Exhibition Experience Design

Time to address the elephant in the room.

Ah, right. “There are 47 of them, which do you mean?” Fair. Today, this one:

Are we all doing experience design now, or exhibition design still?

My answer is, “Both. All along.”

Exhibition design is rooted in museum practice — casework, interpretive hierarchies, object-based storytelling. None of which are at any risk of imminent death.

But great exhibitions have always given us more: emotion, agency, moments that stick.

That’s because experience design snuck in the museum side door decades ago, nameless at first, hiding in plain sight. It evolved alongside, inspired by adjacent fields like theater, digital UX, and hospitality, and it helped our visitors feel, engage, and remember.

If we’re considering flow, attention, or emotion — we’re doing experience design, call it that or not.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t also doing exhibition design. Because so many fields claim they do experience design, the term doesn’t actually specify what our little tribe does.

So if we’re working on exhibitions, that’s exhibition design. And if we think of them as experiences, that’s experience design.

What does that make us?

Here’s the thing:

We’re all exhibition experience designers. I know, too clunky for business cards. But it’s what we’ve always been.

Exhibition design grounds us. Experience design expands us. The best work has always combined both, developing not just what we see and hear, but what we feel and remember.

Warmly,
Jonathan

- - - - - - - - - - - -

MtM Word of the Day:

Experience design. The practice of creating meaningful, engaging moments and interactions for people. Applied to exhibitions, the concept integrates storytelling, spatial planning, technology, and sensory elements. The outcome is an environment that connects emotionally and intellectually, enhancing learning, enjoyment and memory.

Next
Next

Should SMEs Lead Exhibition Projects?