Notes from conversation with Kara Blond from the National Zoo via video conference, 5/3 Some questions: 1. use of multiple languages for diversity of visitors 2. Evaluation - of "empowerment of visitors to ation" 3. Process of balancing the tensions of audience needs, and stakeholders of the zoo 4. When do you and how do you decide when to stop prototyping? 5. This project appeared to have a lot of resources, how do make decision when you don't have the time, money, resources to do all the evaluative pratices they did. 6. How have they thought about learning opportunities for early learners who are just beginning to learn about learning? 7. Funding? 8. Sustainability - how long. Are they planning to stop at some point, how long are they planning to iterate and expand, develop?
Kara - was at LDT and before that she was a newspaper reporter came to zoo four years ago. came as a multimedia designer - did some rapid prototyping, user testing and then transitioned into exibhit designer content development, space/3-D design, production, prototyping, installation, and evaluation
Focus on visitor experience, and bring animals closer to visitors visceral experiences, fun, short text, viewing experiences. separate out the extended learning experiences multiple audiences layering of experineces - alloing for more indepth experience in follow-up visits
Required a combination of landscape, rock, animal, learning design.
MB: Team was holding it all together? Other experinces, have seen that bureaucracies get in the way. What is the secret ingredient to keeping everyone focused. KB: Took 6 years because there were so many stakeholders at the table. Time worked in our favor. EX: Railing design to 4 iterations and that the consensus of the table felt comfortable. Bringing the right people at the right time. Some of it was hoping you paid attention to as many voices along the way, and hoping everyone was happy.
NS: Studies of learning? KB: Just came up with instrument for summative evaluation. A bit watered down because there was input from everyone. So, hoping to tease out the learning and getting at are people getting what they had designecd into the exhibits. Some open-ended questions. Still self-report. May have to d a separate study over the summer. EX: A zoo had done a pre-post study. And how people were responding to conservation. The zoo had gorillas in cages the visitor responses to needs for conservation vs. when the zoo created more habitable settings = visitors responded with less concern, that the animals looked healthy and well cared for. Need to be careful.
Went for emotional impact and personal attachement. Watching families to talk at exhibits has been anecdotally interesting. Letting people choose where they donate...
ES: How do you accomodate for the multiple languages. KB: We don't. 50% local, 10% international visitors. A few brochures in different languages. Would like to have the multimedia be more accomodating.
AA: Use of plexiglass exhibits. KB: Challenges - very expensive. Bird strikes - and trying to create ways to prevent. Not a planned design issue. JB: Tensions between animal care and visitor needs? KB: Always. The animal care experience experts want one thing, and people want large spaces and look good.
NC: Question about prototyping and we've learned that it's important. When is enough? KB: Yes, unlimited, but our constraint was staffing rather than money. Mostly wear and tear kinds of issues. Deadlines. NC: In Curriculum Construction course didn't get the chance to prototype because of limited time. VV: Need to prioritize. NC: The constituency was so broad at zoo... so. KB: Prototyping for content- were they getting our big message, then prototyping for sustainaibilty of fabrication - the test of time. Built into the contract. The learning piece was done half in house and half with a partnership with a graduate program at the university. And prioritze and have the biggest needs met
KB: Biggest challenges - animal and exhibit Not too much on railing because we didn't want to distract too much from viewing. Then separate spaces for more intense viewing. Mostly view and then pass up the more intense exhibit spaces.
How do we connect with viewing with interactive station?
We chose a paving material - sustainable material - and decided to put everywhere, and not been tested there regionally, and laid out animal footprints and ended with a marker that says what animal it was attached to. Did not hold up to the cold.
GW: Following up on unexpected outcomes - on the positive. KB: A lot has worked well. Use of sculpture (not sure how it was going to work). Our fine arts commission didn't like it. Use highly realistic sculpture and turned out to work really well. Used audio/video and worked well. Fishing cat and sloth bear feeding tube worked really well.
Transition: to Elephant exhibit. 6 acre site. Includes a renovation to the existing spaces. 4 - 5 separate spaces to see the exhibit from. Spacially unconnected to the rest of the zoo. Access points are tricky.
Ideas about how to connect thematicallly, or getting from one to the other. Connecting the separate spaces. ST: Scavenger Hunt - Ranger Books,Zoo maps, stamps. DG: Puzzle Piece - builds a web site RS: Video conference from one spot to the other side. AA: Elephant ride - but need to collect all pieces first. KB: What about use of cell phones to hear about things. Calling into a #. ST/NS: Elephan alaerts, Also liked in the Asia Trails, taking on the role of research scientists. Taking photos and conducting research and videos scopes or something to capture. AB: using cell phones as part of the scavenger hunt. ES: Using the GPS cell phones to track elephants
Due to open in 2011
GW: Going to have elephants of what variety KB: All Asian elephants. Just did some assessment of what people know about elephants. Little is known about geography, elephant types, and elephant knowledge is low.
DG: could you take an elephant-centered view? ES: Not sure of the differences, but don't African elephants go on long treks, or talking about elephant-centered view....
KB: One misconception is about the amount of space elephants need. If all their needs are met close by, they don't need much space.
MB: Beinging an elephant body is dfferent from child's body. Climbing on back. etc... KB: shard that they have concepted that idea out.
DS: Stomping of foot and feel to the other stations. KB: Final questions: One large over look from Asia Trail from compactness vs. extension along the pathway. Longer linear experience vs. more intimate experience? JW; spread out then more space to explore or keep moving. Flow. Little look outs on the way. AA: If long linear then guided participation. KB: At zoo - probably thinking can do a better job of guided participation.
DK:
Learning Words:
class, knowledge, change, interactive, curricula, canhappenanywhere, gaining, discovering, enhancing, forget, understand, do, function, intellect, achievement, understanding of knowledge, acquisition of skills, practice, understanding, display, formal, informal, cognitive, changing, teaching, experience, taking risks, relevant, mind, activity, construct, modeling, synthesizing, interactive, shifting thought, continuous, activity, community, synthesis, experience, adapt, expertise, using, memorizing, flexibility, relevant, doing, personal, synthesis, transparent understanding, lifelong, transfer, continuous, feedback, interacting, assessment, collaborating, experimenting, exploring, understanding, performance, humility, engaging, understanding, collaborating, reflecting, experimenting, recognizing, training, school, participating, traforming identities, intrapersonal, interpersonal, categorizing, organizing, thinking, education, comparing, reflecting, people, spaces, absorbing, thinking, conceptualizing, innovation, visualizing, questioning, identity, internalization
Notes from P3 Discussion 1:
- Need more points of entry - who are the learners, different needs for different ages
- more ways to connect various terms
- think about group first who is in it....
- different ways to categorize; drop down menus for age, space, approach...narrative justifications
- how to make little ticks/x-boxes mapping aspects of users to tools
- don't need technological solution for every solution
- instead of speaking of traits, focus could be on desired outcomes
- instead of principles, methodology
- periodic table of visualization.....
- ground it in real world goal, human values...