Designs for Learning - Angela

Cognitive overload is a common problem in museums. I personally have experienced cognitive overload in a variety of different types of museums. When working on the floor, I can see guests who may be experiencing cognitive overload or museum fatigue where the visitors only engage deeply with an exhibit for a limited period of time and then cruise through the remainder of the floor. I think there are multiple aspects of MOXI that limit the amount of museum fatigue visitors experience. One way is through sparks. By interacting with the guests, this can create more of a guided experience. Simply asking questions or proposing challenges can influence a guest who is overwhelmed in a space to feeling more comfortable. In addition, a lot of exhibit at MOXI have a user-centered design such as the roll it wall. Even though this exhibit is very open-ended, the roll it wall invites a certain kind of use that can then be manipulated in a variety of different ways. In addition, the layout and orientation of the exhibits influences cognitive overload. The roof is a good example of a space where there are a lot of exhibits, however the orientations creates an environment were visitors will not feel as overwhelmed and will have a higher engagement level. Imagine if you moved the weather orchestra exhibits over to white water. This would create a very overwhelming space. This could also create a space where visitors are not as engaged with the exhibits because they are focused on sounds and movement that they observe going on around them. Therefore orientation of the exhibits influences the visitors experience!