Interest, emotions, relevance: viewing science centre interactive exhibit design through the lens of situational interest

ABSTRACT

Designing exhibits that catch and hold people’s interest – particularly easily distracted children – is a key challenge for science centres. Here we apply situational interest (SI), a model from educational psychology and STEM education, to understand characteristics exhibit designers use to trigger and/or maintain interest, evoke emotions and foster relevance. Australian designers were surveyed (n = 18) and interviewed (n = 5). Analysis showed although designers did not consciously apply SI, they consistently used fundamental aspects of the model, such as selecting distinct design characteristics to trigger interest, others to maintain it, and considering how characteristics affected emotions and relevance. This demonstrates SI is applicable to exhibit design. To trigger interest, designers highlighted characteristics including accessibility, hands-on experience, user-centredness, and sensory stimulation, and to maintain interest open-endedness. Social interaction – especially having multiple simultaneous exhibit users – was the only design characteristic identified as key for both triggering and maintaining interest. Designers associated specific emotions with triggering and/or maintaining interest, including negative or bi-valanced emotions. Characteristics to increase relevance included familiar objects, prior experience/prior knowledge, novelty and familiarity and social and cultural context. This study fuses psychological theory on interest with the lived-experience of exhibit designers, providing insights useful for designers, interpretive staff and researchers.

KEYWORDS:

• Science centre
• affective domain
• exhibit design

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the interactive science exhibit designers who completed our online survey and undertook interviews during this study. In addition, we appreciate the support provided by Anita Beck, feedback on an early version of the manuscript by Merryn McKinnon and Sue Stocklmayer, and constructive comments from anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruoyu Jenny Duan

Ruoyu Jenny Duan graduated with her Master of Science Communication from the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) at the Australian National University. She is currently interested in informal science learning and the history of science communication. Twitter: @JennyDuan4

Graham J. Walker

Dr Graham Walker is a lecturer in science communication at the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS), the Australian National University. His current research and engagement investigates international capacity building, psychological aspects and co-design in science communication, with a focus on science centres, science shows and hands-on workshops, and using these methods to engage with social and environmental issues. He also teaches in these areas. Twitter: @DrGrahams.

Lindy A. Orthia

Dr Lindy Orthia is currently an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of Sociology, the Australian National University, and was based at the Australian National University Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) during this research project. Her research interests include science in popular fiction, the history of science communication and intersections between science and race, gender, sexuality and class. Twitter: @lindyorthia.