Rethinking the Digital Media Design Process in Museums

183011474163504

Views: 291

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2013, Common Ground Research Networks, All Rights Reserved

Abstract

The design process of digital media in museums is a complex process and it has been visualized with models. However, a model is a simplification of a real process. How simple should the model be? To what extent can it reflect the complexity of the world without losing in legibility? This paper will describe how a simple model of a complex process such as design in museum can be transferred to a more complex model, balancing legibility and the wealth of information available. The main goal is to produce a theoretical model of the process grounded on data collected in museums from interviews and observation with designers and visitors of an immersive environment. The paper shows that the design process can be seen as a communication process between designer and visitor: they are two interpreters of digital media, with two points of view on the same object. In this paper, the metaphor of the “matreshka” is used inside the model in order to describe the visitor experience, in his or her path through several places and layers in the city from home to the museum and back from the museum to home.