The Latest Exhibitricks blog post acts as a stimulator of ideas and as a reminder of excellent interpretive design strategies. Some of the highlights that I kept from two of last year’s posts are the instigators behind this present piece. Paul Orselli is the writer of the aforementioned blog and he has an exhibit design company that is proud to create engaging, educational & fun exhibits. Plus, he has a wealth of you tube podcasts, where he interviews leaders and innovators in the museum field. Check out his web site at POW! -short for Paul Orselli Workshop.
#1 Visitor Analog Decision Points
Paul unabashedly proclaims himself to be a big fan of the "old school" analog approach – when it comes to providing experiential choices for museum visitors. He likes to incorporate the devices used in board games (dice, spinners, flippers, carnival wheels, etc.). Why? With the rush to digital and AI, Paul reminds us to never forget that spinners or dice don't need to be plugged in. We probably don’t need to be reminded that low-tech items can be very durable while being easily maintained or replaced (biggest rationale!).
Accessibility needs to be on everyone’s mind and Paul states that users with low or no vision can still participate with "old school" game devices.” In addition, familiarity is a bonus as many of your visitors will already have a good sense of how a spinner or set of dice work.
His examples are exhibit related however the interactive concepts can be used in many a situation especially in an outreach context. I have provided my own examples in this regard.
courtesy google images
Paul mentions that watching a spinning carnival wheel to make a choice in an exhibition is inherently a more social experience than one person hunching over a touch screen. So true! I have used said carnival wheel in both an outdoor and indoor setting when we wanted to attract attention to our park information booth. Outside in a park picnic setting and in a display hall, it worked extremely well due to the highly visual, highly aural, and perpetual circular motion that happens. Our colour coded wheel had natural history, cultural history, and recreational topics as the wheel “of fortune” choices, which we adapted into a trivia game, where visitors spun the wheel.
Paul pointed out that having several people throw dice as part of an exhibit choice has a similar social effect plus there is a scalability advantage as such game elements that can also be used in a much larger scale to add fun. I was involved in a collaborative design project that employed this very concept, while encouraging multiple people to participate in playing a giant game.
We were challenged to create an interactive way to expand residents’ and park users’ knowledge about their existing and future trail system linkage that wound its way through a string of river valley parks connected by pedestrian bridges. The approach that had been taken up to then was talking to passers- by, while operating an outreach booth at events pointing to a mounted map and distributing map brochures.
We wanted all adult participants to feel they had:
· fun learning something about the river valley that they didn’t know before
· a better idea of the extent of the river valley park/trail system
· increased their awareness of the River Valley Alliance and the municipal partnership involved
· become more excited about future RVA connector projects
We enhanced this approach by creating a portable roll-up “game board” resembling a 40 x4 foot durable vinyl carpet with a graphically printed river valley park system on it. We invited people to be the game board pieces to play the River Valley Trivia Game and we used giant dice that they could roll (if they answered the questions correctly) and then they moved ahead by pacing out steps on the linear vinyl carpet.
We designed in special gamespots that involved winning prizes and lots of hoopla celebrations to draw in the crowd. All trivia questions were carefully chosen to allow for engaging awareness-building discussion. If you are interested in this concept, drop us an email as there were many operational lessons learned as well as some key map design details that were needed to be matched to well thought out objectives.
A great website boardgamegeek.com is referenced by Paul as it has this handy webpage that provides an alphabetical listing of online outlets that sell game pieces and related materials.
#2 The Secret Sauce of Children’s Museums: Less Reading, More Doing
“The magic of Children's Museums isn't just about bright colors or simpler content—it's about active engagement.” “Children's Museums have mastered the art of making learning an immersive, hands-on adventure that visitors actually *want* to experience.“ Paul provides a few points on how to channel the Children’s Museum mojo:
· Bring natural history dioramas to life by creating "science detective” stations where visitors use scientific tools to solve ecological mysteries tied to the actual locations featured in the dioramas.
Courtesy Bill Reynolds
The Royal Provincial Museum in Edmonton brought life to supplement the stuffed taxidermy specimens by incorporating a basket of grouse tail props you could tie around your waist. Visitors could then role play the mating dance. There was a video that helped one through the strutting dance motions and the arm movements to simulate the demonstrative process. I don’t think they had any props to replicate the inflated colour throat patches- that would have been a neat touch. A good idea none-the-less.
I often thought that if the role of habitat dioramas were to bring awareness to visitors about these special places and we want visitors to do something with what they have just experienced, then why not extend this awareness by providing visitors with directions to nearby locations, where they can experience this type of habitat in real life. Perhaps even run tours for visitors or make visitors aware of companies and associations that run field trips. If any of these habitats are dwindling and in need of conservation help, then bringing awareness of this and the groups that need funding for their stewardship work there, would be very beneficial.
· Let visitors to historical sites “step into the story” by creating "decision points" where visitors face the same choices as historical figures.
Courtesy Bill Reynolds
Courtesy Bill Reynolds
I experienced this technique while walking through a travelling exhibit on the smallpox epidemic and it was very engaging where I read a personal story about a character, then when presented with certain life choices, I (the visitor) was given multiple choice options to pick from as to what I would have done in the character’s situation. Different choices led to different stories and further decision points.
Another example of providing opportunities for visitors to mentally engage and share their perspective i witnessed at The Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg. They had as part of their exhibit area, a sound proof booth where you could record your story if you so chose to do so.
Courtesy Bill Reynolds (apologies for flash glare)
· Visitors to art galleries should be given chances to “create not just contemplate” by creating "inspiration stations" near notable works where visitors can try artistic techniques.
I have encountered this on occasion and it works only for uninhibited children, primarily because the stations have been left very open ended. To get older visitors involved, we must be better at inviting them in with more guided discovery to get started. I have an inkling that the takeaway objectives for such a “station” have never clearly been defined beyond an ambiguous “have visitor get beyond passive to active involvement.”
If we want to introduce techniques used in the painting being observed -now we are getting somewhere. I remember trying out sumi brush strokes in a workshop once (not in a gallery space - but why not?) I now have a much greater appreciation for this technique -it would have been more impressive being done among the works themselves. Any ideas you have employed- please share?
In addition, these work areas need to be monitored regularly as too frequently I find “put together projects” finished so people pass by -they feel uncertain about taking them apart and starting over.
The image shows an example of a large format, complete wall designed to be interactive at the Mola Museum in Panama City. A wonderfully stimulating place where in this display, about design elements employed in the mola fabric making, it illustrates the issue being discussed. There were very few pieces left in the trays to try out on own. It appeared that visitors were not clear what to do and reluctant to move/remove items.
Participatory Display Monitors need to be vigilant or participatory elements will become underutilized.
A great idea trying to give visitors a chance to create cultural motifs by creating juxtaposing jigjag and parallel lines. They even included guided discovery notes on the side of the exhibit (abit too concentrated space wise, affecting its approachability). If the wall had been partitioned in smaller work areas rather than one big space it could have been less overwhelming for an individual or couple to play around with. Was it designed for groups not drop-in visitors perhaps? They will still get in each other’s way. Do we need videos of acceptable behaviour modelling on how to approach and interact with the exhibit?
Thoughts, anyone? Do you have any situations like these that could use our input during a brainstorming exercise? We offer a one-time free introductory advisory service. Drop us a line.