Designing Interactives
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Here's a checklist to help you design your interactive. It isn't totally comprehensive, but it should contain enough to get you started.
What age group or groups is it aimed at? Is it for the general public, or for special interest groups, or both? Will it need support materials ie. handouts for the target groups?
Will it always have an attendant/lecturer or will the general public be able to interact with it unsupervised or not closely supervised? Does it need to be able operate in both these ways? If it is unsupervised, will it need explanatory graphics attached?
How rugged/vandal proof does it need to be? Who will maintain it if it needs regular maintenance (if it has real water flowing in it for instance).
Will it be mainly set up outdoors? Where will it be stored when not in use?
How many discrete elements/ideas does it need to show?
In what detail do these elements need to be modelled?
Does its design need to allow for future changes or additions?
Mechanical or electronic?
Advantages of electronic interactives
·Usually low maintenance and reliable
·Can illustrate some things which may be difficult to do any other way
·Easy to reset
Disadvantages of electronic interactives
·Can seem unreal and too abstract
·Lighting effects may not work outdoors or in strong light
Advantages of mechanical interactives
·Can seem more realistic and draw more attention through their novelty
·Can show the actual principle you wish to illustrate
Disadvantages of mechanical interactives
·Can require more maintenance
·Can be more time consuming and complicated to set up and take down
Will the interactive need sound or video?
Who will provide any video, sound, images for graphics or text to be associated with the interactive? Remember, this is not cheap, especially sound.
Keep your budget in mind
Costs are governed by:
·Complexity: more bits = more work
·Novelty: research and development costs have to be covered
·Non-standard bits which have to be custom made cost more than bits off the shelf
·Exotic materials and non-standard or very high quality finishes
·Project management problems ie: lots of meetings to thrash things out and complex approval processes eat hours and $$$$!
So...in the end, if you
have a clear idea of what you want, and you have seen it done before or
it's relatively easy to design or get design information for, you'll get
the most for your money!
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