The Science Museum does a very good job navigating people throughout the museum. On the title walls and preceding exhibits there are clear directions and labels that point the attendees in the correct direction. The signs adequately navigate users by being bold, easy to read, and impossible to miss. These signs are creatively incorporated throughout the museum to relate to the various themes of the exhibits. I found the museum plan to be a bit awkward and hard to manage. The first four exhibits were reached by stairs and easy to access and find. However, the Psychology and Medical History exhibits were more difficult to find because they were off in a completely different area of the museum. The map did help, but I still found the layout to be a bit confusing. The museum plan allows for several paths, but basically only by steps or elevator on the upper floors. The map was legible for navigation and assisted in finding my way around the museum.
The shop and cafe extend to the brand being used throughout the museum. Both the cafe and shop are easy to find and two of the first things seen when entering the ground floor of the museum. Both title walls are used with the same font as the logo and are large and easy to find and access. The cafe provides the means for a break while looking through the museum and to rest after climbing numerous stairs to exhibits. The shop is a great way for the museum to make more money and help attendees to further understand the themes with various gifts, games, and puzzles. Most of the items in the shop are directed towards adolescents, but there are items available for all ages.
The display cases encompass different purposes in the various exhibits of the museum. The ground floor, psychology exhibit, and medical history exhibit all serve to display items and artifacts while preserving their authenticity and keeping them away from public interaction. These floors and exhibits function to protect the items being exhibited. Other exhibits in the museum function for playful interaction with the public, such as the "Who Am I?" exhibit which allows for visitors to play games and answer surveys in order to get a better sense of the human body. The text is integrated into the displays in different ways throughout the museum. In those exhibits that serve to protect, the text panels are generally along side the artifact with an explanation and definition. In the hands-on exhibits, the text is often incorporated with the game and informs the visitor by means of technology and various display screens.
My favorite exhibit was the "Who Am I?" exhibit. This was my favorite because I found it very interesting and was able to learn things about the human body by playing games and interacting with exhibits in the museum. This exhibit was very colorful and easy to manage. It discussed things such as the history of the human body, genealogy, and the future of humans. This exhibit was memorable because of the information presented within it and the unique way it was displayed. The entire exhibit appeared very modern and creative.
There was a vast amount of important information and facts that were displayed throughout the museum. I learned about the history of medicine throughout different cultures of the world and about the history of psychology and the different methods of psychoanalysis that various psychiatrists, such as Freud, used in their studies. I also enjoyed the plasticity exhibit that displayed various methods of preserving the environment by incorporating less harmful artifacts into our daily life. The "Who Am I?" exhibit displayed the DNA of humans and informed me that my DNA is as long as 4 novels combined and that different animals hold similar DNA to me. Another critical thing that I learned was how important display, title walls, and the layout of a museum are to its success. I had never thought about it before, but attending a museum with these elements in mind helped me to analyze its flaws and strong-points.
No comments:
Post a Comment