This presentation was delivered as part of a session entitled, “Innovative Media in Exhibits” at the Jackson Hold Wildlife Film Festival at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The presentation focuses on the advent of multitouch and multiuser exhibits and the transition from presentation and single-user exhibits to more dynamic, social and participatory ones.

1. Media exhibits in transition:
The advent of multitouch &
multiuser installations
Jim Spadaccini
jims@ideum.com
Ideum - Open Exhibits

2. Historically, most computer-based and
media exhibits developed for museums
have focused on individual interaction.

3. Of course, this is contrary to
what we know about museums
and their visitors...

4. Museums are social spaces and visitors come in groups.

5. Until just recently, it was difficult to
develop computer-based exhibits that
could move beyond solitary experiences.

6. Multitouch technology has changed that.

7. Multitouch allows for the use of intuitive gestures for interaction.
More than one point can also mean more than one user.

8. Multitouch tables that allow for simultaneous
interaction among visitors are effectively
a new platform for exhibit development.

9. The table form factor allows visitors to
collaborate and socialize face-to-face with others.

10. These types of exhibits require new
thinking about design and content.
Only a handful of multitouch, multiuser
exhibits have been developed thus far.
A few examples that weʼve created over the last year...

11. An interactive comparison tool that encourages collaboration

12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtT11Xarl8Q

13. Incorporating visitor-created content and dynamic data sets

14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIyENxvr0cA

15. Visitors exploring scientific imagery together

16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMEqMyrivRk

17. The shift to more interactive and more
social exhibits creates new opportunities
and new challenges for traditional
media developers.
New challenges and
new opportunities

18. This shift to more multiuser exhibits
highlights the role interactivity plays and
makes “presentational” media exhibits
seem even more outmoded.
New challenges and
new opportunities

19. Computer-based exhibits that are
more interactive and social have
greater appeal to museums
and their visitors.
New challenges and
new opportunities

20. The transition of media
exhibits at museums
presentational to interactive
individual focused to group focused
museum-created to visitor-generated content

21. Research backs the shift. Media
exhibits that are more participatory and
social build on established and effective
educational techniques.
Transitions concerning media
exhibits at museums

22. The types of behavior we observe at multitouch tables
resemble the kind of interaction we see at physical exhibits.

23. Physical exhibits (which have been around for 40+ years)
can teach us a lot about developing new media exhibits.

24. Multitouch and multiuser exhibits
combine the best of both worlds

25. Flexible and media-rich computer-based educational
experiences are melded with physical and social interaction.

26. www.openexhibits.org
Help design the next step in computer interactives
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.DRL-1010028. Any
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

27. Photo Credits
Slide #4, 24, 25 ©The Exploratorium - www.exploratorium.edu
Slide #6 ©Vancouver Aquarium
Slide #7 GestureWorks - www.gestureworks.com
Photographs © Jim Spadaccini & Ideum, except the following: