What is Bloomberg Connects?
The Bloomberg Connects app provides free digital guides to over 550 museums, galleries, gardens, public art, festivals, historic sites, and more, expanding access to arts and culture around the world. The app offers the ability to learn about current exhibitions at a portfolio of participating cultural partners through dynamic content exclusive to each organization. Features include insightful commentary, video highlights, pinch-and-zoom capability, and exhibition and way-finding maps.
“ Everyone should have the opportunity to experience all that the arts have to offer, and technology can help make that possible by putting so much information right at our fingertips.” – Michael R. Bloomberg
Accessibility & Multilingual Support
The app was not developed solely for the people with disabilities, but for everyone. This shows that it was based on a social model of disability to ensure that the app environments they create are enabling for people with disabilities. Specifically, accessibility features include screen reader support, zoom, font size adjustment, transcripts, subtitles, alt-text, and more.
Multiple language options via human translation or Google Translate, allows institutions to share content in their key language(s). Language switching capabilities let institutions offer app users multilingual content created by an internal team and auto-generated translations from Google Translate. One of the great things is that the app makes clear what content has been translated by the organization and what is being offered via Google Translate.
Utility and Usability
Screenshot Image from left to right numbered 1-3
With a clean design that showcases a wide range of content, and intuitive ease of use on both the app side and the backend, Bloomberg Connects has been built with collections of all kinds, visitors, and staff in mind.
Screenshot image 1: The portfolio design presents the organization as part of a global cultural community, yet allows for clear organizational branding, identity and messaging.
Screenshot image 2: Maps and amenity information help users plan their visit and navigate on-site.
Screenshot image 3: Audio and video guides allow you to offer expert insights to users while highlighting the unique voices of artists, staff and community.
Affordability & Desirability
Free for Users
Free to download and free to use, the app was created by Bloomberg Philanthropies to help make the art and offerings of cultural organizations more accessible – not just to those visiting in person, but to people around the world. In this way, the users can discover a growing number of museums, gardens, parks, and public art around the world, all in a single download right in the palm of their hands, anywhere, anytime, free of charge.
Free for Institutions and Cultural Partners
It is also free for institutions and cultural partners. Bloomberg Connects benefits them by providing a pre-built, easy-to use app interface customizable to their content and mission. By lowering the hurdle for each institution to build their own app and maintain the systems, Bloomberg Connects fills in the gap of digital strategies and implementation.
Bloomberg Philanthropies also empower institution partners with training, marketing, and technical support to deliver digital experiences to their visitors and a global audience.
Limitations
While Bloomberg Connects is an incredibly powerful tool for democratizing access to art and culture, it does have its limitations. The effectiveness of the app is highly dependent on the institutions themselves, as not every participating partner may fully utilize its features or update their content frequently. The user experience can vary significantly between institutions, which might leave users feeling that the app is inconsistent.
Takeaways
Bloomberg Connects is a valuable step forward in making arts and culture more accessible to a global audience, offering a free, user-friendly, and adaptable platform for institutions and users alike. Its blend of accessibility features, expert insights, and global reach exemplifies how digital tools can extend the reach of cultural organizations. However, the app’s success relies heavily on its partner institutions’ commitment to using the platform effectively. Continuous improvements in accessibility and translations, as well as ensuring regular content updates across all institutions, could further enhance the app’s inclusivity and user experience.
Sources
https://www.bloombergconnects.org
https://assets.bbhub.io/dotorg/sites/70/2024/07/BBGC_PitchDeck_Jul2024.pdf
https://www.bloomberg.org/arts/connecting-audiences-to-culture-online-or-onsite