BYOAD: Tactile Interpretation Exhibit: Overview – Museum Accessibility: Spring 2021

Team

Students: Daniel Ryan Johnston
External Advisors: Lauren Race

Project Overview

Through focusing on the diversity of ways to interpret an artifact or space through touch, this group looks to create a collection of objects and experiences for an upcoming exhibition this coming August at the Intrepid. The group will consider the representation of different aspects of interpretation: scale, texture, detail, mechanics and so on.

Project Goals

The goals of this project were to:

1. Answer the following research questions:
  1. What artifacts make a good touch object?
    1. What would you want the visitor to learn by touching it?
    2. Considerations: scale, texture, detail
  2. How do different types of touch objects affect the interpretation of an artifact?
2. Generate a touch object decision tree
  1. Can we recommend pairing types of touch objects with certain types of artifacts?
3. Produce a set of touch object design guidelines

Prototypes

Face of George Washington represented in topographicar layers in cardboard. — 2.5D Cardboard Graphic

Cardboard topographica image of Washington — Image with all 7 layers

Left: Exaggerated. Right: Original Tactile Graphic

Cardboard topographical image og Washington containing glue outlines for facial features, neck and collar details. — Image with glue and 4 layers

Black and white image of George Washington — B&W printout of Washington

Image of Washington with different topographical layers of his face colored in various colors. — Topographical mapping with markers

Cardboard topographical image of Washtington — Cardboard Version

An additional slide deck containing all the sketches as well as images of the above prototypes can be found here.

All process documentation can be found here.

Summary

Through readings, interviews and a physical making practice, I learned that it is important to be thoughtful and experimental when designing tactile interpretations. Also, it is necessary to consider the museum’s interpretation goals for their touch object, their staff and budgetary constraints as well as the needs of the visitor. Through this project, I also learned that touch objects not only benefit blind and low vision visitors but are also great for tactile learners.

As I have only just scratched the surface of tactile interpretations, I plan on a continued experimentation practice which included finishing for the pieces I have already completed. I will also be archiving my personal process documentation for the overall project. Lastly, there will be an exhibition this summer at the Intrepid.

Team

Project Overview

Project Goals

Prototypes

Summary

Weekly Updates