Why can’t we just ask our visitors what they want? Jessica Sickler (Principal, J. Sickler Consulting) discusses “Testing the Right Thing at the Right Time” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners). …

Behold the bubble diagram: a simple planning tool anyone can create. It’s a top-down view with bubbly shapes representing topics and experiences. But sometimes, we believe our own bubble diagrams a liiiiittle too much. …

I tried to make a giant list of exhibition genres. Yes, a very MtM things to do. But I kept getting stuck. At first I couldn’t figure out why. Then I realized that the genre names we sometimes use in the industry aren’t all the same kind of category. …

If we are going to stick with an existing genre, we'd better commit. Because genres, regardless of medium, are all about creating expectations. Remember the “Lone Ranger” remake years ago? Johnny Depp played Tonto. You might not. It flopped. …

Quick, what are the phases of exhibition design? Concept Design, Design Development, Final Design, Fabrication? Maybe Schematic Design between Concept and DD? Sure, as a zoomed-out view. But when you zoom in …

A very special episode of Making the Museum, for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. Mark Wagner (Design Principal, Stantec) discusses “The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners). …

A museum touchscreen can borrow from websites. But it can’t act like one. There are piles of reasons for that. For example, websites assume a “continuing user.” Museum interactives can’t. …

Most museum display cases invite visitors to compare similar things. Occasionally, though, you’ll encounter two objects in a case that don’t appear to be similar at all, but it’s no accident they are together. …

When most people imagine creating a museum object case layout, they might think of somebody arranging artifacts until the composition looks good visually. But visual arrangement isn't where experience design really starts. …

What could museums learn right now — from their competitors? Renée Hampton (Electrosonic) discusses “What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (C&G Partners). …

(See what I did there?) Yes. Most panel titles are just naming the subject, like a Wikipedia article: “Early Railroads.” “Civil War Medicine.” “Ancient Trade Routes.” Those titles are clear, sure, but they mostly just sit there. …

Visitors do not only look at what we give them to look at. If only. Case in point: the visible exit problem. All of us humans automatically, subconsciously, and constantly scan for obvious ways out from the spaces we are in. …

If something moves, it becomes important — whether we planned it or not. Why? Because we are built that way. We evolved to detect saber-toothed tigers in the bushes by peripheral motion, flashing light, and sudden sounds. In exhibitions, that means …

How can exhibitions create positive change in the world? Femke Bijlsma (Partner, Kossmanndejong) discusses “Make Space for Change (The New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners). …

When we talk about creating “memorable experiences,” most of the heavy lifting is getting done by two different emotions working together: awe and wonder. They are related, but they are not the same thing. Awe is WOW. Wonder is OOH. …

If you are reading this, you are very likely involved in exhibition making. So today … here’s to you. What job lets you turn knowledge, objects, space, emotion, and visitor behavior into one physical experience?

One of the fastest ways to make an exhibition feel more expensive is simple: Make all the white lights the same color temperature. Many exhibition spaces accidentally mix lighting color temperatures. Bleh. …

Wondering what kind of interactive to make for your new exhibition? Well, you kinda can't go wrong with a quiz. It's not because they're easy to make. A good quiz takes work. It's because quizzes secretly communicate something …

Political leaders have argued that museums should emphasize national pride rather than difficult history. Yes, museums should not overwhelm visitors. But there is a difference between handling history carefully and removing it entirely. …

Some difficult history exhibitions overwhelm visitors. Others are so restrained that visitors feel almost nothing. How do we navigate these two extremes? Here’s one way: the Inzovu Curve, developed during genocide memorial work in Rwanda. …