’. This was not always a useful indicator of intention or understanding. Higher word-limits reduced the repetitions as there were very few instances of more than five words being repeated among responses and the intention of the respondent was already clear when looking at 4-word phrases. The word cloud generated with the 4-word N-Gram clearly shows variations of ‘I did not know’ as a big part of the responses to both versions. The Info version also has ‘a little bit more’ as part of its major 4-word responses.

We proceed to list some of the specific takeaways from this study post our analysis of the results as well as some limitations. The takeaways are split into two categories, first we list our observations that are related to the ‘digital multimedia’ aspect and then we list observations that are resulting from the ‘deliberate inclusion of values’.

4.2.1. Points of Note for Digital CHComm Applications

Digital companion application—An application that condenses the information presented for each artefact collection within a museum is universally beneficial. There are bits and pieces of information both at the surface level and even deeper within the heritage and history that remain hidden from visitors who enter and look at objects in a museum. Such a companion application need not be created for every artefact collection or every heritage topic but an overall vision and reasoning behind the major collections need to be made accessible digitally. This is not a demanding task for any museum or by extension any GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) institution. This information is usually available on the walls and various other panels within the museum. Collating it with related pieces of information and making it available online to users on their mobile devices greatly enhances the communication of the CH within the museum.

Enhance visitor awareness and accessibility—This study was conducted only on one artefact collection at the Hecht museum out of four major collections which was once again shortlisted from 12 thematic collections and three other permanent archaeological collections. Each collection has a series of videos in English and Hebrew previously developed and uploaded on the internet. They also have associated write-ups in English and Hebrew shown on the website apart from panels on the walls of the museum which are also in Arabic. These efforts are admirable and yet the content on the website is not always known to the visitor. Making the visitors aware of such sources of information and actively encouraging them to explore these compendiums must be a part of the visit itself. In fact, this can be seamlessly integrated with the application as mentioned in the first point. While brochures, books and other printed materials are necessary and have been widely adopted, multimedia and other digital formats for the communication of CH are also viable and necessary carriers of CHComm.

Glocal language—As much as possible, digital applications need to be created in local languages or in a commonly spoken and understood language for the region apart from English or other languages which are widely spoken (Spanish, French). This is necessary to achieve a smooth and easy delivery of knowledge and CH values to the user. All users who participated in the study at the Hecht museum were appreciative of the information that they received but it was evident that English, even though a common medium of communication, had its own limitations. Not every application can cover multiple languages but using at least one local language apart from a more global language is a necessity.

4.2.2. Points of Note from the Deliberate Inclusion of Values4.

Insider friendly communication bias —Certain CH values are well known to those who might be considered as ‘cultural insiders’ but this might not be the case with those who are not necessarily aware of the nuances and cultural contexts related to that community. In our study, the historical Jewish holy Temple which was and still is seen as the primary ’Temple’ of the religion (existed in Jerusalem) was one such concept. Jewish believers see this Temple in Jerusalem as a central place of worship above all others. The ’First Temple’ was destroyed around 586 BCE and then rebuilt as the ’Second Temple’ which was then destroyed again around 70 CE. A synagogue is not a replacement for this temple and only a ‘subordinate’ place of worship. The hope of this central Jewish Temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem is a core tenet of Judaism. This concept being unclear to those without a Jewish heritage meant that symbolic values of ’rebirth’ and other CH values attached to the Menorah symbol was not always appreciated. The artefacts and accompanying explanations within the museum and both versions of the Prototype 2 could not clarify this for some users. This means that the application is to be improved and the thematic presentation within the museum might also need to account for this. While this is one specific example for a specific case, many museums may have a version of this ’cultural insider friendly’ communication bias.

5.

Acknowledging boundaries—The history of the contemporary State of Israel is inextricably linked to the political and religious turmoil of the region as is the case with many other regions in the world that have constantly contested legacies. As such, the Hecht museum founded by an eventual recipient of the Israel Prize is focused on the Jewish perspective. The artefact collections within the museum focus on a period that saw the highest Jewish influence in the region which is up to the 7th century CE.

The periods after this era saw a heightened Islamic influence until the 20th century. It might not be feasible to physically expand the collection at the Hecht museum or any other museum to represent every possible historic era. It is in the nature of GLAM institutions to be founded and funded with a focus on certain eras and objectives. These socio-cultural and political boundaries need to be acknowledged within the value discussions of digital applications. Contextualising the boundaries of today within their larger chronology and tracing their evolution is a worthwhile exercise to make visitors understand what is present within a museum or heritage site and sometimes what is not present. While we felt no need to court controversy, objectively stating relevant facts and value associations by mentioning that the museum itself shows only a slice of history from a specific perspective was feasible. The first two videos covering Dr. Hecht’s vision and the concept of Eretz Israel explains this with an illustrative map and a timeline shown in Figure 15. The political and social boundaries and economic constraints in the real-world need to be respected and communicated with the necessary distinction. In this case, we felt it necessary to highlight what motivated Dr. Hecht to create the museum and how the collection of the museum evolved to encompass a specific time period as a result of his motivations. This was important to acknowledge given that there are not many artefacts from the later eras in the museum as a result of the founder’s vision. This helped us state clearly to the users that the series of videos shown were covering a specific period and a specific viewpoint and as such it would not be ideal to draw generalized conclusions for the contemporary socio-political overviews.6.

Engaging willing and voluntary participants—Our study even on a small subset of existing collections has shown us that there is value in exploring and deliberately including CH values in digital multimedia applications for CHComm. Museum guides being impressed by the variety of information presented and visitors appreciating the multiple value associations point to this fact. There is a pressing need to add back the ‘Why?’ and the ‘How?’ of tangible and intangible heritage into its communication apart from the ‘What?’. The specifics of multiple CH properties are known academically and were not hard to access in this case but it livened up the experiences of those visitors who chose to take the time. It is worth stressing here that cutting down on the depth of the content to better serve an audience which may not be willing to assimilate even the reduced version is not advisable. The effort of a designer may be gainfully focused on engaging the willing and voluntary participants and this is where the bulk of the content design must initially be targeted. Encouraging user reflection and improving the wider accessibility to CHComm that deliberately includes values in their design is a need of the hour. When designers do not recognize the value of values, the willing visitor receives diminishing returns for their efforts. This can lead to an undesirable cycle that ends up eroding the value of cultural heritage itself.

Cultural Heritage conservation and communication go hand in hand and are rightfully rooted in the CH value perceptions of historic and contemporary individuals and societies. The value associations of any one CH property are numerous and complex and it can be a daunting task to collect, filter and present them. We followed a broad typology for the classification of values and a model of significance assessment that was described as ’purposefully simple’ by its authors. The typologies and significance assessment systems we followed do not claim to be definitive and we only present them as they were conducive to our operational framework. Even so, the result of this process is a rewarding experience for willing visitors and thereby a necessary exercise for the designers of digital CHComm.

Two limitations in this experiment that we wish to emphasize here are that firstly the CH value associations and their typologies mentioned by us in relation to these artefacts are not the only ones that are to be considered or even an exhaustive list. The associations uncovered by our search were known to certain stakeholders but were also demonstrably ’under-communicated’ to the museum visitors. These associations were verified by a peer review which included both heritage experts and non-experts and therefore can be considered as a starting point for further development. The entire study was conducted over a period of three months and as such the time constraints made us limit our survey and collection of values to the more ’obvious’ associations. We intend to expand the study to more collections and conduct a deeper analysis of value associations to enhance the quality of the content in the digital CHComm application with future iterations. Secondly, the control group that was used in this study was the users of the ’CHComm Info’ version of the application. Assessing the value appreciation of the visitors to the museum who did not view any application would have provided us insights into the impact of a digital application all by itself without any intentional inclusion of CH values. As mentioned, we note that the users of the ’CHComm Info’ application also stated that they learnt new information and the impact of the re-iteration of cultural knowledge by a digital application cannot be ignored even in the ’CHComm Info+Values’ application. A refined and expanded study would ideally be able to control for the impact of the application being a digital summary of the artefacts that enables focused attention of the users by virtue of audio-visual engagement. Even so, as it stands our current results show the increased impact from the deliberate inclusion of CH values in a digital CHComm application.

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