Contents INTRO Project Overview Interest in Topic

Project Overview

Thesis Question:

How can interactive technology be implemented to effectively increase audience engagement in a museum setting?

When it comes to interactivity in museums, there are many ways to approach it, and I think that it’s important to approach it from different angles. The idea of creating interactive environments in a museum setting that incorporate technology, with the ability to engage groups of people of different ages and backgrounds, is complex.

Interest in Topic

I’m interested in how interactive technology can engage an audience and also create a memorable and meaningful experience. Because of this I wanted to examine the best way to create an interactive environment in amuseum exhibit.

I wanted to know if updated interactive technology actually is better at engaging people versus older more kinesthetic approaches to interaction. Or is a combination better? Why are people interested in interactive tech? Is it simply an attractive way to entertain and spark interest? Or can it be implemented as a learning tool?

While I was not the first person to ask these questions, from what I could tell in my research, the idea of interactive technology is still debatable among those who create and curate museum experiences. A lot of people are still unsure of its benefits. In my thesis I wanted to show why interactive technology is important to the future of museum exhibits and curation and I wanted to show the benefits that can be gained by the audience and museums by implementing interactive technology.

All of this ultimately lead me to want to know what design methods canbe best implemented in order to create an educational experience thatis seamless in integrating the exhibit and its artifacts with existing and updated technology.