This idea came up three times this week. Is there something in the water supply? Here’s the principle again: Curators base their careers on knowledge of the subject. Everyone else should base their careers on ignorance of the subject. …

All squares are rectangles — but not all rectangles are squares. And nobody goes around insisting on calling squares rectangles. Uh, let me explain. We can plan our exhibitions to be “experiences”. And we should. I do. But what are we, specifically, making? …

[NEW PODCAST EPISODE] How can exhibition teams help to decolonize design? What’s a supertoken, and why are cluster hires a better strategy? The new book offers answers to all these questions and more, thanks to author Dr. Dori Tunstall. …

How many different types of experiences should one interactive media element offer? Easy. One. A laptop can have hundreds of software applications in it. But exhibition interactives aren’t laptops. …

The most important takeaway of any interactive should get communicated even if visitors don’t interact. Quiz: what is the one thing every interactive element should do? (Hint: it’s the same as any other element.) Answer: communicate its main message. …

“Let’s go to the museum so we can use some touchscreens!” — Said No Visitor, Ever. Have you been in a newly-opened exhibition lately, filled with touchscreens worth millions, that nobody uses? I have. A big, famous one. We have reached Peak Touchscreen. …

UPDATED — Priceless objects studied by scholars (Neanderthal skulls, the Rosetta Stone) often can’t travel. So we make scientific-quality facsimiles for borrowing. These are “forensic” quality, identical in every detail, worthy of study. And as designers, we can exploit this idea. …

Some words confuse as much as help. Here’s a cheat sheet. Artifact: A genuine preserved collection object, with provenance (documented chain of ownership) on display. Facsimile (also called Replica, Reproduction, or Repro): A copy of an artifact …

A little pro-visitor devotional. We forget. We forget every day, and need reminding. We forget that we are experts. Therefore we can’t unlearn our subject. We forget we can’t instinctively empathize with our visitors’ level of knowledge, so we have to discipline ourselves …

Immersive. Marketing buzzword of the moment? Or evergreen basic principle, worth a spot in the toolkit? Both. Let’s clarify something. “Immersive” just means “adding large, digital audiovisuals to a physical space”. …

I have a lot of Google Alerts. I’ve had one for the phrase “interactive exhibition” forever. And I’ve had one for “immersive experience” for a year or so. The web continues to fill up with articles about “interactive exhibitions”. More than “immersive experiences”. But …

What’s an overused ancient word describing an awe-powered temporary physical experience that triggers deep attention? Let’s spend a little time on a highly requested topic. First, a recap of basic principles, some unexpected. …

Sometimes we’re stuck with projectors in bright spaces. Reader A.H. writes: "... we are just embarking on a battle to control the amount of light in an exhibition so the projection doesn’t look milky. Unfortunately, the space can’t be dark …" Here are some approaches …

Technology changes fast. Flat panels are bigger, LED is cheaper. Both work in sunlight. In classrooms and conferences, projectors are fading. But they are sometimes still necessary in (darker) exhibitions. When? In six “S” situations: …

If I had a dollar for every time I had to talk someone out of trying to use a projector in a bright exhibition space, I’d have … uh … lemme see … I guess maybe $64. Huh. Anyway, it happens a lot. Despite our peculiar optimism that it will work anyway. Here’s why it won’t.

That black circle in your eye is not a dot. It’s a hole in your eyeball. Your pupils are black like a keyhole is black when the room beyond has no light. When you look into someone’s eyes, you are literally looking inside their eyes. (Guess what redeye is, in a photo.) …

For exhibitions that will be busy, we often avoid planning interactives meant for one visitor at a time. Single-visitor experiences can’t serve enough people to be efficient. And single-person interactivity is what we all do all day anyway. So we plan for the opposite …

This one has come up in conversation on projects so often lately that it’s time to put it out there again. Sometimes, a problem is an opportunity in disguise. Next time one comes up in a planning discussion, try the Evil Smile Excellent trick. …

Your voice was heard! Last week, many of you replied to a survey (now closed) about which topics should get covered more here. It was a “select all that apply” checklist. The Results: Turns out there was no universally chosen topic. That said, the leaders were clear. …

PHIL: This coffee is terrible. No wonder it was so cheap and fast. MONIQUE: Iron Triangle, baby. [Sips matcha] PHIL: Uh, what?MONIQUE: You know, that old saw: “Fast, cheap, or good — pick two.” That’s the Iron Triangle. Especially in exhibitions. PHIL: And coffee? …