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Exhibit Evaluation - Soil Cores in GROW
How do guests help us test interactive exhibits?
The goal of formative evaluation is to improve exhibit design by including visitors in iterative testing of exhibit concepts. This process, conducted while exhibits are being developed and refined, addresses both functionality and communication of educational content.
THE CONCEPT
The Missouri and Illinois agriculture maps in the GROW gallery have multiple interactive components exploring important concepts related to the production of food and agricultural products. Nine cores highlighting soils in prominent agricultural areas are a key interactive element. In the original exhibit, visitors would explore the soil cores by lifting shovel handles to reveal illustrated soil layers; however these were heavy and difficult to use. Thanks to a grant from the USDA, the team was charged with redesigning the interactive to present more realistic soil core models and create an easier way for visitors to learn that soil is a factor in what grows where. We tested two iterations of a revised prototype exhibit with guests.
WHAT WORKED
• A new electronic mechanism to raise the soil core, activated with a lever, was easier to use.
A larger surface area for the soil core helped increase the time visitors spent studying it. With deeper engagement, more visitors understood that differences in soil properties and layers influence what grows in an area.
The addition of a small backlit panel within the core added a surprise element that led to visitor questions and conversations.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK
• The more accurate presentation of the soil made it difficult to discern the different layers. Messaging about soil properties overshadowed content related to agricultural products.
Some people misinterpreted that soil color related to soil health.
THE FINAL UPDATED EXHIBIT
• Dotted lines were added to help identify the layers.
The area around each soil core was colored the same shade as the region’s soil, to convey that soil types vary in color, regardless of soil health.
Toppers were added to each core to highlight prominent products in the region, including livestock and produce. This helped visitors connect to how a region’s soil type influences what grows there. Testing the prototype next to the original exhibit.
The final version of the updated soil core exhibit.