Drive-Through Museum
Overview
GRADUATE CAPSTONE PROJECT
When was the last time you visited a museum?
Whether you are an infrequent visitor or loyal member, 2020 has made it difficult to patronize our cultural institutions.​ Due to necessary restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, museum collections have never seemed so far away, closed off from public viewing.
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The future of Museums is uncertain.
Many museums face bankruptcy, and 10% may never reopen, according to the International Council of Museums.​ With 90% of museums closed due to social distancing, how can we restore lost revenue, membership, and public engagement with art collections?
While it’s true that social distancing keeps us safe, too often that means staying at home. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
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For this project I worked along with my team to design a proposal for a drive-through exhibition or gallery space that is accessible primarily by automobile. This unique way to experience artwork installations will allow museums to attract members and newcomers alike during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. By observing special guidelines for engagement, visitors will have the opportunity to interact with physical and digital artwork from their vehicles, communicate with other visitors, pick up items from the gift shop window, explore membership offers, and more.
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Role & Responsibilities:
Project Manager
UX Researcher
UX Designer
Visual Designer
Tools:
Miro, Figma
Photoshop
Blender
Lumen5
Duration:
2 months, 2020
Team:
Team of 5 UM Graduate students
PROMPT
"Re-imagine what it means to design a museum exhibition during a pandemic. How might we have to rethink the museum space, what it means to engage visitors in a participatory manner, and how we engage the public with art, science, and/or technology during a pandemic?"
Overall Process
DOUBLE DIAMOND
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Our design took shape through four main stages as we worked towards a final proposal, submitting three course milestones along the way.
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Research Ideation Design Deliver
We researched the current situation of different museums around the world and carried out user interviews.
Background Research
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The team researched about the current situation of different museums around the world and how some of them are coping given the COVID-19 pandemic.
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I researched a lot about of "non-traditional museums and exhibitions" like The Artogo Exhibition and The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibition. I also discovered that some museums have adapted and come up with innovative solutions to tackle the pandemic, like The Heidelberg Project.
From these exhibitions, I learned that an immersive experience can be achieved by things other than just AR/VR and physical closeness. Sensorial elements, like light, sounds, projects and shadows play a big part in enhancing an experience.
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I presented these findings to the team and our final solution ended up some inspiration from all of these museums and exhibitions and molded them together, specially the projections from Immersive Van Gogh Exhibition. We came up with a concept of a DRIVE THROUGH MUSEUM and decided to do further research on it to understand its pros and cons.
User Interviews
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We conducted a total of five interviews with potential users from various demographics, out of which I lead 2. The overarching interview question was: Are you interested in participating in a drive-through museum exhibition as a visitor or member of a museum? The goal was to learn about their comfort level of attending an in-person experience due to COVID-19, as well as their expected behavior and recommendations toward the experience.
Jamie - Museum Patron
I think of parking lots as dark and gloomy. And of course there are security concerns. But if somehow they can be revamped, it should make for an interesting trip.
Jason - Museum Patron
If I am going through a museum in a car, I would want there to be higher level of activity and interaction, since there is a barrier between me and the artifacts.
Interview Analysis
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Based on what interview participants told us, we concluded three main points:
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Overcrowding is a concern, and people prefer the stricter distancing rules enforced by museums.
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A perception of parking garages is they are dark, dangerous, and congested. Also, people tend to drive cautiously inside them because of the narrow space.​
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The drive-through concept shows interest, but people expect more interactivity and storytelling elements as part of the experience.
I really wanted to do some interviews with people who work at a museum and possibly a museum curator, as that would have given us a better understanding of how the management of a museum works.
Unfortunately, due the limitations of the course and resources and because of Covid-19, we were unable to do this. At our own end, we tried to research as much as we could about the internal workings and management of museums and exhibitions.
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After doing some research on this topic I had 2 key findings that helped us in coming up with a solution.
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Museums that have recently undergone expansions or renovations subsequently shifted their strategic focus to audience engagement.
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In cases where museums have identified clear strategic priorities, organizational structures can be crafted to reach these goals.
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Research Ideation Design Deliver
Over Zoom meetings, the team collaborated on Miro to brainstorm different solutions.
Rapid Ideation
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During one of the first team meetings, we timed ourselves and put up some ideas we had when we think of a museum experience during a pandemic on a Miro board. We then quickly analyzed the sticky notes and came up with higher level classification and divided the notes into the different categories.
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Eidetic Image Method
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Over another rapid brainstorming session, to further explore the drive-through experience and museums, we created a mood board, collected inspirations, and shared our concerns and ideas with each other.
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Two themes that stood were - "turning a car wash into an immersive, projection based exhibit" and "parking lot exhibitions". The main concern was managing the traffic and placement.
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Research Ideation Design Deliver
After a lot of research, several meetings and brainstorming sessions, we came up with a proposal which involved lot of sketching. Next we prototyped and came up with the final solution after a few iterations.
Sketching
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We sketched to convey our initial ideas and to create shared understanding among the team about the implications of each approach. In the different sketches, we saw a lot of AR/VR and projections among a lot of other ideas. The resulting discussion helped us reach consensus on which details to prioritize in later designs.
User Journey Map
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After several rounds of discussion within the team and with our professor we decided on an approach that best fit the design problem as well as the results of the user interviews. We also came up with the possible GAIN PONTS and PAIN POINTS of this solution.
Iteration
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Our initial idea was to "create a drive-through museum experience in an abandoned parking garage."
Based on interview findings, peer feedback, and an evaluation of feasibility, we modified our final design to incorporate new ideas. Some changes included:​
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Repurposing open spaces instead of closed environments - as it makes visitors feel safer and brighter.
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Focusing on existing materials rather than new construction - since not all museums have enough funding.
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Introducing shopping & membership opportunities into the digital experience - keeping gift shop tradition intact.
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Considering ride-sharing for visitors who do not own their own vehicles & for environmental reasons.
Sketch of the map for the warehouse drive-through.
App menu wireframe
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Research Ideation Design Deliver
Our design addresses themes on social, culture, and technology. During this unusual time of the pandemic where our usual methods for socializing aren't safe anymore, we want to utilize technology to help suggest an alternative method of socializing and experiencing. How we decided our way in is through the American Driving Culture.
The Solution - Drive Through Museum Exhibition
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A drive-through exhibition takes place in a repurposed warehouse that focuses on immersive projections and Augmented Reality, along with a mobile application to support the experience and a curb-side gift shop.
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The one-way floor plan is predefined, allowing traffic to flow seamlessly, and giving visitors a good vantage point of each piece of artwork, installations and projections. This guided approach may also give visitors a sense of direction and reduce the feeling of aimless wandering.​
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The 3D model above is a visualization of how a space could look like. The guiding walls can be made up of canvas, or even different artwork. The different installations, or copies of installations to protect the real ones from the environmental damage, can be hung on the stands dividing two sections. Some sections can be covered entirely for a more immersive experience for certain timed installations.
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The best part about this solution is that it is highly adaptive -
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It can use any kind of space - buildings, parks alleys, anything!
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It can be used for different types of installations.
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The material used can vary if museums have a limited budget. ​
Interactive Mobile App
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With the mobile application, visitors may listen to audio descriptions, communicate with other visitors, and order souvenirs from the gift shop. Augmented reality features also bring some artwork to life in new ways, giving viewers more context for how it was made and more.​
Curbside Gift Shop
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Visitors may order exhibit-related souvenirs using the mobile app and pick them up at the curbside before leaving. This also helps the museum with its finances.
Video
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As a part of capstone project, we created a video to showcase our project.
Reflection
This project was very different than any of my previous ones. This project broke the digital boundary and took life as a physical+digital experience. It was the perfect project to get me out of my comfort zone.
During few of the very first team meetings, I put forth the idea that we should do something different rather than the usual AR/VR exhibits or something just on a mobile phone. I strongly felt that people should be able to experience a museum in a fully immersive way, whilst still staying safe. The team was very excited by this idea and thats how we looked at other avenues and reached the drive-through experience!
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Since I volunteered to be the project manager, I was also able to work on my project management skills while working on this project. I set up meetings, meeting agendas, set milestones and kept track of the projects progress.
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While I strongly believe, and as our interviews suggested, that people would really enjoy a drive-through museum experience, it still has some limitations.
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Limitations
Cost-Conscious Options
Scale of the drive-through exhibition is one factor that may influence cost. Museums with limited resources should consider an exhibit with a smaller physical area and fewer materials that could be installed in an unused, already-constructed space.
​Another option for museums with limited budget is to use gear they already have, like projectors and cloth, to implement the drive-through exhibition.
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Ride-Sharing Collaboration
Museums should also consider establishing relationships with ride-sharing services like Uber/Lyft to make sure visitors can visit the exhibition without a car. This kind of collaboration could open new marketing opportunities and create visibility for the museum's brand to new demographics.