NCMNS —
Exhibition Redesign, Interaction Design
Redesign an exhibition to be ADA accessible to all children.
Overview
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences welcomes children daily to educate and excite. For their dinosaur exhibition, we were tasked to create an accessible experience for all children, specifically focusing on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
After researching the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, our strategy consisted on an experience for the exhibition before, during and after. Taking into account tangible interactions, promotional materials, human-centered interaction and sensory stimulus, we created an experience that personified dinosaurs for all children to enjoy.
Role & Duration
Lead Designer—Team of 4
February 2019–April 2019
Preliminary Research
In order to create an experience for all children, we had to ensure our decisions were supported by research. In a deep dive of the ADA, heavy information was revealed with the main idea being: Societal shifts set precedents, both historical and legal, for the ADA whose loose, malicious, and varying interpretations informed Universal Design, leading to more societal shifts.
Strategy
Emphasis on physical, tangible interactions between the user & promotional material & exhibit space
Taking into consideration benefits of human-centered interaction and sensory stimulus to the experience of children with ASD.
Use of short, bold, empowering, action words related to dinosaurs as headings.
Use of simple, modular pattern related to dinosaurs to create visual identity and unify promotional elements.
Color, Pattern & Word Choice. Each pattern is accompanied by a distinct color, using a lighter tint as the foreground and background. Each title word is paired with one color and pattern
