No doubt, you’ve heard of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. A multi-level structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the art museum takes in over a million visitors a year. But did you know that they’re also fully outfitted with Estimote beacons?
The Guggenheim Museum utilizes Estimote beacons throughout the structure to push proximate content to visitors. With the Guggenheim app, you’re free to wander the spiral ramps of the museum at your leisure, be it from the bottom toward the top or from the top toward the bottom, as intended by the architect himself. Armed with your phone and headphones, content is pushed to you depending on what artwork you are closest to. Want to know who painted it, what it’s called, or the story behind it? The Guggenheim app provides you with contextual information, and Estimote beacons surface this information as you walk through the space. The app includes everything from text, to images, to audio and video guides about both the Guggenheim structure itself and the artwork housed within. This enriching and educational participation is exactly what we have in mind when we think of magical experiences.
The Guggenheim museum initiated beacon-led content navigation in December 2015, when the Near Me feature was launched on the Guggenheim app. Over the course of 2016, use of the Near Me feature grew to exceed more traditional navigation paths, including screens for entering artwork wall numbers and browsing multimedia guide lists. By the end of 2016, the Near Me screen had been viewed twice as often as the wall number screen, and ten percent more frequently than guide list screens.
Based on the success of Near Me, the Guggenheim museum launched a second beacon-based feature in 2017. Messages responds to time as well as location at the Frank Lloyd Wright building, notifying visitors about events and opportunities over the course of their museum visit. Customized by the time of day, visit length, and building location, Messages aims to provide just the right amount of information at just the right time.
Making this magic happen wasn’t without its challenges, of course. There were hurdles along the way, and creative problem solving certainly came into play. For instance, how do you deploy beacons without causing a visual distraction from the art and architecture in the museum? The Guggenheim hid beacons from view by placing them in the lighting trays near the ceilings, or with customized white enclosures. This provides a clear signal with no physical barriers to the app, while being cleverly hidden from plain view.
How about making sure all Guggenheim visitors have access to this app, no matter if they’re on Android, iPhone, have a limited data plan, don’t know to turn on their Bluetooth, or perhaps don’t even speak English? The Guggenheim provides complimentary iPod touch devices and headphones, prepared with all the appropriate settings. There are even multiple languages built into the app. Users can learn more about the building, the Guggenheim collection, and select exhibitions in Italian, French, German, and Spanish.
Installing Estimote beacons in the Guggenheim’s iconic rotunda proved a special challenge. The building’s unique architecture amplified beacons beyond their expected range, bouncing Bluetooth signals off the rotunda skylight and making them accessible across the ramps. Certain wall materials built for specific exhibitions proved too lightweight to block beacon signals, creating bleed between different gallery spaces. The Guggenheim museum developed a system for identifying and reshaping beacon signals to accommodate building architecture, allowing a beacon-led experience customized to building galleries.
The Guggenheim has put together an exceptionally successful use case with Estimote beacons, engaging with their visitors in an accessible and educational format. For more information or to check out the latest exhibits, be sure to visit the Guggenheim’s website. And be sure to experience the magic in person, next time you’re in New York City!
Jess Anderson, Community Manager + Content Creator