Digital Learning Content Creation - JourneyMaker - Art Institute of Chicago

Project Overview

JourneyMaker is an interactive digital experience, that allows families to create personalized tours at the Art Institute of Chicago. The family chooses their journey via an interactive touch table. Each adventure is a narrative that guides the family through the galleries to experience time travel, encounters with strange and wild creatures, a museum sleepover, and more. Visitors select works of art within the storylines to create a personalized experience. Once the family has made their selections, a Journey Guide is printed, which the family can utilize while in the galleries. The guide provides instructions, artwork information, wayfinding directions, and interactive activities. JourneyMaker is also accessible via the museum’s website, which allows families to develop and print the Journey Guide at home.

Contribution

As a fellow in the Department of Learning and Public Engagement, I contributed to the following components of the project.

Theme Development - Multiple themes were generated and tested for compatibility with objects from the museum’s permanent collection, and for their ability to excite and engage children and their caregivers.

Art Selection - Objects were selected, researched and considered for their kid-friendly nature, and for consistent accessibility in the galleries. For example, works on paper were not chosen due to the limited time in which they can be displayed. Art with nudity or violent content was also excluded. The objects that I selected displayed cultural diversity, provoked curiosity, and were fun to look at.

Written Content - For each of the eight journeys, a writer was assigned to maintain a consistent tone throughout the experience. I wrote the Strange and Wild Creatures journey with a whimsical voice that often rhymes. All written content was limited to a short character count, dependent upon its location on the interface. This restriction elicited pithy statements, that were quick and simple enough for a child to read.

Wayfinding Directions - The objects chosen by the family are reordered to create the most direct, sequential, and accessible path for a family with a stroller or wheelchair. For Strange and Wild Creatures, I developed and tested paths for all potential artwork combinations. For additional assistance a map of the museum is printed on the back of each Journey Guide.

Journey Guide - The print component of the digital experience seeks to provide a tangible, personalized souvenir of the family’s journey through the museum. Each guide contains information about the works of art, activities, and a map. The main challenge in the creation of the Journey Guide was to find a format that could be printed using a standard printer and paper. The format that was chosen used 11x14 paper, that could be printed on both sides, and folded into a booklet with minimal instruction.

Touch Table - The touch table, which encases the digital interactive screen, is the launch site for each family’s journey. As a member of the furniture design team, the table was part of a larger renovation project in the Ryan Learning Center. I proposed minimal table designs that could effectively house all components of the device, a hexagonal shape that allows for greater reach from all sides of the table, and a height and base that provide ample wheelchair clearance.

Design Review - All aspects of the visual and interaction design were developed by Belle & Wissel, Co. Upon submission of prototypes by B & W, the AIC team would review, comment, and request changes. As a part of this team, I provided feedback which assisted the designers in the look and feel of the experience.

Prototype Testing - Families were identified by visitor services to participate in prototype testing for JourneyMaker. At multiple points in the development process, myself and a colleague conducted testing for general issues, functionality, and intuitive interaction.

Recognition

JourneyMaker was created with funding from the Art Institute of Chicago’s Woman’s Board, and a museum-wide collaboration, led by the Department of Learning and Public Engagement. A team of designers and developers from Belle & Wissell, Co. crafted the visuals, interactions and print design components of the project.

Awards

SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards: Winner (Visual Media Experience), 2017

Museums and the Web’s Glami Awards: Finalist (Exhibit Experience), 2017

International Design and Communication Awards: Gold Medal (Best App), 2016