Telling the Past: Methodological Ideas to Develop an App for the Archaeological Museum and Park in Lilybaeum-Marsala (Sicily)

This paper is part of my PhD project research and focuses on the methods, concepts, and practices that support the Mobile App development and implementation. The App is designed to support the tourists and guide them through the Archaeological Park and Museum in Lilybaeum-Marsala in the near future. In this respect, I wish to thank the Marsala Rotary Club, Dr Annamaria Parrinello, director of the park and the Museum, and the archaeological civil servant Maria Grazia Griffo for their enthusiastic collaboration. Making a product that is based on the union between archaeological research, scientific dissemination, and guide for the visit is not easy. The Marsala case study is trying to merge these three elements as far as possible in a single tool to support the visit. The mobile application is now under study and development; it will be a mix between map, audio-guide in two languages (Italian and English), and video-guide for the sights. The development of the application required different steps. At the beginning, the app architecture was analysed, particularly considering the experience of the end-user. The fundamental part of the entire work is trying to ensure that the tourist does not get overly distracted during the actual visit in the park and the museum, or lose attention due to using the smartphone to check the App. It would be a contradiction. For this reason, we prefer specific audio tracks that allow for appropriate storytelling and with a language that avoids extreme archaeological jargon, which might give the user a feeling of inadequacy. The tracks and the POIs will be marked on a map so as to be identified easily. We have collaborated with an IT developer to choose the system that is suitable for both the Park and the Museum. There will be QR-codes on the information panels of the Museum — currently under restoration — that can be scanned for listening, instead of using geofence systems. The tracks correspond to the different POI, carefully selected. We have not opted for a guided tour because of the two different entrances, one to the Park and another to the Museum, which can thus be taken without constraints.