Having focused on the rooftop exhibits in reviewing the floor data, I think that both Whitewater and Whisper Dishes would be very good candidates for seeing how guests learn without any signage whatsoever.
The Whisper Dishes would be very interesting to conduct an evaluation measuring conceptual understanding of sound. The dishes themselves are really conspicuous, I think that asking guests of a variety of ages what they think they are for and how you're supposed to interact with them would give a great first read on a visitor's conceptual understanding of sound and sound waves. Asking really simple questions before and after guests use the dishes like, "What is sound?" would give us insight as to how much the dishes bolster or change understanding. Another good evaluation might be the introduction of more sound-making objects to see if guests engage in more experimentation at the dishes, and if that changes how they learn.
Whitewater would be perfect for an observational study focused on guest behavior around a certain set of features in the exhibit. Some features that the data revealed as potential problems were the spinning hemisphere wheels, the tipping bucket, and the hand pumps. Categorizing behavior and detailing time spent at the feature associated with each may help in determining if these are actually problematic, or are making guests enjoy the exhibit less overall. Perhaps the fact that some of these features don't work exactly as they're expected to actually induces more or different learning. That could be a possible outcome of an observational study at whitewater or at any exhibit.
- Sam S.
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