Experience Design Research for the National Air and Space Museum's Transformation
Client: PGAV Destinations and Ralph Appelbaum Associates, for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum | Location: Washington, DC
We led a suite of iterative, audience-centered evaluations to support the monumental transformation and reimagining of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
OVERVIEW
From 2018-2021, we partnered with design firms Ralph Appelbaum Associates and PGAV Destinations to lead front-end and formative evaluations to support the design and development of various galleries and spaces at the National Air and Space Museum’s National Mall building in Washington, DC. Our evaluations were part of a larger effort to monumentally transform and reimagine the Museum’s galleries and overall visitor experience to emphasize immersive learning.
APPROACH
We conducted multiple phases of evaluation with the Museum’s audiences throughout the design and development process, each building on the last, including:
Front-end evaluations early in the design process to assess audiences’ baseline knowledge and storytelling preferences
Formative evaluations midway through the design process to test content and refine design ideas for individual galleries, and
Storyboarding and prototyping for multimedia exhibits to reveal successes and pain points ahead of full production
In each phase, we collected data from hundreds of individuals across multiple audiences (including children and their families, locals and tourists, and individuals with disabilities) to ensure a variety of perspectives were represented. Following each evaluation, we led structured reflections among designers and Museum staff.
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
The evaluation process boosted audiences’ excitement for the reimagined Museum experience while also revealing many audience insights that helped forward the gallery design and development process. For instance, we learned what types of interactive and immersive experiences audiences are most drawn to, how they make personal connections with the proposed content and stories, and about their needs around accessibility, allowing the designers and Museum staff to iteratively shape the reimagined museum in an audience-centered way.
