In the ever increasing battle for user attention most cultural heritage institutions still primarily concentrate on the browser (website, laptop, desktop) to reach audiences, far fewer rely on the mobile-first (tablet, smartphone, apps) paradigm. The second bias is towards lean-forward content consumption - typically characterized by individual users having short spans of attention - as opposed to the lean-back paradigm of the TV, with its big screens in collective social settings, inviting for longer spans of attention. I believe the heritage industry should explore the yet uncharted lean-back territories of smart TV and media players. In this slidedeck I elaborate these ideas. To make things manifest, I show the first results of my hands-on experiments with the open Kodi (www.kodi.tv - media center software) and RaspberryPi platforms.

1. Lean back heritage
Opportunities and experiments
Olaf Janssen, National Library of The Netherlands, October 2015
olaf.janssen@kb.nl // @ookgezellig // Slideshare:OlafJanssenNL

2. What I would like to share with you
Hear your feedback
on this slidedeck
Give you new
ideas & inspiration
What I worked on in
my spare time this
summer
Case study
of grassroots innovation
See my contact details
on title slide

3. GO FROM THIS 
 TO THIS
In other words….
???
Yes, really, you’ll see!!

4. http://images.alphacoders.com/966/96623.jpg

6. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/23/e7/10/23e7108645eb4a94f47290cb6d2

7. http://excelsiorcharter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Attention.jpg

8. http://excelsiorcharter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Attention.jpg

9. http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/102/590x/halll.gif-467023.jpg
Battle for attention

10. http://rlv.zcache.com/i_have_the_attention_span_of_a_goldfish_tshirt-r06a382fa1b764baa8c59f8cebb01f9a8_8nhm8_1200.jpg

11. “For heritage institutions capturing
audiences is not self-evident in today’s
attention economy
Just like for example publishers,
broadcasters or bloggers they will need
to earn this attention day by day”
Dutch national strategy for digital heritage
March 2015

12. How do they need to earn this attention?
“... visibility and quality of service in the digital domain
are becoming increasingly important
Consumers search for channels [and devices] to find the
information they are after as fast, easily and
economically as possible
This means: heritage institutions
must design/offer services and
content for channels and devices
that people use in their day-to-day
media consumption patterns

13. How do they need to earn this attention?
“... visibility and quality of service in the digital domain
are becoming increasingly important
Consumers search for channels [and devices] to find the
information they are after as fast, easily and
economically as possible
Institutions that are responsible for preserving and
making accessible heritage collections are
forced to redefine their roles
Questions that emerge are for example:
How do we reach (new) user groups?”
In other words: they need to step
outside their comfort zones, e.g. by
exploring new services, channels and
devices
I’ve some ideas about that!
This means: heritage institutions
must design/offer services and
content for channels and devices
that people use in their day-to-day
media consumption patterns

14. A word about
day-to-day media consumption

15. (Online) media engagement styles
Lean in/forward Lean backMobile

16. Lean in/forward

17. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Desktop, laptop
Small screen, close by
Keyboard, mouse
Desk, table
Bent over, leaned in
Individual
Lean in/forward

18. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Desktop, laptop (smart) TV, mediacenter
Small screen, close by Big screen, at a distance
Keyboard, mouse Remote, air mouse, keyboard, voice
Desk, table Couch, arm chair, sleeping room
Bent over, leaned in Couchmode: leaned back,
vegging out
Individual Social
Lean in/forward Lean back

19. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Desktop, laptop Tablet, smartphone (smart) TV, mediacenter
Small screen, close by Small screen, close by Big screen, at a distance
Keyboard, mouse Touch, stylus Remote, air mouse, keyboard, voice
Desk, table Both Couch, arm chair, sleeping room
Bent over, leaned in Both Couchmode: leaned back,
vegging out
Individual Both Social
Lean in/forward Lean backMobile

20. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Production, active, engaged,
GTD, making choices
Complex interactions,
Multitasking
GUIs with lots of distractions
Scan mode, short content
Less attention per item
Lean in/forward

21. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Production, active, engaged,
GTD, making choices
Entertainment, passive, chill out,
making no choices
Complex interactions,
Multitasking
No, limited or simple interaction,
Singletasking
GUIs with lots of distractions GUIs with few distractions
Scan mode, short content View mode, longer content
Less attention per item More attention per item
Lean in/forward Lean back

22. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Production, active, engaged,
GTD, making choices
Both Entertainment, passive, chill out,
making no choices
Complex interactions,
Multitasking
Relatively simple
interactions, Singletask
No, limited or simple interaction,
Singletasking
GUIs with lots of distractions Mixed GUIs with few distractions
Scan mode, short content Scan-, read-, view mode View mode, longer content
Less attention per item More attention per item
Lean in/forward Lean backMobile

23. BBQ Pit Boys
A YouTube channel I’ve
been following for 2 years…
Very American &
over the top
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w3AVSNzxT4

24. BBQ Pit Boys
A YouTube channel I’ve
been following for 2 years…
Very American &
over the top

27. Lean forward design – YouTube
Commercials!
Distraction!
Buttons!
Comments!
Other videos!
Interaction!
Choices!

28. Lean back design – YouTube TV
Reeelax!

29. Lean forward design - vimeo.com

30. Lean back design - vimeo.com/couchmode

31. Lean back design – Success Netflix

32. The power of lean back (on the big screen)

33. • Lean back: less distraction  Higher likelyhood for attention to your content
• Big target audience: ’Watching TV’ is still very popular (*)
(not necessarily old-school linear broadcasting, but streaming VoD, e.g. Netflix)
• Uses in situ devices: high penetration rates of (increasingly large) TV screens
The big screen
• Social
• In line with HD content trend: Large diameter screens
* http://nlkabel.nl/streaming-video-even-populair-als-lineaire-tv/
The power of lean back (on the big screen)

34. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QujcVTH6dAE/VRokJ3ogJNI/AAAAAAAAARE/JsPzd578gZQ/s1600/lifestyle_1600_mock.jpg
To summarize:
Lean back & big screen:
The audience is ready
With attention and devices!

35. How can heritage institutions
tap into those audiences?

36. Media consumption paradigms in heritage institutions
Trusted/inside comfort zone More exciting/edges of comfort zone Terra incognita/outside comfort zone

37. Lean forward website:
Standard paradigm, every
institution has a website!
Mobile first:
How may institutions
develop mobile first?
Have an app?
Growing number…
Media consumption paradigms in heritage institutions
Trusted/inside comfort zone More exciting/edges of comfort zone Terra incognita/outside comfort zone

38. http://expertelevation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Mobile-Devices.jpg
Google for “cross device” or “multiscreen”

39. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
http://expertelevation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Mobile-Devices.jpg
Desktop – Laptop - Tablet - Smartphone
The dominant paradigm
Google for “cross device” or “multiscreen”

40. Lean back paradigm
(optional big screen)
Media consumption paradigms in heritage institutions
Trusted/inside comfort zone More exciting/edges of comfort zone Terra incognita/outside comfort zone
Lean forward website:
Standard paradigm, every
institution has a website!
Mobile first:
How may institutions
develop mobile first?
Have an app?

41. Lean forward website:
Standard paradigm, every
institution has a website!
Media consumption paradigms in heritage institutions
http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
Mobile first:
Hoeveel GLAMs
ontwerpen mobile
first? Hebben een app?
My observations
Heritage institutions don’t or hardly design
with lean back in mind
(in other words: stay within their comfort zones)
‘TV’ is still regarded as a seperate oldskool
world, not related to the web
(if they think about it at all, that is…)
But the reality out there is very different…
Lean back paradigm
(optional big screen)
Trusted/inside comfort zone More exciting/edges of comfort zone Terra incognita/outside comfort zone

42. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
(smart) TV
Mediaspeler
Mediastreamer
Set-top box
A wider paradigm is required
Media player
(a.k.a. media streamer,
media center, set-top box)

43. A few pioneers… Europeana TV
“The Europeana TV pilot exploits the
opportunities of re-using Europeana
content in SmartTV applications to
create new TV experiences”
http://www.europeana-space.eu/europeana-tv-pilot/
https://www.beeldengeluid.nl/en/blogs/research-amp-
development-en/201503/smart-tv-apps-europeana-space-
workshop

44. A few pioneers… ErfgoedTV: Browse in 45.000 photos
“With this application you can browse
through the photo collection of the
Eemland Archive on your TV.
ErfgoedTV (=HeritageTV) is tuned to your
postal code and can show you the
history of your own neighbourhood.
It is the newest way to bring heritage
into homes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIuPkkyjlBY
http://www.archiefeemland.nl/actueel/nieuws/2013/erfgoed
tv-zapp-door-45000-foto's

45. A few pioneers… The Museum Channel (commercial)
“The Museum Channel is the first
channel dedicated to Art. It brings you
the world’s largest collection of
masterpieces, available at your
fingertips.
Art has a new home. Yours.”
http://www.themuseumchannel.tv
http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2011/11/25/lg-and-
purescreens-introduce-museum-app-for-smart-tv/

46. http://www.christianitytodayads.com/uploads/Lone-lightbuld-unique.jpg

47. To summarize:
I believe that many heritage institutions
waste attentive audiences, innovation
and opportunities by NOT experimenting
with lean back

48. https://theworldwanderer.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/imag0629.jpg
Be bold, leave that comfort zone!

49. https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexreside/3624657884/sizes/l
And that isn’t as scary as you might
think, you can start straightaway!

50. This summer, in my spare
time, I started
experimenting with
‘lean back heritage’

51. A few months earlier, spring 2015….

52. I bought a media player…

53. and hooked it up to my dumb TV.

54. That was not an accident
http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/13/7213611/bring-back-the-dumb-tv

55. http://www.cnet.com/news/i-want-my-dumb-tv
That was not an accident

56. Downsides of smart TVs
• Lifespan of built-in, monolithic smart-engine (2-5 years) <<
lifespan of screen (10-15 years)
• Built-in obsolescence: interaction, look & feel, apps and OS will
be outdated quickly

57. Downsides of smart TVs
• Lifespan of built-in, monolithic smart engine (2-5 years) <<
lifespan of screen (10-15 years)
• Built-in obsolescence: interaction, look & feel, apps and OS will
be outdated quickly
• Always connected  Privacy issues
http://www.howtogeek.com/176392/smart-tvs-are-stupid-why-you-dont-really-want-a-smart-tv/

58. (but many consumers will still by smart TVs)

59. I’ve chosen cheap and open
Cheap hardware
pm 40 euro,
hugely popular
Open, free media player
software
• Cross-platform & cross-device
• Very popular, millions of downloads
• With active user community
• Kodi.tv

60. Kodi GUI

61. Add-ons, those are the
apps in Kodi

62. Kodi video add-ons

63. Kodi video add-ons
Kodi YouTube add-on
to help you understand where Kodi sits

65. Laptop+Win7Hardware+OS

66. Browser
Laptop+Win7
User-agent
Hardware+OS

67. Browser
Laptop+Win7
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Service,
channel

68. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel

69. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel
Lean forward website:
Standard paradigm, every
institution has a website

70. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel

71. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel
Mobile first:
How may institutions
develop mobile first?
Have an app?

72. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
Kodi
TV+RaspberryPi+Linux
KB YouTube video
YouTube addon,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel

73. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
Kodi
TV+RaspberryPi+Linux
KB YouTube video
YouTube addon,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel
Lean back paradigm
(and big screen)

74. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
Kodi
TV+RaspberryPi+Linux
KB YouTube video
YouTube addon,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel

75. Browser
Laptop+Win7
KB YouTube video
YouTube website,
channel kbnederland
Apps
Smartphone+iOS
KB YouTube video
YouTube app,
channel kbnederland
Kodi
TV+RaspberryPi+Linux
KB YouTube video
YouTube addon,
channel kbnederland
User-agent
Hardware+OS
Content
Service,
channel
Content = same YouTube video

76. Whaaat, a BBQ Pit
Boys add-on!!!??

78. Wait a minute, that
is exactly the same
as on YouTube!

79. ID 1.
Aah, then this add-on
is just a front-end
to that YouTube channel!

81. ID2. But if this is possible for
the BBQ Pit Boys, it can be
done for every YouTube
channel
So also for the
Rijksmuseum!

82. ID2. But if this is possible for
the BBQ Pit Boys, it can be
done for every YouTube
channel
So also for the
Rijksmuseum!
ID3. Everything in Kodi
is open source, so I can
find how that BBQPB-
add-on has been
written!!

83. ID3. Everything in Kodi
is open source, so I can
find how that BBQPB-
add-on has been
written!!
ID4. Kodi add-ons
from heritage
institutions are still
missing, so I can
be a pioneer!!
ID2. But if this is possible for
the BBQ Pit Boys, it can be
done for every YouTube
channel
So also for the
Rijksmuseum!

84. ID3. Everything in Kodi
is open source, so I can
find how that BBQPB-
add-on has been
written!!
ID4. Kodi add-ons
from heritage
institutions are still
missing, so I can
be a pioneer!!
ID2. But if this is possible for
the BBQ Pit Boys, it can be
done for every YouTube
channel
So also for the
Rijksmuseum!
I needed to learn myself Python
(programming language) to make my
add-on. I called it Rijksmuseum TV

85. http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Martin%20and%20Lewis/Annex/Annex%20-%20Martin%20and%20Lewis%20%28Scared%20Stiff%29_02.jpg

86. http://www.4en5meiamsterdam.nl/attachment/47454
When I was writing my add-on,
YouTube switched from API v2 to API v3.
This ‘device support issue’ stopped my
add-on from working

87. When I was writing my add-on,
YouTube switched from API v2 to API v3.
This ‘device support issue’ stopped my
add-on from working

88. http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=227365
I prefer a community over a smart TV
The Kodi community also noted that issue
and quickly came up with a workaround

89. http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=227365
I prefer a community over a smart TV
The Kodi community also noted that issue
and quickly came up with a workaround

90. It took them about a month
to fix the issue….

91. (A BIG THANKS FOR THAT!)

92. A month later I was able to continue my efforts.
I decided to expand my add-on from a single
channel (Rijksmuseum) to multiple

93. 6 weeks later….

94. The Heritage Channel
Videos from cultural, natural, scientific, academic, technical
and other heritage organisations from across the world.

95. Kodi GUI - The Heritage Channel

97. Channels - Gallery view

98. Channels - Gallery view

99. KB channel – Gallery view

100. KB channel – List view

101. KB channel – Nederlandsche Vogelen

102. And of course everything is
openly documented

103. Add-on repository (“app store”)
http://addons.kodi.tv/category/video/?page=7

104. Add-on homepage
http://addons.kodi.tv/show/plugin.video.heritagechannel/

105. Discussion & support forum
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=235754

106. Reviews & Installation manual
http://kodicommunity.com/how-to-install-the-heritage-channel-on-kodi/

107. Open source code
https://github.com/ookgezellig/plugin.video.heritagechannel

108. http://duitslandnieuws.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Groei21.jpg
Some usage statistics…

109. 12-8-2015: 0 downloads
1 day later:
62 downloads
1 week later:
2280 downloads
1 month later:
10.235 downloads
29th September:
17.016 downloads

110. That’s rolling…. I got a taste for
building Kodi add-ons, so I went
on developing another one….

114. https://www.kb.nl/bladerboek/ortelius/browse/page_026av-026br.html
Wonderful 5000x3000 px atlass image
from the KB-collection
(Atlas Ortelius from 1571)

115. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Atlas_Ortelius_1571
Recently the KB uploaded
these images to
Wikimedia Commons…

116. I’m developing a Kodi viewer add-on for
(KB-) images on Wikimedia Commons

117. You can search and browse

121. Something like this
should be possbile in
the very near future

122. Something like this
should be possbile in
the very near future
To be
continued!

123. Want to stay informed?
Share your thoughts?
@ookgezellig
slideshare.net/OlafJanssenNL
olaf.janssen@kb.nl