Prototype an Interactive Exhibit in 90 Minutes 
Bob Ketner, The Tech Museum, USA
Robert Stephenson, The Tech Museum, USA
http://www.thetechvirtual.org/mw2010
The Tech Museum has pioneered the use of internet-based tools for rapidly prototyping exhibit concepts and streamlining their development. Focused on the particular design challenges faced by hands-on informal science centers, the program allows collaboration with remote teams to test and plan exhibits using virtual worlds and free online tools. With the Tech Virtual collaborative environment (http://www.thetechvirtual.org) curators can network with exhibit designers and topical experts to conceptualize, design and prototype individual exhibits or even an entire exhibition. With these tools, museum professionals can also develop visualizations of their projects to support funding requests or guide additional content creation.
In this workshop, participants will learn how to format a design brief for exhibits at their institution which could benefit from online collaboration. They will submit exhibit proposals using The Tech Virtual, and experience the process of collaboratively prototyping one of the proposed exhibits online. We will also discuss the speed and cost benefits of collaborative development and virtual prototyping.
With a laptop, participants will be able to actively begin projects during the session. For those without a laptop there will be printed activity sheets available for pen and paper participation. Chance favors the prepared mind, so come with an exhibit project in mind. Want to get your hands on the tools early? All resources and templates will be available at http://www.thetechvirtual.org/mw2010.
Mini-Workshop: Interactive Exhibit Design [design]
Keywords: prototype, design, exhibition, methodology, tools
