Exploratory Study of Children’s Experiences with STEM Exhibits in the Middle East

Experience Design Research
Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: New Museum in the Middle East | Location: Middle East

 
 

We led an evaluation exploring visitors’ engagement with interactive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) exhibits to inform the design strategy for a New Museum in the Middle East.

OVERVIEW

In 2023, we partnered with a New Museum in the Middle East to explore visitors’ level of engagement with different types of interactive STEM exhibits to inform the museum’s design and implementation of similar experiences. This evaluation is a continuation of our collaboration with the museum to explore local audiences’ (especially youth 6-16 years) interest and engagement with informal STEM experiences.

APPROACH

We managed the evaluation remotely from the United States and paired our evaluation with other sources of data exploring visitors’ engagement. We triangulated data from three sources:

  • An observation and interview study with visitors to a traveling exhibition at a local science center

  • An exit survey with adults and youth visiting the same science center and exhibition

  • An interactive feedback wall that allowed visitors to indicate their favorite exhibits

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

We found that local audiences were motivated to spend time doing STEM activities with family and friends at the science center and needed a familiar topic or idea to successfully engage in STEM experiences together (i.e., a “hook”). Visitors were most engaged in STEM experiences that provided opportunities for competition, gaining new perspectives, problem solving, and experimentation. Visitors also highly valued the support of knowledgeable and friendly staff to help them engage in meaningful ways with the STEM exhibits. The museum will use these findings to support their future visitors’ engagement with STEM and informal learning.

Cathy Sigmond

Cathy brings many years of experience in education and experience design to her role as Head of Strategy at Kera Collective. 

Having previously worked in a variety of educational settings, Cathy is driven by her constant fascination and delight at how people make discoveries about the familiar and the unfamiliar. 

Cathy loves helping to shape experiences that spark curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives. She particularly enjoys the rapid, iterative nature of design-based research and the deep insights that come from qualitative research, especially on projects exploring interactions with the digital and built environments. 

Cathy shares her passion for experience design research widely and regularly guest lectures for graduate programs, including the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Exhibition and Experience Design Program and the Pratt Institute’s School of Information. Cathy served as the co-chair of the Museum Computer Network’s Human-Centered Design special interest group from 2018-2021.

Outside of work, you can usually find Cathy playing soccer, thrifting, or making her way through her large cookbook collection. 

Cathy’s favorite museum experiences are immersive; she will always vividly remember walking through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, being surrounded by birds at the Peabody Essex Museum, and hearing centuries-old instruments come to life at the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

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