Walk into almost any museum today, and you will probably see a touchscreen before the first exhibit. A digital directory may welcome visitors in the lobby. Meanwhile, an interactive kiosk may stand beside a dinosaur skeleton. Another screen might let visitors explore before-and-after images of a restored painting. However, these displays raise an important question. Do museum touchscreens still offer the best way to help visitors when almost everyone carries a smartphone? The answer is not simple. Nevertheless, museums need to consider it when they plan visitor experiences, digital services and future investments.

Museum Touchscreens Make Wayfinding Easier

Wayfinding may not look like the most exciting use of technology. However, it often provides the greatest practical value. Large museums can easily confuse visitors. Long corridors, several floors, hidden staircases and multiple exhibition areas make navigation difficult. Therefore, museums should place interactive wayfinding screens near entrances, elevators, staircases and major intersections. A well-positioned touchscreen helps visitors find their destination before confusion turns into frustration. This matters because visitors who spend too much time searching may lose interest before they reach the best parts of the museum.

Static signs also support navigation. However, they cannot react quickly to changing conditions. For example, a digital wayfinding solution can immediately show:

• a temporarily closed exhibition area;
• an updated event schedule;
• an alternative route;
• the nearest accessible entrance;
• the shortest step-free route;
• the location of toilets, cafés or information desks.

As a result, museum touchscreens provide more flexible guidance than traditional signs alone.

Interactive Screens Increase Visitor Engagement

Interactive screens can also influence how long visitors stay and how much information they remember. For example, a visitor may glance at a printed label for only a few seconds. In contrast, an interactive storytelling station can hold attention for several minutes. Visitors can explore additional images, videos, timelines, maps and background information at their own pace. Therefore, interactivity can make an exhibition more engaging. However, the quality of the user experience determines whether the screen adds real value. A clear interface helps visitors find information without asking museum staff for assistance. In addition, simple navigation encourages people of different ages and technical abilities to explore the content independently.

Poor design creates the opposite result. Complicated menus, slow loading times and unclear buttons quickly drive visitors away. Consequently, a badly designed touchscreen may damage the experience instead of improving it. Museums should therefore focus on usability rather than adding technology simply because it looks modern.

Museum Touchscreens Improve Accessibility

Digital displays also help museums create a more inclusive visitor experience. Not every visitor wants to download an application or open a museum website. Moreover, some visitors may not own a suitable smartphone. Others may have limited mobile data, a low battery or difficulty reading the museum’s primary language.

A fixed touchscreen does not depend on the visitor’s personal device. Instead, it can offer several useful features from one accessible location.

For instance, museum touchscreens can provide:

• several language options;
• larger text;
• high-contrast viewing modes;
• audio instructions;
• accessible route planning;
• simplified content;
• information about lifts, ramps and accessible facilities.

Therefore, museums can use interactive displays to make important information available to a wider audience.

Are Museum Touchscreens Becoming Obsolete?

Smartphones can now perform many of the same tasks as kiosks. They can display maps, exhibition details, audio guides, event schedules and additional media. More importantly, visitors can access this information without waiting for a shared screen. During the pandemic, many museums introduced QR codes and mobile information systems. These solutions reduced the need for shared touchpoints. Afterwards, many museums continued to use them because visitors had become familiar with mobile content.

Phone-based solutions also offer several financial advantages. For example, museums can update digital content without maintaining additional display hardware. A mobile solution can also serve hundreds of visitors at the same time. In comparison, one touchscreen often serves only one person or one group at a time. However, smartphones do not replace every function of a fixed screen. Visitors may not know that a mobile service exists. They may also refuse to scan a QR code or download an application. In addition, phones often provide poor support at the exact moment when visitors need immediate directional guidance. Therefore, mobile solutions do not make museum touchscreens unnecessary. Instead, they change the role that fixed screens should play.

Combining Touchscreens and Mobile Solutions

Museums do not need to choose between interactive displays and mobile services. Instead, they can combine both channels into one connected visitor experience. Other industries already use this approach. For example, airports display information on physical kiosks while also sending updates to passengers’ phones. Museums can apply the same principle.

A fixed screen can help visitors make immediate decisions. It can show their current location, guide them to an exhibition or highlight nearby facilities. Meanwhile, the visitor’s phone can provide detailed exhibit information, audio content and personalised recommendations. Museums can also allow visitors to transfer a route from the touchscreen to their phone by scanning a QR code. As a result, the visitor can continue following the selected route without remaining near the kiosk.

This combination offers several advantages:

• the touchscreen provides visible and reliable information;
• the mobile solution supports personal exploration;
• visitors can choose their preferred channel;
• museums can manage consistent content across several platforms;
• staff receive fewer basic navigation questions.

Most importantly, both channels can support the same visitor journey instead of competing with each other.

Where Should Museums Place Interactive Screens?

Museums should not install touchscreens everywhere. Instead, they should identify locations where visitors regularly need help or make important decisions.

For example, museum touchscreens provide the most value near:

• main entrances;
• ticketing areas;
• exhibition intersections;
• elevators and staircases;
• entrances to separate museum wings;
• event and education areas;
• restaurants, cafés and museum shops;
• accessible entrances and facilities.

In these locations, visitors often need an immediate and always-available answer. A fixed screen can provide that answer clearly. On the other hand, museums can deliver detailed exhibit descriptions, videos and audio content directly to visitors’ phones. This approach reduces hardware requirements while keeping the information easily accessible.

The Future of Museum Touchscreens

Museum touchscreens are not disappearing. Instead, museums are moving away from the idea that one screen should perform every digital task. Visitors now enter museums with smartphones already in their hands. Therefore, museums should design digital experiences around this behavour rather than ignore it.

Fixed displays still make sense in locations where visitors may become lost, confused or uncertain. Mobile solutions, meanwhile, work well for detailed content and personal exploration. Ultimately, museums should not ask whether they need screens or mobile services. They should ask which visitor decisions require a fixed, visible and always-available solution.

When museums choose the right balance, museum touchscreens and mobile technology can work together. As a result, visitors receive clearer guidance, better access to information and a more enjoyable museum experience. Contact us, and we will find the best solution for your museum.