Observational Studies

Due to the fact that the South Presentation Heritage site is under development, observations and analysis of visitors within the space was not possible. However when the way people move within the space and between exhibits is very important and would have a significant influence on the design of the installations. In order to conduct observation studies I visited four different heritage centres.

1. The Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre, Waterford

The Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre is dedicated to Edmund Rice, founder of the presentation brothers order. The vision of the centre is to tell the story of Edmund Rice in an interactive way that challenges people to engage with the mission of Edmund Rice in the contemporary world. The nature of the Edmund Rice Centre is extremely similar to the site at South Presentation Convent. The heritage centre at South Presentation is intended to be a multimedia heritage site while still respecting the history and spiritual nature of the site. The Edmund Rice Centre also aims to do this so studying the way it deals with and displays content could be extremely beneficial to our design research. Unfortunately the site is not a major tourist attraction, there were no visitors to the site on the day I visited and so I relied on my own observations.

fig 1

When you first enter the centre there a simply interactive stand (see fig 1) on which you can see all the different sections of the site and images of what exhibitions are on display. I thought this was extremely useful as the site is non-linear and so there is no set path for the visitor to follow. This stand allows you to navigate the site virtually and so you can ensure you do not miss anything. In the first section of the exhibition there are subtle indications of which direction you should go next in the form of quotes projected onto the floor along a corridor (see fig 2). This is very effective as it is not forceful in any way but rather tempts you in a certain direction. The problem was that these subtle hints to the direction you should take through the exhibition did not exist anywhere else in the site. Consistency with design and functionality is extremely important when designing exhibitions as you do not want to waste time teaching a visitor to do something each time they come to a new exhibition. However this stand was only at the entrance to the exhibition and so as you moved through it was extremely easy to get lost. If these stands had 

fig 2

existed throughout the exhibition navigation would have been much easier and 
less frustrating.

fig 3

The centre aims to not just be a history exhibition and so incorporates modern day information about the presentation brothers aswell as the story of Edmund Rice. This is something that will be incorporated into the South Presentation Convent site aswell. In the Edmund Rice Centre the two elements of the story are mixed together in most exhibitions and the result is quite confusing. For example in the futuristic media room (see fig 3) text panels on the wall tell the story of Edmund Rice and how Waterford was at the time he lived are placed beside screens showing real world events. The two mediums clash with each other making the space far too busy.

fig 4

The centre is media heavy, unnecessarily so in some places. For example at the centre of the futuristic media room stood a huge structure which showed the date and time (the time was wrong which is just a small thing but really took away from the exhibition) (see fig 4). This structure had absolutely no function bar telling the date and time and although the style of it was in keeping with the room it had absolutely no relevance to sites theme. The unnecessary use of technology had a negative effect in my opinion and led me to become bored and uninterested in the exhibits. Because of this I skipped over several exhibits simply because I did not want to waste time interacting with these installations for fear that they would not garner anything worthwhile. 

FINDINGS

• Consistency in design, functionality and structure are extremely important.
• Form should follow function - elements should not be included just because they can be
• Over use of technology has a negative effect

2. The Titanic Experience, Cobh, Co. Cork

fig 5

The Titanic Experience in Cobh is a multimedia exhibition telling the story of the Titanic using audio visual technology, cinematic shows and touch screen technology. South Presentation Convent aims to utilise technology as much as possible in its heritage centre and so studying how The Titanic experience does this is a relatively small space would be beneficial. The Titanic Experience has two layers; a semi automated guided tour and an interactive media room. Before starting the tour you are given a ticket with a name on it (see fig 5). At the end of the tour you could search for your name on a list and find out of you survived the disaster or not. This is something that you can bring home when you finish the tour which was a nice touch.

fig 6

For the first part of the tour you are directed through some rooms which have different exhibitions displayed in them. This part of the tour is extremely structured, as soon as the video presentation is finished you are moved by the tour guide into the next room. For the second part of the tour you are left to explore a large media room with many different interactive exhibits (see fig 6). The majority of them are touch screen based which are ideal for showing information however can become quite tedious at times and does not add to the over all embodied experience. Although the exhibition is as media heavy as the Edmund Rice Centre the space utilised technology in a much clearer way. 

I visited the heritage centre with a group of six students from Cork 
Institute of Technology and after

fig 7

completing the tour I conducted informal interviews with the group in the form of open discussion in order to determine their thoughts on the site. The main focus of these interviews was to discover what the visitor liked best about the exhibition, what part, if any, they did not like and if there was anything that they would change about the overall experience or anything that they would like to see added to the exhibition. I found that visitors liked the interactive media room best however with the huge amount of information available and the lack of a step by step structure they felt that certain elements might have been overlooked. Another element which was well liked was the peep hole photographs in the 3rd class cabin room (see fig 7). The best thing about these was the fact that they were left to be discovered by the visitor and once you found one you were excited to go any find the others. The lack of physical elements (besides touch screens) to interact with was also something that could be addressed and would add to the overall embodied experience. 

FINDINGS

• Interactive exhibits should be different in there interactive design while still be intuitive to use
• Visitors should be allowed to discover elements of the exhibition by themselves although subtle direction is also beneficial

3. Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork

fig 8

Blackrock Castle Observatory is a scientific research and public exhibition centre concentrating on the discipline of astronomy and situated in Blackrock Castle Cork. For the public the centre aims encourage interest in science, engineering and technology for all age groups. Through interactive displays the centre aims to teach its visitors about space while promoting a fun and engaging experience. Though the space is small there is a lot to see in the exhibition. The first thing the visitor is presented with is a large wall of information and images (see fig 8). Although this contradicts the rest of the design of the centre which is heavily media based because it is in a different section the design still works.

fig 9

Next The visitor comes across a series of alcoves each of which has four interactive buttons and a screen. Here the visitor can decide what informational videos they want to watch and sit and watch them (see fig 9). Although the centre is not linear and so you can move between exhibitions as you wish there is subtle indications of where you should go. This works very well as you feel you are not being herded around the centre but you also feel that you are not missing out on anything. Following the informational videos are a series of individual interactive stations where you can do a multitude of different things. There is also a comet chaser game (see fig 10), directed more towards

fig 10

large groups of younger people.

While at the Blackrock Castle Observatory I conducted an observation study of two groups, a group of primary school students and a couple. The school group was directed through the exhibition by their teachers and so how they moved within the space was quite structured. I noticed that the couple moved differently in different areas of the centre. For example at the text based information wall at the entrance they investigated the piece separately, during the informational videos they stayed together and in the section with the interactive stations they moved apart again but regularly called each other over if they discovered something interesting. The small space that housed the interactive installation was perfect for this type of movement. 

When the couple came to the informational videos the first time the school students were choosing and watching the videos. I noticed that the students would always gravitate to topics they were already familiar with or occasionally to something with a catchy title. While the students were watching the videos the couple moved past them and did not become involved. The option to choose what you want to learn had an effect on how they navigated through the museum.

I also noticed that the school children became extremely excited when engaged in the comet chaser game however the couple did no engage in this at all. The piece seems to be designed with children in mind and for larger groups. This meant that there was a huge part of the centre that the couple did not get the chance to engage with.

FINDINGS

• Different interactive techniques make for a more engaging experience
• The ability to personally interactive is important - people prefer to do it themselves than watch others - interactions should be quick
• Exhibits should be designed with as wide an age range as possible

All of these findings will influence the design choice we make for this project.