Experience Design is not new. Museums, zoos, and other public institutions have been designing compelling visitor experiences for decades. But in recent times, the term has become increasingly popular to describe the creation of interactive public experiences that involve large displays and surfaces, projectors, sensors, and other emerging technology. This continuing evolution of the field to include activated spaces is even acknowledged in the name of this conference—the pre-2016 Interactive Touch Tables and Surfaces (ITS) has become Interactive Surfaces and Spaces (ISS).

While new digital tools have lowered the barrier to entry for a new generation of designers—who have been transforming public spaces at a record pace, even creating new ventures and spaces—emerging technology hasn’t changed the basic principles behind good interactive design. As the scene’s expansion accelerates, it’s more important than ever to evaluate these types of experiences and new design approaches with the unique perspective offered by deep institutional knowledge. Understanding the relationships between spaces, exhibits, visitor identity, and interaction is key to infusing unique perspectives with authenticity.

In my presentation, we will talk about how the field has changed in the last decade; discuss new design paradigms and the technologies that make them possible; and finally, apply tried-and-true experience evaluation criteria, with some important new additions to help designers harness these new tools effectively.

In 1999, Jim Spadaccini founded Ideum (www.ideum.com) with the mission of creating visitor-centric interactive experiences of substance. As the Creative Director and Founder, he helps direct Ideum’s commercial touch table and software initiatives and provides creative direction for a wide range of experience design projects at museums, zoos, and other public spaces.

Before founding Ideum, Jim was the Director of Interactive Media at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. He has taught design and technology for almost 30 years, including at San Francisco State University’s Multimedia Studies Program; Technology-Enhanced Communication for the Cultural Heritage program at the University of Lugano, Switzerland; and digital media and museums for the Cultural Resource Management Program at University of Victoria, British Columbia. Jim has also consulted with Apple and Adobe, and has developed promotional and instructional materials for a number of professional software authoring tools.

Jim was the Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Open Exhibits software and community initiative and a co-PI for the Creating Museum Media for Everyone project. He also co-chaired the NSF-funded Human-Computer Interaction in Informal Science Education conference. Jim was a Principal Investigator on the NASA-funded Space Weather Mobile project and co-PI on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sponsored project, Hurricanes and Climate Change.‍