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Museums, heritage centres and even art galleries understand the importance of an interactive experience – they help educate, increases dwell time and make for a more enjoyable experience for your guests.
As part of our work we did in creating the National Food Museum, we’ve looked at ten of the best interactive museum exhibitions around the world that have used both ‘high-tech’ and ‘low-tech’ installations to create a better experience.
High-tech
LightBall Orchestra, Singapore
A full and immersive light show that is meant for play. Children and adults alike can be seen in the video interacting with the exhibition – a great idea for a venue with a large-scale space that needs filling!
Low-tech
American Museum of Jewish Heritage, USA
Just look at what can be achieved with paper and string! This emotional tribute deals with the issues of Jewish immigration in the US and pulls the attention of guests to an important part of the exhibition.
High-tech
Barcelona FC video table, Spain
How else can you display 50 years of football footage? Barcelona FC’s answer is to put the content into the hands of their guests at Camp Nou, allowing them to choose the iconic goals and games they want to watch.
Low-tech
Museum of Sex, USA
Of course, the Museum of Sex has a Breast Bouncy Castle! This is just one of many exhibitions within the museum that is used to tell the story of physical intimacy and playfulness.
High-Tech
Belton House, UK
The power of projection mapping when combined with a heritage centre, cannot be underestimated. This brilliant use of National Trust property, Belton House, is a great example of what can be done to drive footfall during seasonal periods.
Low-tech
Florence Nightingale Museum, UK
Dedicated to the most famous nurse in the UK, the Florence Nightingale Museum mixes medical knowledge and historical moments of importance. This low-tech interactive exhibition is experienced through the guests’ use of a stethoscope.
High-tech
Museo Atlantico, Spain
The exhibition may look “low-tech” but the way you experience it can’t be further from the truth. Buried at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Lanzarote, this exhibition needs diving equipment to see it.
Low-tech
Container exhibition, Japan
Tokyo’s Designer Week was home to a fascinating exhibition by Danijel Meshtrovich Kurinčič. His hidden exhibition challenged guests to poke their heads into holes of the unknown.
High-tech
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, USA
It wouldn’t seem possible to showcase the wonders of the sea on a New York Boulevard, but that is exactly what National Geographic achieved using smart technology and hyper-realistic screens.
Low-tech
Hammer Museum, USA
Even supermarkets have embraced the low-tech and interactive technique of voting. Hammer Museum’s use of chips to vote makes guests not only engage with the exhibition, but makes a conscious effort to ask for their opinion.
Balancing the technology
It’s not all about the latest technology to engage visitors. Great museum experiences come from a stimulating of the senses, to provide an educational insight into a world we’ve never experienced. Make people sniff, stare, listen, touch and even taste their way through the story you are telling. These ten destinations have done it very well, to critical and guest acclaim.
Download our 2023 Trends Report to discover more about visitor attraction insights and guest behaviour in museums.
