Design processes for enhancing museums through the use of technology and the involvement of local communities

The present contribution aims to present three different models that describe how a design process can advance a territory by enhancing its cultural heritage through museum exhibition systems. The models were developed starting from the analysis of four case studies: Museo Audiovisivo della Resistenza, Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, Atlantic Wall and Coordinamento delle Case Museo dei Poeti e Scrittori di Romagna. These case studies were selected and described on the basis of the characteristics they share: a strong connection with the territory, its history and its residents, the use of technology to improve the visitor experience and a participative approach to the design and development of the exhibition. The result of the case study analysis leads to the identification of three models: the first model is based on an interactive museum with custom technologies, the second on an interactive museum with a customizable system, and the third on an interactive museum with an open-source approach. In particular, the three models show that a greater degree of openness contributes to a greater involvement of local communities and a systemic enhancement of the territory.