We explore how smart, portable, tangible, and borrowable museum displays can be used to expand museum outreach, and provide tools for measuring user engagement. Our prototype, MobileMuseum, is a portable museum display on wheels, housing digitally-fabricated replicas of artifacts from a national science and technology museum. To track interactions without cameras, we embedded photo and magnetic door sensors and RFID tags and antenna. Our deployment study was carried out for 2 months and included 4 different locations (2 recreational and 2 educational). Data collected from 6 sensors, 261 hours of field observations, 17 filled questionnaires, and 14 interviews helped us understand interaction patterns. Qualitative and quantitative findings revealed that self-monitored interactions encouraged deeper open-ended exploration. Social sharing increased among people in groups while lower foot traffic increased engagement duration. We present generalizable opportunities for self-monitored Interfaces that lends themselves to social circulation, ‘honeybee- effect’, ‘order effect’, and ‘leftovers’ from users.
This research is published here: https://doi.org/10.1145/3773073
Motivated to increase access to (a) artifacts on display at a science museum, (b) we digitally-fabricated low-cost replicas, (c) and designed flip-able labels with embedded sensors, in a (d) public interactive mini-museum display to engage people hands-on with the tangible artifacts, and (e) allow it to be portable, borrowable, and ‘smart’ with multiple seamless sensors.
Photos of artifacts we selected for inclusion in this study: (a) Pilot training eyewear (artifact no. 1996.0728); (b) Anti-Pix chicken eyewear (artifact no. 2016.0166); (c) Stenopeic eyewear (artifact no. 1993.0269). Orange-highlight shows the artifacts as displayed at the national science and technology museum (Wearable Tech exhibition) after being measured for replication. Green-highlight shows our digitally-fabricated replicas.
Four interactive labels fitted above the museum box (a), The Imagine Label opened revealing sticky notes for drawing (b), and slipping a sticky note inside the label from the top (c).
Showing the MobileMuseum disassembled to fit upright in an SUV car (a) or alternatively placed fully assembled (b) inside the car (c), with all its interactive components (d).
Inside each label there is: a) an embedded circuit; b) hidden within a closed back compartment; c) where the front of the label has laser-cut engraved information and a flip-able cover. d) Shows a close-up of the photoresistor sensor that detects when the cover is opened.
L1) close to a reading room and a book display. L2) close to a Christmas tree, book display and a study
room. L3) close to a drug store and the main entrance in front of the food court. L4) at the main entrance
lobby near the ticket office and the stairway leading to the cafe and main theatre.
Visual affordances cued interaction with the MobileMuseum by: a) flipping instruction labels using
knobs; b) opening the glass door using handle; c) interacting with tangible replicas; d) trying or wearing
eyewear artifacts; e) sketching ideas on sticky notes via the “Imagine Your Own” label; f) inserting them in
the “Slip here” slot; and g-h) writing or drawing in the guestbook.
Acknowledgement of Funding
We thank all participants for generously contributing their time to this research, as well as our reviewers for their valuable insights. This project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through the New Frontiers Research Funds (NFRF) Exploration grant NFRFE-2020-1271. The lab equipment was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation – John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI-JELF: 41215).