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Polson, Debra, Deen, Terry, Quijano, Sarah, & Christensen, Bryce(2017)The Marvel cinematic universe mixed reality mobile experience.

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Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 1

ProjectReportTheMarvelCinematicUniverseMixedRealityMobileExperience

ByDebPolsonHUBStudio,QUT

d.polson@qut.edu.auhttps://twitter.com/debpolson

QAGOMACollaborators:

TerryDeen-HeadofLearning

HUBStudioCollaborators:BryceChristensen-WebProgrammerSarahQuijano–GraphicProduction

AccessibleatGOMAfromMay26toSeptember3,2017.

AbstractThisreportdescribeshowamobileexperiencewasdesignedtocreateaplayfulillusionofmixedreality,intersectingtheeverydayspaceofamuseumwiththefantasticworldoftheMarvelCinematicUniverse(MCU).Theaimwastoarmthemuseumvisitorwiththeirownpersonalmobiledevicetotransformdisplayedartefactsintoexplicitinterfacesintothecinematicspace,transportingandimmersingtheminthefictionalworld.TheconsequenceofconnectingthepersonalwiththefictionalinthiswayisthatazoneofmixedrealityisgeneratedaroundtheartefactsimultaneouslytransformingthevisitorintoahybridversionofpartselfasmuseumvisitorandpartagentgatheringintelasaconspiratoroftheMarvelUniverse.Thismutualtransformationofspaceandselfisnotanaccidentalconsequenceofthesimpleadoptionofmobiletechnology,butaresultofarefinedinteractiondesignpracticetakingintoaccountallofthecomplexdynamicsofthecontext,subjectandstakeholdersoftheexperience.Todesignanddevelopthefinalwork,DebPolsondrewonyearsofexperiencewithdeliveringlargescalemixedrealityprojectsformuseumsites(SCOOT2004-2009,MuseumofCollidingDimensions2016).Subsequently,thisreportpresentsextensionsofpreviouslyformedinteractiondesignmodelsandmethodsaswellasanewstrategyforacquiring‘immersionlevels’vitalforcontrivingmixedrealityexperiences.Immersionlevelsarearticulatedasasequenceofdeepeningexperiencefrombasicdistractionfromtherealtofullsubmissiontothefantasy.Suchastrategycanbeappliedtoprojectdesignanddeploymentandasaguideforevaluatingthesuccessofanyworktoengageparticipantswithintersectingrealities,inthiscasebetweenthephysicalmuseumandcinematicworld.Thisreportalsodiscussesthecontingenciesandlimitationstothesuccessfuldeploymentofsuchanexperience.

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 2

BackgroundThisprojectwasdesignedwiththesupportofMarvelStudios,LosAngelesandinstalledattheGalleryofModernArt(GOMA),BrisbanebetweenMay22andSeptember3,2017.Theexhibitioncalled,‘Marvel:CreatingtheCinematicUniverse’,becamethemostsuccessfuleventinGOMAs’historywithover15,000visitorsrecordedinasingleday.TheexhibitionincludeddisplaysofsomeofthemosticonicartefactsfrompopularMarvelfilmsaswellaspropsthatcamedirectlyfromfilmsetsstillinproductionandhadnotyetbeenseenincinemas.InOctober2016,DebPolsonwasapproachedtopitchnewinteractiveworkstobeinstalledattheexhibitionthatbothdisplayedtheMarvelbrandandprovidedauniquevisitorexperiencewiththemuseumcontext.Afterpitchingandrefiningsixverydifferentconcepts,theMCUmobileprojectbecameoneofthreeprojectsselectedandfundedfordevelopmentandinstallation.Maindeliverableconsiderationsforthisprojectwerethatit

• Beaestheticallyandmechanicallypolished• Berigorousenoughtowithstandthousandsofinteractionsaday• IsabletowithstandthescrutinyofhardcorefansandMarvelexperts• inspiresinterestintheMarvelUniversefromnon-fans• representsboththeMarvelbrandandGOMAcommunity• beacolourfulandplayfulexperiencefortheyoungervisitors

TheInteractionDesignApproachContext,Subject,StakeholdersandtheDesignerTosuccessfullyconnectmuseumartefactsondisplayinagallerywiththecinematicuniverseofMarvelthreekeyareasofconsiderationwereidentifiedearlyinthedesignprocesstoestablishtheessentialcriteriaforconceivingandpresentingconvincingprojectideas:thecontext,thesubjectandthestakeholders:

• TheContext:TheGalleryofModernArt(GOMA)inBrisbanehasavisiontobethe‘leadinginstitutionforthecontemporaryartofAustralia,AsiaandthePacific.’TheQueenslandArtGallery(QAG)wasestablishednearbyin1982.Butitwasn’tuntil2006whenGOMAbecamethe‘onlyartmuseuminAustraliatofeaturepurposebuiltfacilitiesdedicatedtofilmandthemovingimage’(QAGAnnualReport2015-16).Withanactivecinemaprogramaswellasgalleryspaces,GOMAwaswellsuitedtopresentinganinternationalexhibitioncelebratingtheMarvelCinematicUniverse.Asthedesigner,itwasimperativetoconceiveworksthatwereconducivetotheGOMAenvironmentandproducequalityoutputscommensuratetotheexpectationsofkeystakeholderswithinandaroundGOMA.

• TheSubject:TheMarvelCinematicUniverse(MCU)hasits’originsintheearlierMarvelComics(1939)buthashadanextraordinarygrowthofbothcriticalandpopularsuccessinthecinemasince2008.Thereare17filmsincludedintheMCUGOMAeventstartingwithTheIncredibleHulk(2008)andmostrecently,Thor:Ragnarok(2017).ThecinematicpresentationsoftheMarvelUniversearerichwithanimation,sound,actionandcharacterdevelopmentsandrelationships.MarvelStudiosareleadersinfilm-makinginnovation,especiallywiththedevelopmentofspecialeffectstoolsandtechniquestobringsuchextraordinaryfictionalworldsintocinemasandhomeswithsuchdetailandhumour.Intermsofthedesignobjectives,itwasessentialtomaintainthenarrative,aestheticandoverallbrandofMarvelStudios.Todoso,athoroughstudyintotheworldandcharactersofMarvelwasrequiredtocommenceanykindofrepresentativeworkandcarefulcollaborationwithMarvelStudioexecutivestoverifyanydesigndecisionsalongtheway.TobecomedeeplyfamiliarwiththeMCU,thedesignerwatchedall17films,referredtokeypublicationsandreviews,examinedfancommunitiesandcreativeactivitiesandreadcomicsbeforebecomingaquasi-expertinthesubjectwellenoughtounderstandandconnectcriticalMCUmoments,charactersandartefacts.

• TheStakeholders:ApartfromthepeopleofGOMAandMarvelStudios,thereareamyriadofvisitorswithvaryinglevelsofinterestandexperiencewitheitherorbothMarvelandGOMA.Mostcriticaltothesuccessofthisprojectistheexhibitionvisitor.Thisisalsothemostchallengingaspectofthisprojectasthedesignteamacknowledgetheimportanceofengagingvisitorswithintwoverydistinctexperienceextremes.ThefirstbeingthehardcoreMarvelfanswhowillarrivewithagreatdealofknowledgeonthecultureoftheMCUandthevisitorswhohavenointerestinthesubject,butarekeengalleryvisitors.

TheMatrixofExtremeStakeholdersHereisasummaryofwhatbecamethe‘MatrixofExtremeStakeholders’.Thiskindofappraisalandunderstandingofthepotentialparticipantprofilesisadesignnecessityforimaginingthevalueoftheprojecttovisitors,articulatingandevaluatingthedesignprogresswithateamofdevelopersandcommunicatingtheprocessandintentionswithcollaborators.Adetaileduserprofileandjourneytypicalofuserexperiencedesign(UXD)isnotalwaysrequired.Instead,withcomplexinstallationsincomplexsiteswithcomplexcontent,anappreciationofthepotentialattitudesandexperience

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 3

ofextremeusersismorehelpfulforapplyingconcepts,invitinginteractionsandtriggeringtransformations.Forthisproject,IrevisedandcombinedanearlierversionofaUXDMatrix(Polson&Morgan2007)andtheHumanDimensionsMatrix(Polson2013)developedforearliermobilemixedrealityprojects,SCOOTandMiLK.Forthisnewversion,IconsideredthehardcoreMCUFanatoneextremeandtheCriticalgalleryloverattheotherwiththeCuriousvisitorasamid-levelreferencepoint.Thetwoextremevisitorswillapproachtheeventwiththeirownskepticismaimedatthegallery’spresentationoftheMCU.Notethatastheyareconsideredexamplesofextremes,theprofilescansoundalmostcaricatured.Thisabridgedversionofvisitordescriptionsbeganasdesignassumptionstoreferencefordesigndecisionsduringthemakingoftheproject,butwerelateroftenencounteredandobservedattheexhibitionasnotedinthematrixbelow. Pre-VisitViewpoint-

AssumedGeneralVisitExperience-Assumed

SpecificProjectInteraction-Observed

Post-VisitTransformation-Observed

HardcoreMCUFan

Attheextreme,thehardcorefanmayexpecttochallengethegallery’spresentationoftheMCUcultureasawaytoperformtheirknowledge,commitmentandultimatelytheirstatusasafan(Iwillrefertothiskindofbehavioras‘StatusPerformance’)

Attheleast,thefanswillenjoytheuniqueproximitytotheartefactsthatcomedirectlyfromthesetsoftheMCU.Theyareexpectedtotakethetimetoengagewitheachartefact,discussingits’origins,amazinginits’creationprocessanddiscussingthedidacticdetails.Theywillbeforensicintheiranalysisoftheexhibitioncontentandpresentation.Theywillperformtheirknowledgetoexpresstheirstatuswiththeirpeersandwithinthefancommunity.

StatusPerformance(MCUrelated)wasobservedasgroupsdiscussedMCUfactsinspiredbyexhibiteddisplaysandchallengedtheaccuracyofdidactics.Therewasalwaysahierarchyoffanstatusobservedinanyonegroup.Theexhibitionwasanopportunityforthemtoguideothersaswellastoenjoyindividuallytheirproximitytoauthenticartefacts.ManyyoungerfansweresoenamouredbytheMCUthatitwasincreduloustothemtheywerestandingnearanauthenticartefactfromtherealfilmsetthattheirheroeshadactuallyhandled.Overheardcommentssuchas‘NO!Thiscan’tbetherealhammer’!,‘AreyousurethisisreallyIronman’sarmour!?’.Thismobileexperiencedwasanessentialpartinconnecting,remindingandimmersingthefaninthecinematicworld.

Wemetasignificantnumberofhardcorefansthatcameinmulti-generationalgroups,mostcommonlyfathersintheir40swithyoungchildren.Onfathermentionedthatthiswastheirfirstvisittoanartgallery.Suchgroupswereobservedvisitingotherpartsofthegallerytolookatotherevents/exhibitsandclaimedtheywerelookingforwardtocomingbacktoseefutureexhibitswiththeirfamily.Thisisatotaldoublingofextremesfromone(hardcorefan),embracingtheother(criticalartlover).IncreasingtheirStatusPerformancewithintheMCUandfurtherincreasingtheircomfort,confidenceandstatusasmuseumexpertsthroughextendingproximitytootherpartsofthegallery.SomeMCUfanscrossedthe‘experiencethreshold’-usingtheirfamiliaritywiththeMCUasanexcusetoentertheunfamiliarmuseumworld.Givingthemconfidencetoreturnandengagefurther.

InvesteddeeplyintheMCUculture,littleinterestwithagallerycontext

CuriousVisitor Theimpetusforvisitingmaycomefromeitheracuriosityforthesubjectmatter(MCU)oraninterestinthecontext(gallery)presentationofthecontent

Itwasassumedthatthisgroupwouldengagewithcasualinterest.MayhavebeentothegallerybeforeandseensomeoftheMarvelmoviesorcomics.Buttheyexpecttolearnsomethingnew.

ThecuriousvisitorwasobservedtohaverespondedtotheexhibitionwithanincreasedinterestinboththeMCUandtheGallery.Overheardcommentssuchas‘Ididn’tknowMarveldidthat!’or‘Weshouldcomebacktoseethat!’

Acommonobservationwasthatthecuriousvisitorsmadecommentsabouttheirchangedideasaboutwhattoexpecttoseeanddoinagallery.Frompassivepresentationofhistoricformstonovelinteractionwithfamiliarcontent.

MildinterestineithertheMCUcontentortheGallerycontext.

CriticalArtLover Attheextreme,thecommittedgalleryvisitor/membermayexpecttobecriticaloftheinclusionoftheMCUinagallerycontext.Judgingthesubjectmatteras‘popular’ortrivialratherthanof‘cultural’significanceorvalue.TheyarelikelysuspiciousoftheMuseumsintentionstoincludetheMCUandbewaryofMarvelasbigbusinessexploiters.

IftheyareattheMCUexhibition,thentheyareprobablytherereluctantly.Theyareexpectedtoatleastengagewiththecraftofdesign(fashion,animationetc).

Thedesignteaminteractedwiththegalleryguidegroups(mostlyvolunteers)ofwhommostofthemadamantlydeniedtheMCUhavinganyartistic.Somewereevenresentfulofitbeinginthegalleryatall.Butafterpresentingthehistory,craftofcostuming,conceptart,productionprocess,actorinvolvementetc…theywereliterallyoohingandaghingovertheartefactsandcelebrities.

ManyofthegalleryguideswemetearlierwherelaterfoundonthegalleryfloorspeakingenthusiasticallyandproudlyabouttheirnewfoundknowledgeoftheMCU.Andsomewereactivelyseekingoutpeopletoconvinceandconvertastheyhadbeen.Transforminghowtheyengagedwithyouthasnewpeersandwithpeersasthenewnoobs.Creatingatransformationloop.Theartloversasthesiteofconversion…theevangelistsofnewforms,technologies

AversetotheMCUcontentandloyaltomoretraditionalartformatsandhistories

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 4

andcriticallanguages/lensesappliedinnewways.

Above is just a sample of the kinds of assumptions and observations that were made throughout the engagement process between the design team, Museum staff, exhibition visitors. There were also impressions and reviews in the

press that are not included here. TheMarvelMixedRealityMobileExperienceToparticipate,visitorsfollowmissioncluesontheirmobilestofindspecificartifactsfromacrosstheMCUexhibition.Thevisitorsarerewardedattheartefactswithascenefromthefilminwhichtheartefactsfirstappear.Thisistheprimelinkingmomentwhenthemobileinterfacemergestheartefactonsitewithaclipfromthecinematicworld.Thedesignteamobservedmomentsofsheerdelightasvisitorsrecalledandrelivedimportantscenesrelatingtotheoriginsofimportantartefactsandofteninthehandsoftheirbelovedheroesandvillains.Theproximitytotheartefactbothinthefantasyworldandphysicaloneplacesthevisitordirectlyinthemiddleoftheintersectingrealities.Consequently,whenplacedintheintersectionsoftworealities,thevisitoristransformedintoaninhabitantofamixedreality.Evenmoreso,theyarethesite,thecoretheoriginofthatmixedreality.Asecondaryconsequenceisthatthecharactersandartefactsofthefictionalworldarebroughtdirectlyintothespaceinwhichthevisitoroccupiesandimagines.Themostimmersiveofexperienceshavethepotentialtoresonateandtransformavisitors’personalrelationshipwiththemundaneeverydayspaceinacontinuingwayrootedbythecreationofnewvaluedmemories.Thereareninemissionsintotalandattheendofeachthevisitorischallengedwithmoralquestionssuchas‘IntheMarvelUniversetemporalmanipulationscancreatebranchesintime.Wouldyoumanipulatetimetosavelives'?Byselectingoneofthreepossibleanswerstheresultsareprocessedandanoverall'balanceofpower'isrevealedattheendoftheadventure.Thestabilityoftheuniverseiseitherstabalisedbyyourdecisionsorcompromised.Thiswasdesignedtocreateacommunaloutcometoanotherwisepersonalactivity.

The above set of images illustrate how the participants employ the mobile interface to engage with the museum

didactics, artefacts and original MCU content.Theprojectwasdesignedtohavedistinctnodesforinteraction.Anodeisasite(virtualorphysical)wherethevisitorwillinterfacewithrelevantartefactsandinformationtoprogressintheexperience(Polson2013).Sincethenodesaredesignedforvisitorprogresstheymustbepresentedinawaythatallowsthevisitortounderstandhowtoidentifyandinteractwithoratthenode(seepage10fornodemaps,scripts,andUIexamples).Oncesuchanunderstandingisestablished,thevisitorcanthenconfidentlyexplorethespace,contentandconnectionsinamoremeaningfulway.Suchanengagementordertakesthevisitoronajourneyfromcasualcuriositytodeepexplorationtopromotecontemplation,discussionanddebate:

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 5

• AccessNode–Eachnodehasacorrespondingartefacttobefoundandeachartefacthasanicondesignedasaclue.Thereare2interfacesusedbyavisitortoaccesscluesandinstructionsforfindingthenextartefact.Oneprintedandondisplayneartheartefact.Theotherisamatching‘button’onthemainmobileinterface.Boththeprintedandthemobilenodehavethematchingiconandaccesscode.Analternativewaytoaccessthenodeistousetheaugmentedreality(AR)featurethatallowsmobileuserstosimplyholdthecamerauptotheartefactwhichisrecognizedbythemobileapplicationandautomaticallydisplaysthenodeinformation.

• MissionNodes–areatthesiteofeachartefacto MissionDetails–Onceanodeisaccessedthecorrespondingmissioninformationisrevealed

includinginstructionsonhowtofindtheartefactandactivatetheoriginclips.o MissionResponse–Onfindingthenodeandviewingtheoriginclip,thevisitorthenreceivesamoral

questionraisedintheclipandgivenaseriesofoptionstoselecttheirmostfavouredresponseo MissionInfo-displaysamapindicatingthelocationsoftheartefactswithMissionIcongraphics.o MissionComplete-thismobileinterfaceannouncesthatthemissioniscompleteandalsoreports

onthecurrent(real-time)statusoftheMCUdependingontheweightingofresponsestoallnodequestionsfromallvisitors.

Seescreenshotsofselectedmobileinterfacesinthefollowingtablethatillustratevariousnodes.

AnearlyversionoftheMCUInterfacesinarepresentativeorderofparticipantinteractionfromaccessmodethroughmissionmodes

andfinallytopromotionalmode.TheInteractionDesignStrategySince2004DebPolsondesigned,developed,deployedandrefinedalarge-scalelocation-basedmixed-realityexperienceforninemuseumsanduniversityenvironmentsacrossAustralia.TheSCOOTgamewastheresultofaninitialPhDpractice-basedstudy.Consequently,anumberofmodelswerearticulatedtocontributetotheformationofadesignstrategyformixedrealityexperiencedesign.Thisincludedaparticipationorder,engagementlevels,interactionorder...Butfirstly,andingeneral,aprojectshouldbeatleast3ofthefollowing4torateasamixedrealityevent:

• Anintersectionbetweenthephysicalandthevirtual.• Alinkbetweenhistories/experienceandfiction/device/artefact.• Are-engagementwithauthenticspacesandartifactsofplace

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• Azoneofsocialinteraction…andculturalreflectionParticipationOrderToassurevisitorsareabletoparticipateinaneffectivelocatedmobileexperienceaspecificorderoforientation,interaction,identificationandexpressionwasidentified.Eachlevelbuildsexponentiallytoexpeditethelevelofthevisitors’participationfromasimpletangibleencountertoacomplexcreativecontribution.TheparticipationorderwasformerlyreferredtoastheEngagementOrder(Polson2013)andisofferedasawaytoobservecurrentvisitoractivitiesinacontextaswellasaguidefordesigningasystematicandstrengtheningexperienceforparticipantsofanewworkinthesamecontext.Theorderispresentedhereas:

1. Physicalorientationwiththeeventspaces(virtualandphysical).Simplepositionandnavigationalguidesgivevisitorstheinitialconfidencetocommenceandcontinue.

2. Socialinteractionbetweenindividualparticipants,withingroupsandbetweengroups.Theworkcanalsofacilitateinteractionsbetweenparticipantsandnon-participantsinthesamespace.Thisisausefulstrategyforusingcurrentparticipantstoencourageandrecruitnewparticipantstotheproject.

3. CulturalidentificationwithfamiliarartefactsandpreviouslyunexploredartefactsandinthecaseoftheMarvelexhibit,visitorswereabletoclassify,connectandpositiontheartefactswithinthecinematicuniverse…connectingthefictionalworldwiththeeverydayone.

4. Creativeexpression(digitalandmaterial)oractivecontributiontothenarrativeofthecinematic/fictionalworld.Thisisobservedwhenparticipantstakethetimetoreflect,analyse,criticise,anddiscusstheconceptsandcontentoftheexhibition.Butmoreimportantlywhentheyexpressopinions,formnewideasorcreatenewworkseitheronsiteoraftertheeventatadifferentlocation.Thesecanbeobservedonsocialnetworks,fansites,emailmessages,reviews,printedcontributionsetc.

EngagementLevelsEngagementlevelsbeginwithcuriosityandpeakattheemergenceofnewpracticesinspiredbywork.

1. Casual:Curiousexperimentationwiththeinterface2. Interested:Explorationandmanipulation3. Committed:Regularinteractionacrossmultipleplatforms.Referraltootherpotentialusers4. Intellectual:Reflectiveandcriticalanalysis.Sharinginsightswithothers.5. Creative:Creativeresponseanddistribution.Expressionofinspiration.6. Derivative:Demonstrationofanemergingpracticederivedfrombutnotexplicitlylinkedtothework

ProjectInteractionContextsItisoftenusefultoconsiderwhatvisitorsmightbedoingandwheretheymightbebeforeandafterattendingtheexhibitionandusingthework.Thiswayanongoingrelationshipwiththeconcepts,interactionsandcontentcanbeestablishedandmaintained…

• Pre-Use:Anyengagementwithrelevantmaterialsbeforevisitingthesite,appetc• IN-Use:Anyengagementwithandparticipationinanyofthewebcontentandactivities• Post-Use:Anyinteractionwiththeprojectcontentandrelatedmediaafteruse.

UserInterface(UI)DesignRulesAccordingtoHCIliteratureadigitalInterfaceshould…

1. representtheunderlyingsystemandprovideguidancetonavigateandparticipate2. providefeedbackfromthesystemsovisitorscangagesuccessfulinteractionandimprove

performance/statusthroughanincreasingsenseofcontroloverhowthesystemworks

Inordertoupdatetheserules,thefollowingImmersionLevelsareofferedasanextensiontotheserules.Specifically,toindicatehowtheprojectinterfacescandosomuchmorethatprovideguideanceandfeedbacktotheuser/visitorandinfactpromotemorecomplexinteractionsanddeeperencounterswiththedigitalandphysicalsites,contentandconcepts.NewImmersionLevelsThesenewImmersionLevelswererealisedandrefinedthroughthedesignanddevelopmentofthisprojectandarealsoinformedbypreviousworkinLocation-basedgamedesign(Polson2013)

3. RealWorld:Novelty-Distract,attractandengagevisitorswiththeeventduetothesimplisticnoveltyoftheprojectandthenewnessoftheinteraction.Thisisalevelofcognitiveandcuriousimmersioninthemechanicsandaesthetics.Anextensionofboththefirst2UIDesignrulesandthefirst2levelsofengagementlistedabove.Reliesontheinitialinterfacewiththeprojecttobeinitiallyeasytoaccess(familiarissomeways)andthenunexpected(unfamiliarbutfun).

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 7

4. MixedWorld:Intersection-Thislevelofimmersionisreachedwhenthevisitorsrealisetheconnectionsbetweentheartefactintherealworldandthecinematic.Thisexplicitlypositionsthevisitorintheintersectionbetweenthefictionalworldandtheeverydayone…suspendedinamixedreality.

5. FirstLevelImmersion:Transference-Whenthevisitorbecomeslessawareoftheintersectionandfeelsmoredeeplyimmersedamixedrealitycreatedbymaintainingthecrossoverbetweenthefictionalandthereal.Ultimatelythevisitorfeelsimmersedintheworldfromwhichtheartefactoriginates…transportedtotheoriginalsiteofcreationanduse.

6. SecondLevelImmersion:Intervention-Atthelevelofintervention,thevisitorhasanincreasedlevelofagencyonbothrealitiesthatisreadilyobserved.Forexample,intheMCUmobileexperience,thevisitorrespondstochallengingquestionsthatimpacttheoverallbalanceoftheMCUbetweenstableandatriskdependingontheaggregateresponsesfromothercontributingparticipants.AconsiderationofactionandconsequencethatisastaplenarrativetropeoftheMCU.Andevenmoreso,theconstanteffortittakestomaintainabalancebetweenpositiveandnegativeinfluencesthatindividualsandtheirdecisionshaveoneveryone’sexperience.ThisisanimportantdevicetoaddresstheMCUcommitmenttocomplicatingtheotherwisesimplebinaryofthe‘goodversusevil’narrative.Notonlyimmersedintheworldbutactingonit,impactingit.

CollaborationandCommunicationWhendesigninginterventionsformuseumspacesitisinevitablethattherewillbeinterestandinvestmentintheproductbyavarietyofstakeholdersfromwithintheorganizationandfromthoseassociatedwiththemsuchasexhibitionsponsors.Thisinvestmentgoesbeyondfinancialandincludescriteriaaroundpedagogical,social,cultural,technicalandspatialdimensionsandcontingencies.Itisimportantforthedesignertoincorporateasmuchofthebroaderandorbitingconcernsofeveryoneinvolvedthatrepresentscertainaspectsofthemuseumexperience.Thisisalwaystobebalancedwiththeprimaryrequirementofthedesignleadtocompletetheworkwithintheagreedbrief,budgetandtime.Theexhibitiondesignerwillbeconcernedaboutthewaysinwhichamobileexperiencemaycausethevisitortoaltertheirnavigationthroughthespace.Similarly,thecuratorswillbeprotectiveofthenarrativeandculturaljourneyismaintainedasdesignedforthevisitor.Practicalissuesaroundinstallation,fabricationandtechnologiesfordisplaymustalsobedeliberatedandnegotiated.StrategiesforCommunication

• Besuccinctindescribingtheproject’sbriefasagreeduponwiththecollaboratingorganisation• Articulatetheintendedoutcomesas‘values’thatcanbesharedbyallofthestakeholders• Clearlyindicateontheprojecttimelinethedeadlinesforinputfromstakeholders-andbeclearthat

deliveringontimeandwithqualitydepends,inabsoluteterms,onthisbeingmet• Aboveall,understandtheoriginsandconcernsasmuchaspossibleanddemonstratehowtheyhavebeen

integratedintotheprojectandthelimitsoffurtherimplementationDesignProjectLeadershipEmployingDesignIterationsastheCoreCollaborationDeviceGenerally,ifyouhavefollowedthemaintenantsofgoodprojectleadership,youareproducingagoodproduct.Anyiterationofathoughtful,forensic,confident,attentivedesignwillbecomeyourmostvaluablecommunicationdevice.Evenearlyconceptsketches,designexperiments,andprototypeswillbeyourbestassettofocusdiscussionswithteammembers,collaboratorsandclients.Discussionsarounditerativedesignstendtostayfocusedonhowtorefine,improveandadjustthedesignratherthanissuesthatmaybeorbitingtheprojectthataremorepolitical,irrelevantorevenpersonal.Thiswayyoucanbesurethatwhateveryouhavecreatedbecomesthefocusofanycollaborativediscussionsaboutrefinementanddevelopment,committingtheallcontributorstoprogressingtheprojectratherthancriticizingtheprocessormethodologies.Anydecisionyoumakeasthedesignleadisdoneonbehalfofanyandalloftheprojectstakeholders.So,themoreyouappreciateabouttheprojectstakeholders,themoreequippedtomakedesigndecisionsontheirbehalfyouare.Effectivedesignleadershiprequiresthatyou

• Listenhard-toyourclientsandcollaboratorstounderstandtheneedsandcriteriatheymayemploylatertoevaluateandcommunicatedissatisfactionorsatisfactionwithyourprogress

• Commitearly-toinsurerapidprogressandthattheoutputsbecomethefocusofcommunication

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 8

• Developattentively-bewatchfulandopentoproblemsarisingandmakequickdecisionstomaintainprogresswithouthavingtoengageallcollaboratorsforalldecisions

• Communicatepositively-bothinsidethedesignanddevelopmentteamandwithallothercollaborators.Sometimeseventhehardestmomentsofaprojectcanresultinpositivechanges.

And• Beconfident-Negotiatechangesfromapositionofstrength-thismeansthatyouaredeeplyengagedinthe

projectandcanconfidentlymakedecisionsandarguetomaintainorchangeprojectspecifications.• Representallstakeholders-rememberthatasthedesignleaderthatyourepresentnotonlytheclient,the

siteandtheirinvestors…butalsotheusers,audience,participants.Intheend,iftheparticipantishappy,therestwillfollow.

• Documentandsharetheprogress-withyourclientsalongthewayasthishelpsthemappreciatetheprocessandevidencesawillingnesstobeopen.Butbestrategicwiththis.Donotshowaspectsthatwillbecontentiousandpossiblycreatefurtherconcernordelay,especiallyifyouknowthattheteamwillresolvethemintime.

Anygooddesignproductistheresultofathousandsmalldecisionsandonlyahandfulofbigones.ThelimitsofCommunicationandOpportunityforFurtherResearchAlthoughthecuratorialandexhibitiondesignandpromotionalteamsatmuseumsarekeentoinnovateandexperimentwithnewwaysofengagingtheiraudiences,thepedagogicalteamsaremoreconcernedwithmanagingtheenvironmentsanddidacticsinamannerthatconcentratesonandmaximizeslearning.However,ittendstoleanheavilyontraditionalmodesofpresentinginformationinadidacticmannerandcansometimesunderestimatethecapacityforpeople(youngpeopleespecially)tosynthesisconceptsandfactsthroughthoughtfulinteractions.Thisoftenresultsinthemostinterestinganddynamicpartsofaprojecttobemonitoredanddiminishediftheydonotappeartoperformanimmediateandexplicitlearningoutcome.ThiswasevidencedthroughoutPolson’sexperiencehavingleaddesigninterventionspreviouslyincollaborationwithsimilarteamsatmanyAustralianmuseumsandgalleriesincludingtheNGV,ACMI,SLV,SLQ,MelbourneMuseum,QPAC,QUT,etc.Asanexample,in2006whendesigningSCOOTmobilegameforACMIandtheNGV,DebPolsondevelopedwaystosmuggleinthelearningasanimplicitactivityratherthananexplicitdidacticone.Playerswererecordedstating‘Ijustfoundmyselflearning’,indicatingthattheydidnotrealiseatthetimethatlearningwastheobjective,butdidnotmindatalloncetheyrealizedthatthiswasakindoftrickeryplayedonthem.InthecaseofthisMCUMobileproject,agreatdealoftheoriginalfeaturestobeincludedandtechniquesforparticipantstoengagewiththeworkswereremovedfromtheprojectbythetimeitwasinstalledanddelivered.Thiswasmostlybecausethepedagogicalteamsatthemuseumdidnotalwayshavefaithintheaudience’sabilitytoacceptandadoptcertaintechnologiesandinteractions.Theyperceivedthemobileexperienceasanextensionofthedidacticoneandinsistedonplacingthenodecluesunderwalledsignageinsteadofattheactualartefactthatisreferenced.Thedesignteamwashopingtolinkthecinematicexperiencedirectlytotheartefactwhichwasnormallydisplayedoutonthefloor,notattachedtowalls.Thisseparationresultedinbreakingthedirectlinkbetweenthephysicalobjectandthefictionaloneastheyoftenstartedplyingthecinematicscenesbeforetheywereinproximitytotheactualartefact.Respectfully,thepedagogicalconcernsarenottheonlylimitationonintroducingmoreinteractive,experimentalinteractionsinmuseums.Thereareotherimpedimentssuchastechnicallimitations.Sometimestheteamsinmuseumsarenotequippedorthediversityofvisitordevicesmakesitdifficulttodesignaproductthatisreliableoneveryinterface.Thisraisesapotentialforapossiblepublicationonthechangingcapacitiesofmuseumaudiencesasactiveparticipantsengagingwithcontentdisplayed,accessedandprocessedinincreasinglyinteractiveways.Suchapublicationcouldpresentstrategiesforconsideringnewinteractionswithcontent,criteriaforevaluatingthepotentiallearningoutcomesandexampleswhereimpactcanbedemonstrated.Mostimportantly,suchapublicationcouldassistorganizationstoapproachthedesignofmuseuminterfacesfornewaudienceswithconfidence.SomeInitialResultsOnthebusiestdaysbetweenMay23andSeptember3in2017therewereover15,000visitorstotheexhibition.EachdaytherewereindividualsandgroupsengagingwiththeMCUMobileproject.Mostpeoplewhobegantheexperiencedidnotcompleteallnodes.Thegallerystaffobservedthatmanyofthevisitorsnormallygotdistractedbythemanyotherartefactsandinstallationsthroughoutthe

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 9

InthemonthofAugusttherewasonly2917completedrun-throughsoftheprojectand15689resultsleadingtoapossiblecompromisetoUniversestabilityand7647towardscreatingarenewedstabilitytotheUniverse(seefollowingimages).

Notsurprisingly,manyoftheGOMAcuratorsandgallerymembersrecognizedanddiscussedthepotentialforthiskindofexperiencetobeusedinsimilarwaysforotherexhibitions.TotalFundingforthisprojectwas$66,000(includesfundingforotherinteractivedisplaysdevelopedforGOMAsuchastheHeroMirrorsandMobileExperience)SomeImagesoftheDesignProcessNodeMapping,Scripting,DevelopingandBroadcasting

Designer,DebPolson’sinitialsketchesofmobileUIcomponents,contentandstructure,logicandflowmaps.

Dr Deb Polson. October 8, 2017 10

InitialNodeLocationMapNodeScript-Copy,LinksandMediaNodeUI-MobileInterfaces(UI)containingscriptedcontent,designaestheticsand

interactivecomponents.NodeDigi-prints-OnsitedidacticsandnodecluesLinks:GOMA,‘Marvel.CreatingtheCinematicUniverseexhibitioninformation’https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/marvel-creating-the-cinematic-universeQAGOMAAnnualReports-https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/about/our-story/annual-reportsMarvelComics-http://marvel.com/comics/issue/10008/marvel_comics_1939_1Referencestopreviousworkadoptedandrefinedforthisproject:Polson,DebraandMorgan,Colleen(2007)MILK:theMobileInformalLearningKit.Collaboratingtodesignsuccessfulmobilelearningapplications.In:IADISMobileLearning2007InternationalConference,July5-7,2007,Lisbon,Portugal.Polson,Debra&Morgan,Colleen(2007)Noweverythinglookslikeagame:Mobilephonesandlocation-basedgames.InMobilityconference2007:the4thInternationalConferenceonMobileTechnology,Applications,andSystems,Mobility2007,September10-12,2007,Singapore.Polson,DebraM.(2013)TheSCOOTexperience:gamesinplace:collaborativeinterventionsinsocio-spatialpractices.PhDthesis,QueenslandUniversityofTechnology.Polson,Debra(2016)TheMuseumofCollidingDimensions:Amixedrealityinstallation.