Cultural Forms and Design: Placing Social Interaction at the Center

• In Event: 31.092 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 31.092-4 - Learning Sciences SIG Poster Session

Abstract

In natural history museums, the quality of social interaction that takes place around exhibit elements is a critical but often overlooked aspect of design. And, while some frameworks exist to guide design efforts in museums, more could be done to promote quality social interaction particularly around interactive exhibit elements involving digital media. In this paper, we suggest that designers can purposefully build on existing cultural forms as a way to shape and foster social interaction among visitor groups. We present data from parent-child dyads engaging with an interactive natural history museum exhibit on the Tree of Life to illustrate our arguments.

Authors

• Michael S. Horn, Northwestern University

• Krystal R. Villanosa, Northwestern University

• Florian Block, Harvard University

• Chia Shen, Harvard University