Create positive change with young people and their communities

Apr 22
8 min read

Ressources

To ensure that you can fully benefit from the insights shared during the webinar, we have gathered a range of resources for you to explore:

Webinar Recording: Watch or rewatch the full webinar, where Alice Bednarova shares her experiences and strategies within digital design and audience engagement. The recording allows you to revisit the key discussions and take notes at your own pace.
Slides: Access the slides. They contain key points and visual examples that support her approach to digital innovation and audience development.
Interview with Alice Bednarova: Read the in-depth interview in which Alice is interviewed by BARC’s Community Manager, Thore Davies, and discusses her background as a UX/UI designer and her work with cultural institutions such as the V&A and the EASE app. The interview offers exclusive insight into her thinking and methods.
Takeaways from the Webinar: A concise summary of the most important learning points from the webinar, perfect for anyone wanting a quick overview or refresher of the topics covered.

All of these resources are designed to help you implement the practical strategies and methods Alice shared in your own projects or institution.

Takeways

Alice Bednarova, an experienced product and experience designer, shared valuable insights during our latest webinar, which focused on audience development and engagement in the cultural sector. Here are some of the key takeaways:

Digital Tools: Alice emphasised the potential of digital tools to support young people and local communities. She highlighted how these tools can be designed to promote creativity, improve mental wellbeing, and create social connections.
User-Centred Design: A central theme in Alice’s work is the importance of user research. By understanding the needs and experiences of different target groups, cultural institutions can create digital experiences that truly resonate and have a lasting impact.
Impact Measurement: Alice discussed her use of impact frameworks to evaluate the effectiveness of engagement strategies. These frameworks help gather both qualitative and quantitative data, which are essential for refining programmes and demonstrating their value to stakeholders.
Audience Engagement Beyond the Museum: One of Alice’s key strategies is to take cultural programming beyond traditional museum settings in order to reach wider audiences. By meeting people where they are — whether in digital spaces or local communities - institutions can build stronger and more meaningful connections.
Case Studies from Leading Cultural Institutions: Alice shared examples from her work with renowned institutions such as the V&A, where she developed programmes that not only engage audiences but also empower young people and strengthen internal dialogue within institutions. These cases are valuable examples of how audience insight can be effectively integrated into programming.
Mental Health: Alice introduced the EASE app, a digital tool designed to give young people immediate access to creative activities and mental health support - very much in line with the current conversations around the Culture Pass. This initiative demonstrates the power of combining cultural experiences with health resources and offers a holistic approach to audience engagement.
Working with Marginalised Groups: The webinar also addressed the challenges of engaging underrepresented groups, such as those from disadvantaged areas or those who do not typically visit museums. Alice’s approach involves building trust and relationships through consistent, community-centred programming.
Shared Ownership: Partnerships Are Key to Success: Alice highlighted the importance of collaboration between cultural institutions and external partners such as universities and charities. These partnerships can enhance the reach and effectiveness of digital initiatives, ensuring they are both relevant and impactful.
Empowering the Next Generation: A significant part of Alice’s work is dedicated to empowering young people. By involving them in the design process and giving them platforms to have their voices heard, cultural institutions can ensure that their programmes are both inclusive and future-oriented.

These takeaways provide a comprehensive overview of how digital tools and user-centred design can drive positive social change with young people and their communities in the cultural sector. For more detailed insights, the webinar recording and related resources will soon be available on our website.

Interview: Alice Bednarova

BARC Scandinavia

Photo: © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Can you share how your experience as a UX and UI Designer and museum producer has shaped your approach to creating digital tools that support youth and communities?

I worked as a creative producer in the V&A’s Learning Department for several years before transitioning to a freelance role as a product and experience designer where I continue to build on my audience engagement experience designing impactful digital products and experiences. From my experience, I know how much of a potential museums have to drive positive impact in their communities and I know that digital tools, if used correctly, can accelerate this. My design process is guided by audience insights so the final experience is not imposed onto the audiences but rather, it's born through open consultations where audiences share their lived experience and pain points and stay involved throughout the entire design process and beyond.

How will your work with the EASE app help tackle critical societal issues? Can you give us an example of how you hope a specific feature in the app will make a difference?

The EASE app is a responsive web application that provides instant access to creative engagement and mental health support for young people without any waiting time (common issue in the UK). We are currently working with our university research partners to secure funding for further research, full development, and the app's launch.Through its events search feature, EASE will link young people with museum and other cultural institution offerings, providing opportunities to be creative, socialise, and enhance their mental health through cultural engagement. EASE empowers young people to take control of their recovery journey, which, according to our research, is extremely important to them. The app offers verified resources to help users learn about and improve their mental health, breaking down common misconceptions and misinformation found online. Additionally, EASE community orientated feature called ‘circles’ facilitates peer-to-peer support and socialisation by connecting users with others in similar situations or with similar interests, helping to combat loneliness.

You have worked with recognised institutions such as the V&A. How have these collaborations influenced your approach to audience relations, especially with young people?

I think the most inspiring thing about working with the V&A Young People’s team is about the V&A recognising that we have a lot to learn from young people. Young people have their own lived experiences, perspectives and knowledge that we may not have and we mustn't discredit their experience. We need to listen to what they say about their needs, how they feel and what matters to them. It's very important to consider working with young people as an exchange where YPs are empowered but being given the agency to genuinely be themselves, make their own decisions, share ideas and explore their potential.

Photo: © Victoria & Albert Museum, London

How do you use user research to understand your different audience groups and how do you translate these insights into effective design strategies?

I think the approach always needs to be very audience-specific. For example, when working with audiences who wouldn’t typically visit a museum—such as families from deprived areas or young people who only visited museums during obligatory school trips. These individuals might not see museums as places for them. In such cases, I would reach out directly to charity partners embedded within these communities, such as children’s centres or youth clubs. By meeting communities in their own settings, listening to what they have to say, and establishing trust, we can slowly build ongoing relationships.Insights gained from these interactions would directly inform future programming aimed at these particular audiences. We would return to these communities to test our products or programs, ensuring they understand the importance of their input. If appropriate, we would invite them to the launch, participate in facilitating the programmes and otherwise maintaining the relationship moving forward.A great example of this approach is the V&A’s initiative, where they recruit young people who are paid the London Living Wage and actively involve them in programming, exhibitions, and supporting youth events. This fosters a sense of ownership and relevance among young participants, making the museum experience more inclusive and engaging.

In the project 'Make Space with V&A East' you worked closely with young people. What are some of the most pressing needs that you have identified and how have you worked to address them?

The Make Space programme is an outreach programme to connect with communities of young people in 4 east London boroughs to establish trust and support them to be able to use the museum as a resource once it opens in 2025. The team has consulted local youth groups about the most pressing needs in these particular communities which mainly concern access to save space where they can come and socialise with their peers, finish their homework, get advice on their creative projects, develop their creativity and creative confidence with professional creatives and access career advice. This is what we are trying to achieve in Make Space.

Can you share an experience from your projects where digital technology really made a positive change for a group of people?

I had always been deeply interested in how museums can serve their communities more directly and relevantly. My MA dissertation focused on this topic, though it wasn't concerned with digital means at the time. The most eye-opening experience I had with using digital technology to make a positive impact was as V&A Learning Producer during the UK national lockdown due to the Covid pandemic.Before the pandemic, we held regular digital workshops every holiday, but these were more about having a digital presence rather than being the most impactful way of engaging our audience. During the lockdown, however, all museums had to close their doors, and similarly, schools shut down. Families, including young people, found their lives suddenly constrained within the walls of their homes. In response, there was a huge need for creative activities that families could do at home using materials and digital means they had available. We managed to recycle a large amount of on-site programming to work online, offering digital workshops, creative drop-in sessions, and other activities. The response was hugely positive, with people from around the world, including Japan, Singapore, Canada, and Argentina, expressing that these sessions brought much needed joy and quality time to their families during such hard times.

How do you see the future of digital products and services in the cultural sector, especially when it comes to creating social change?

Many trends are emerging in digital technology for museums, and we can expect this to grow in the coming years. Digital technology offers huge potential for museums, including increased accessibility, enhanced engagement, democratization of culture, education and awareness, sustainability, and more. However, no organization needs to "do it all" or "know it all" if it’s not right for their audiences. Organizations should focus on their audience's needs and how digital technology can support them.Engaging audiences through digital means in the cultural sector is still in its infancy, meaning we are all beginners learning as we go. It is crucial to embrace this beginner's mindset, being transparent about our mistakes, accepting that what we produce won’t be perfect, and sharing our experiences with the wider community. Organizations shouldn’t fear going digital due to inexperience. Collaboration is hugely important in this area. Cultural institutions should partner with external experts who have the necessary know-how and audience data, such as digital specialists, universities, community centers, or other cultural institutions.

What advice would you give to cultural institutions that want to improve their engagement with young people through digital tools?

I think firstly, it is really important to first see what issues or needs you are trying to tackle for young people in your community and establish how your institution specifically can help with this and how this fits into your mission and long term strategy. Secondly, before starting any digital project you need to be sure that digital is the best way to tackle those needs and that in-person experience wouldn't work better. Despite being a digital designer, I don’t necessarily believe that technology is the answer to everything and we should learn to prioritize personal experience and use digital to enhance personal experience or to enable access that wouldn't be otherwise possible. Using digital means when engaging with young people is often easier than we think - they are digital natives and feel very comfortable with digital technology so it’s less about imposing digital technology on your audiences but rather seeing how young people use tech today and how this could be replicated for impactful engagement. Also, don’t try to guess, just discuss this with your community and they will be happy to tell you.