In Part 1 of this article, I mentioned that I’d attended the Exhibitions and Interpretation Design course run by the Conservation Training Academy at Chester Zoo. There are so, so, so many things I want to say about this, but, in the interest of not brain-dumping at you, I’ll stick to discussing the parts I found most interesting (NB it was all interesting, but there you go).
Exhibitions and interpretation defined
In the course, ‘exhibitions’ were defined as curated displays of a selection of items. ‘Curated’ is key here – the structure and the items on display shouldn’t be entirely random, but instead should be linked in some way, be it by theme, object type, historical timeframe, etc. The objects themselves could range from photos and historical or cultural artefacts to contemporary pieces – and, crucially, animals. This definition was quite eye-opening for me. I’d only ever really associated ‘exhibitions’ with art and galleries. Though I’d heard individual sections of zoos described as ‘exhibits’, I hadn’t made the connection that a zoo is in fact an ‘exhibition’ in and of itself.
‘Interpretation’, on the other hand, encompasses the ways in which objects, concepts, ideas, and theories are given meaning. It’s a way of directly communicating stories, narratives, and information about the objects within an exhibition or collection to the relevant audiences, placing the artefacts within an engaging and informative context.
Types of interpretation design
Towards the start of the session, my coursemates and I completed a five-minute brainstorm of types of ‘interpretative interventions’. The result brilliantly captures the diverse and creative ways that exhibitions can be brought to life for audiences (all food for thought for when I'm completing my various research and design projects throughout my UX MA), while also highlighting the amazing creative potential of a group brainstorm:
Digital interactives and gamification
'Digital interactives’ interested me in particular as a form of interpretative intervention. These involve people physically touching screens and digital buttons, all with the objective of helping audiences learn about a particular topic.
The Chester Zoo Exhibition and Interpretation team shared some fascinating stories about the digital interactives they’ve worked on, often aimed at audiences spanning different age groups and learning goals. One of the interactive digital games featured at the zoo, for example, encourages visitors to explore how they would survive for a month as a lion in the wild, encouraging audiences to use their imaginations (and, indeed, practise empathy) while learning about habitats, threats, and hunting habits. Users receive a score at the end, encouraging them to come back and play again.
The game is also packed with a huge range of content, linked to school curricula as well as aimed at encouraging audiences to think about conservation as a potential career choice. The content differs depending on the choices the user makes within the game, so they encounter new information each time they play. This example perfectly illustrates the educational potential of gamification, particularly when audiences' needs and interests are taken into account. I'd love to learn more about how the zoo is researching the effectiveness of these types of digital interventions in meeting its goals to increase knowledge of conservation and prompt action and change among its audiences.
Research
Speaking of research – focusing on user needs is something the team at Chester Zoo also takes very seriously, as Doctor Andrew Moss, the zoo’s Lead Conservation Scientist for Social Science, explained. He outlined a number of approaches for researching what users think and feel about exhibits and the zoo in general, including (covert and overt) observation, conversation analysis, and direct engagement in the form of surveys, questionnaires, and interviews.
His thoughts on the practitioner / researcher relationship were particularly relatable. Ideally, both the researcher’s research and the practitioner’s practice should inform and be informed by each other. How much that happens in reality, though, hinges significantly on a lot of factors, not least time, capacity, and willingness to learn from each other and be open to new (and potentially contradictory) ideas.
Words, words everywhere…
I’ll end on my absolute favourite part, which was, of course, the snakes. (Jokes – it was, of course, the words.)
Interpretation design is necessary at least in part from a legal perspective, as zoos have to achieve clear aims for visitor engagement and provide accurate species information. However, it is also crucial from the perspective of what Exhibitions and Interpretation Manager Fred Howard termed “unmanned engagement”. One study at the zoo found that around 90% of visitors don’t actually speak to rangers, volunteers, or other zoo staff members throughout their visit. This means that interpretation, in the form of signage, screens, and other interpretative interventions – all of which include information framed using carefully chosen words and supportive visuals – is often the zoo’s primary means of communicating directly with visitors. Meaning, of course, that the interventions have to be excellent (which, IMHO, they really are).
It made my content designer-heart very happy to hear the team talk so passionately about how, by presenting information in an accessible, easy-to-understand format, they were able to share potentially complex ideas with as wide an audience as possible – not dumbing down, but opening up. I’m pretty sure Sarah Winters would be very happy to hear this too.
A few aspects of Chester Zoo’s language guidelines that I found particularly useful:
Think about hierarchies - start with your key message and layer your content in decreasing order of importance, chunked up using subheadings for extra clarity
Avoid jargon where you can, and where you can’t, explain it first, then introduce the term (then it becomes more of a learning moment rather than a 'what-the-hell-is-that' moment)
Keep your text easy to read, using both simple language and clear layouts
Use natural speech patterns and keep it conversational, including injecting your brand personality and/or humour – where appropriate!
Stay on topic - know what you’re talking about before you start and keep this front of mind as you write
I can't quite believe how much I got out of the course, especially to say that I work at a bank, which is very much not a zoo. But the overlaps were not only substantial but also concrete in terms of the importance and role of research and language, as well as the core focus on the user in every interpretation decision.
It goes to show that UX and the principles it embodies really can be applied to a hugely diverse range of sectors and scenarios. I can't wait to explore as many of them as I can.
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