Interactives 101: Apps Within Apps

How many different types of experiences should one interactive media element offer?

Easy.

One.

It is temptingly easy for us to dream up interactives for our exhibition as if they are the laptops we use to plan it. A laptop can have hundreds of software applications in it. The more apps, the better. A Swiss Army knife with infinite fold-out arms.

Interactive surfaces in exhibitions aren’t like that. Visitors don’t have time to learn features, don’t have a user manual, and don’t want infinity.

Each interactive experience should do one thing.

One.

Think of a media interactive like its interactive sister, a hands-on science station at a science center. Each demonstrates one phenomenon. The more time you spend, the more deeply you understand. But it’s one experience.

Follow the moving shadow on the wall to learn historic dance moves!

Assemble a playlist of music with one tempo, to take with you!

Try your hand at harder and harder hand drumming rhythms!

Those would all be good single-app interactives. Not apps within one interactive.

Here’s the thing:

Beware apps within apps.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. Technical glitches kept MtM from arriving at the usual time of day this week. Solved now (he said).