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New-generation museums: recent trends
Written by Flaminia Iacobucci Senior Conultant at formules S.r.l., Digital Transformation & Innovation Management
New-generation museums have evolved far beyond their traditional roles of mere preservation and display. Today’s cultural institutions are reimagined as dynamic, visitor-centered spaces where immersive experiences, interactive storytelling, and personalized engagement take center stage. The current trends are the results of a gradual – but rather rapid – transformation process that has affected the world of museums, driven not only by the physical redesign of exhibits but also by a strategic and consistent digital presence that mirrors and reinforces the in-person experience.
From preservation-oriented to visitor-centered
Historically, museums focused on conserving artifacts for posterity. In contrast, modern institutions aim to create emotionally resonant experiences that transform visitors into active participants. Key changes include:
- Mission shift: moving from the passive display of objects to engaging narratives that invite personal connection.
- Experiential design: incorporating interactive exhibits, storytelling, and participatory activities that allow visitors to co-create their experience.
- Accessibility and inclusivity: enhancing outreach through multilingual resources, virtual tours, and adaptive technologies, ensuring a welcoming space for all audiences.
- Educational and recreational duality: redefining museums as hubs of both informal learning and leisure, attracting families, tourists, and lifelong learners.
- Economic sustainability: leveraging visitor engagement to drive ticket sales and memberships while ensuring long-term operational viability.
From data-directed to technology-driven
The integration of cutting-edge digital technologies has revolutionized how museums present their collections and engage with audiences, mainly through:
- Digital integration: museums can now employ AR, VR, and AI to create immersive environments that make historical and cultural narratives more engaging and accessible to diverse audiences.
- Personalization: technology enables personalized experiences through recommendation algorithms, adaptive learning paths, and mobile apps tailored to individual visitor preferences.
- Real-time analytics: museums leverage data analytics to monitor visitor behavior, adjust exhibit layouts, and improve overall user experience in real time.
- Interactive platforms: technological advancements have introduced touchscreens, holograms, and gamified elements that encourage interaction, making content more dynamic and engaging.
- Virtual and hybrid spaces: museums expand their reach through virtual platforms, allowing remote audiences to access collections and participate in digital events, increasing inclusivity and global presence.
The role of experience and interaction design
Museology has contextually experienced a shift in its focus, transitioning from an object-centered paradigm to one that prioritizes experience. This shift underscores the importance of understanding how technologies mediate heritage within museums, not as mere tools for display but as active agents in creating immersive and meaningful engagements. By moving beyond the static presentation of artifacts, museums have embraced dynamic storytelling, multisensory interactions, and participatory frameworks, enabling visitors to connect with cultural content on emotional and intellectual levels. Technologies serve as bridges between the past and present, offering layered interpretations and recreating historical contexts that may enrich the visitor's experience.
Another fundamental element driving the integration of technology in museums has been the emergence and evolution of interaction design. Rooted in the principles of user-centricity and accessibility, interaction design transforms the way visitors engage with cultural content, ensuring that technologies are not only functional but also intuitive and engaging, making the experience seamless and inclusive for diverse audiences. Whether through touchscreens, motion-sensing devices, or AI-driven applications, interaction design amplifies the visitor’s agency, enabling them to actively shape their journey through personalized and adaptive tools.
Bridging the online and offline experience
A critical dimension of this recent transformation trends is the consistency between online and offline engagements. The Italian museums highlighted below – as well as other international examples like ACMI in Melbourne, TeamLab Planets in Tokyo, and the Museum of the Future in Dubai – exemplify this seamless integration. Their modern, user-friendly websites not only reflect the aesthetic and interactive quality of their physical spaces but also offer rich cultural content that mirrors the in-person experience. By allowing users to explore exhibition routes and discover cultural offerings online, these museums create a cohesive narrative where digital exploration strengthens and augments the tangible museum visit, by also creating a connection between the different phases (pre, during, and post visit).
The following examples highlight how Italian museums are leveraging technology, data, and design to redefine their roles in society, becoming platforms for discovery, dialogue, and innovation. From creating emotional, sensory experiences to implementing data-driven systems and immersive storytelling, they exemplify the transformative potential of technology in mediating heritage.
Fellini Museum (Rimini, IT)
The Fellini Museum exemplifies how technology and interaction design can transform a cultural space into an immersive journey through the world of one of Italy’s greatest filmmakers. Designed by Studio Azzurro of Milan, the museum is part of a broader cultural network in Rimini, incorporating iconic locations such as the Galli Theatre and the Malatesta Temple. At its heart lies Sismondo Castle, where installations evoke Federico Fellini’s imaginative universe. These “machines à imaginaire” go beyond documentary storytelling, offering sensory and emotional experiences such as the Hall of Swings and the Dreaming Giantess. By inviting visitors into an interactive narrative, the museum becomes a space of wonder and inquiry, where technology enriches the storytelling, fostering not just answers but also curiosity. Its online presence mirrors this interactivity, offering virtual tours and engaging digital content that invite further exploration.
Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum (Milan, IT)
The Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum illustrates how a data-driven approach can reshape visitor experiences. Designed by Dotdotdot, the museum integrates data, technology, and design into a cohesive system that elevates both the visitor journey and operational efficiency. Through an intuitive location-based audio guide, visitors are offered personalized, seamless engagement with exhibits, while behind the scenes, a robust back-office system monitors visitor flow and gathers insights to refine the museum’s offerings. This systemic approach, combining Digital User Experience with Digital Governance, highlights the potential of technology to address the evolving needs of diverse audiences, ensuring accessibility, adaptability, and innovation in cultural institutions. Its modern website, rich in cultural detail and intuitive design, reflects the seamless user experience found onsite, ensuring that both digital and physical journeys are aligned.
M9 Museum (Venice, IT)
The M9 Museum of the 20th Century represents a paradigm shift in museology, using cutting-edge technologies to narrate the defining events of the past century. The museum blends immersive displays and interactive exhibits to trace the transformations of everyday life alongside broader social, economic, and cultural changes. With its focus on technology-mediated storytelling, M9 engages visitors in understanding how the 20th century shaped the present and offers tools to envision the future. As part of a new generation of museums, M9 prioritizes visitor interaction and interpretation, demonstrating how immersive technologies can make history relevant and engaging for contemporary audiences. Its digital platform offers visitors the ability to navigate through thematic exhibition routes, reinforcing the museum’s commitment to a cohesive and accessible cultural narrative.
Overall, the transformation trends mentioned here underscores how technology, data, and design are virtuously converging to reshape museology, both online and offline. By ensuring a consistent and enriching experience across online and offline channels, new-generation museums are not only preserving heritage but also reimagining it – making cultural exploration a dynamic, integrated journey for every visitor.
Sources:
https://fellinimuseum.it/en/the-museum/