Human-centred design practices in the digital museum

Design thinking has expanded beyond traditional design disciplines and exerted its influence upon a wide range of fields. In museums, design thinking has been adopted in ways that encourage an organisation-wide, human-centered approach to design practice rather than confining the role of design to specialists only. In this chapter the authors, Marco Mason and Vince Dziekan, detail how design operates in museums as a methodology, process, framework, and mindset, before discussing ways that design thinking can be shown to influence organisational culture, digital strategy, and visitor experience across products, services, and systems. They propose that by embedding design practices into their operations, museums can enhance their digital maturity and adaptability. Design practices help emphasise empathy, encourage experimentation, and incorporate creativity into everyday working culture. Ultimately, when design is treated as a social technology that fosters innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, museums find themselves better able to navigate the complex challenges and transformative changes that exist in an evolving digital landscape.