Kati Price on Digital Transformation at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Kati Price, head of Digital Media and Publishing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, discusses the museum's digital strategy, emphasizing that the main obstacles are financial resources and motivation rather than a skills gap. She notes that digital projects often act as 'Trojan horses' for cultural change within institutions. The V&A has developed user-friendly digital tools for staff, including a content management system that can be updated in twenty minutes. The digital team works across curatorial, conservation, and educational departments, and has acquired Chinese social media platform WeChat as a collection object. Price explains that the museum's success came from building a business case based on return on investment, proving that website improvements drive physical visits and revenue. The V&A uses Agile methodology for digital development, which has been adopted by other museum departments. Price stresses the importance of data analysis and user research, and advocates for a human-centered design approach. The museum is now shifting focus from digital infrastructure to experiential digital offerings.