RESEARCH PROJECT

Redesigning Identity: Enhancing the “Who Am I?” Exhibit Experience

At- A- Glance

This is another university project brief that involved conducting user research observations at the Who Am I? exhibit, Science Museum London. It focuses on analysing user interactions, synthesising insights, and proposing design improvements.

PROJECT BRIEF

This brief guides you to frame your design process as a case study—conducting secondary research and in-context user observations at the Science Museum London to define a problem space, generate insights, and propose informed design solutions. You’ll document your journey through research, synthesis, and solution development throughout the unit.

DISCOVER

Secondary Research

Before visiting the museum to do my I did a Literature Review (preparatory research). In my research I explored the Science Museum’s history, values, competitors and visitor data. I also looked into the specific exhibit “Who Am I?”.

Major findings that stood out to me about the museum:

Conducting Research and Collecting Data

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS & IMPLICATIONS

I conducted ethnographically inspired research using non-participant covert observation at the Who Am I? exhibit in the Science Museum London. This method allows observing individuals natural behaviour in real-world contexts without their knowledge or influence.

Considerations

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  • Make sure the data does not identify participants and maintains anonymity.
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  • Minimise intrusion by focusing on public locations with lower privacy expectations.
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  • Disclosing methodologies and justifications in research articles.

Implications

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  • Observing people in potentially sensitive situations may violate their privacy.
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  • Participants may suffer emotional or social harm if data is handled incorrectly.
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  • Participants lack autonomy since they are unable to opt out or manage their involvement.
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  • The public's confidence in research methods might be damaged by covert practices.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESEARCH

My research included three literature reviews—focusing on the Science Museum, UX in public spaces, and my research question, alongside exhibit layout diagrams and in-context user observations.

LITERATURE REVIEWS

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DIAGRAMS

diagram

RAW OBSERVATIONS

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Curating and Synthesising Research

AFFINITY DIAGRAM

After collecting user observations, I categorised them into distinct groups and identified patterns and trends for qualitative data analysis.

TO THINK ABOUT

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POSITIVES

diagram

PAIN POINTS

raw

PATTERNS / TRENDS

raw

Trajectory and Sensory Maps

To dig deeper, I created trajectory and sensory maps to analyse the space and its interactions more effectively. I observed three groups of visitors, mapping their routes to create the trajectory map.

TRAJECTORY MAP

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SENSORY MAP

  • Visual
  • Touch
  • Sound
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Consolidated findings

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Pain Points

After my user research, I came down to 2 pain points and 1 guiding question.

  • Short Engagement Span – Visitors displayed low attention spans and short interaction times
  • Parental Supervision – Parents needed to guide their children through the game, indicating a potential usability challenge.

Q. How can technology help enhance customer engagement and attention in museums?

PROBLEM SPACE
In simple words...
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01 PROPOSAL IDEA

Personalised Customer Journey

Using a QR code sign up and facial recognition system to personalize the experience of users. Using user data (eg: age) to tailor games and activities to different skill levels. It tracks progress, offers a personalised greeting, and provides a summary of key takeaways at the end for an enhanced learning experience.

  • PRIMARY USERS
    Museum Visitors
  • STAKEHOLDERS
    Museum Visitors
    Museum admin
    Business/organisation
    Marketing/Sales team
    IT/ Development team
    Partners and Vendors
OBJECTIVES
  • Documents your visit

  • Key takeaways

  • Post-visit engagement

  • Modifies difficulty levels

  • Enhances engagement

How will this solution address the

PAIN POINTS?

  • Modifying difficulty levels - age appropriate/ comprehensible games, eliminating parental supervision
  • Personalisation - Tailor the user experience to individual preferences and needs (personalised recommendations), making them feel valued and engaged
  • Post-visit engagement (key takeaways) - higher user retention
SWOT Analysis

IDEATE

Personalisation
Competitive Analysis

I thought the exhibit lacked key takeaways as a tool to facilitate and reinforce learning for kids in their museum. Personalisation is an essential element that enhances user experience and engagement. I considered integrating personalisation with key takeaways to improve the exhibit.

But, before diving into this, I first analysed existing products in the market that use personalisation, comparing their approaches.

INITIAL BRAINSTORM
Starting thoughts...

Brainstorming all the aspects of my potential idea!

IDEA DEVELOPMENT
Low-fidelity wireframes
Visual style and Design System
PROTOTYPING THE FLOW OF THE SIGN UP

Prototype

FINAL PROPOSED SOLUTION

SCIENCE MUSEUM LONDON

Sign up to unlock your Personalised Journey—relive your favorite moments and highlights from the exhibit!"

You’ve come so far—celebrate your journey! Take home powerful insights to keep learning and growing anytime, anywhere."

All the screens!

02 PROPOSAL IDEA

Adjustable Game Screen

Adjustable game screens adapt height, angle, and orientation to enhance accessibility, optimize comfort, and provide an ergonomic, immersive experience for all users.

  • PRIMARY USERS
    Museum Visitors
  • STAKEHOLDERS
    Museum staff
    Museum admin
    Business/organisation
    Marketing/Sales team
    IT/ Development team
    Partners and Vendors
OBJECTIVES
  • User comfort

  • Enhances engagement

  • Increases engagement time

FINAL PROPOSAL SOLUTION
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PROBLEM SPACE
Ergonomics
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PROCESS
Using Who Am I exhibits to create a 3d CAD Model
Experimenting with materials and colours to make it more realistic
Creating the model of the adjustable rod
Technical drawings