Testing Interpretive Strategies to Spark Youth’s Interest in Paleontology for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Experience Design Research
Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | Location: Raleigh, NC | Funding: Institute of Museum and Library Services

 
 

We evaluated the response of youth ages 10-14 to prototypes of a new paleontology exhibition being developed by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

OVERVIEW

In 2022, we partnered with NCMNS to evaluate two exhibit prototypes–DinoLab Tools and Meet the Team–for the museum’s new Dueling Dinosaurs exhibition.

The exhibition aims to spark youth’s interest in paleontology by exploring the questions and mysteries surrounding the Dueling Dinosaur fossils–Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex–that are among the most complete skeletons ever discovered of their kind buried together.  In particular, the exhibition gives youth the opportunity to interact with scientists as they work on the fossils.

APPROACH

We conducted 38 in-depth interviews with walk-in family groups with at least one child ages 10-14.  Family groups looked at different versions of two exhibit prototypes for DinoLab Tools and Meet the Team and talked with us about which versions they preferred and why.

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

Overall, the public lab concept of the exhibition–where visitors can interact with scientists and ask them questions about their work–is highly appealing to visitors.  We found that most youth had a vague understanding of paleontology and what a paleontologist does, prompting the museum to consider ways the exhibits can better highlight paleontologists’ work. 

We also found that visitors preferred interpretive strategies that introduced paleontology topics without too much text to read but also allowed for further exploration if something piqued their interest (i.e., QR codes that are linked to videos or further explanation of topics).  Visitors were also drawn to more dynamic images of scientists working in the field and were most curious to hear stories and anecdotes about how individuals became paleontologists, what discoveries they have made, and how they do their work (e.g., the process of fossil discovery). 

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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