Child's Play
Study | 2009 | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Concept Design - Exhibition Design - Interaction Design
This project was about redesigning the concept for the children's section of the Melbourne Museum. An understanding of the psychology of children between the the ages of 3 to 5 unveiled a few key aspects to be addressed in order to create an experience that would be engaging, playful, intuitive and meaningful.
Colours and movement are an important part of a 3 to 5 year old's world. With their low concentration spans, learning is focussed around repeatable activities. Their nature to seek attention or approval in the form of a reaction or response brought together the theme of the final concept: 'every action should be given a reaction, in order to understand the significance of the activity engaged in.
The building, from the outside, impresses upon the mind:
a large box of knick-knacks.
This inspired the meta-theme: mechanical systems, with a view to provide exposure to things that are not seen as a part of daily life but are very much an important part of it; which; at this impressionable age, could generate an interest in how things work.
The museum space will be full of colourful mechanical systems, that will give the children a variety of immediate and delayed outputs like bubbles, music, pinwheels, kaleidoscopic patterns and the like. Non-toxic foam like polymers for most touchable parts within reach paired with physical computing will ensure safety and ease of interaction.
