Signage and Physical Context [Samantha Brown]

Signage is a component of the museum experience that visitors express appreciation for however overlook.

What better way to enhance signage than by giving it a practical function and/or aesthetic makeover? Making guests engage with the signage would be useful for a museum like MOXI, which has so many open-ended exhibits. 

I tried three unique types of signage that would go further than what is currently implemented in the IWS and with exhibits on the floor by making signage its own experience. I observed the effects of signage at the circuitry station area in the IWS for this week’s Digital Creativity/CreaTech theme. For my observations, I sat in a chair at the corner of the IWS, did not interact with the guests, and recorded as much data as possible (time, date, guests behavior, guests descriptions, etc) for each change I made every 30 minutes to the signs.

Signage 1: I added string lights around the circuitry station paper signage that was already taped up to create “tantalizing signage.”

I started with an initial hypothesis: People aren’t seeing the signage. I choose the circuitry station because the other stations were too bright to test lights on (the signage was taped to the window). I also assumed the corner needed some extra attention-grabbing element, as the signage was blocked off by the entrance to the workshop, and that maybe as people turn the corner the lights could draw their attention. 

I found that the computer screen was already quite bright, thus most people noticed the computer first when using strictly paper signage. 

Signage 2: I added a miniature chalkboard sign with a “picto-hint” that does not give away all of the answers. 

After the first observation, I thought to add an element that would encourage guests to try out the Makey Makey device. I noticed people would look at the screen and walk away or leave shortly after if they couldn’t decipher what the materials were supposed to be for. 

I found that people were engaging with the “picto-hint” signage. 

Signage 3: I created a fun container for instructions and labeled it “instructions inside.”

It was hard to be certain the signage was resulting in modeling behavior for guests, so I created a way that would make when people were engaging with the signage more obvious. Rather than making a new sign I took the paper sign that was on the wall, folded it up, and put it in the container (what an effective and slightly passive-aggressive way to get people to look at a sign!).

It did result in a guest (an approximately 12-year-old girl) taking the sign out of the house.