UX Approaches for Museum Contexts: Evaluating a Museum's Participatory Elements

Abstract

Our research applies UX principles and scholarship to museum design in order to provide these institutions with tools that they can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their existing participatory elements, implement new participatory practices, and provide visitors with interactive experiences. After conducting observations and cataloging participatory elements in the MSU Museum, as well as reviewing relevant UX scholarship from Norman (2013), Shirky (2008), Simon (2010), Spinuzzi (2005), and others who have talked about participation and experience design, we created two documents: a definition guide and an evaluation form. Using the documents, we created and museum contexts as an example, we explain that UX concepts can be broadly applied to other industries in order to inform participation practices. The main takeaway from our research is that UX terms and concepts are flexible enough to be applied to multiple industries in order to improve the effectiveness of an organization or institution's current participatory elements and help them reach their goals regarding user participation.