Using a Mobile Phone Tour to Visit the Ueno Zoological Gardens and the National Science Museum in Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

Japanese mobile phones are increasingly being used as multimedia players. In response to this, some museums in Japan have introduced mobile phone audiovisual guides. This paper presents a trial run of a cross-institutional mobile phone audiovisual guide tour at Ueno Zoological Gardens and the National Science Museum in Tokyo, Japan. Easy-to-understand guide pages accessed by a mobile phone feature exhibit highlights and make connections between the zoo and the museum. Comments from visitors suggested the importance of the usability of the mobile phone and its small screen as well as of the opportunity to enrich users' museum experiences by taking a mobile phone tour.