Client: David Owsley Museum of Art
Project: Accessibility Design
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Project: Accessibility Design
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According to the National Institute of Health, 53 million people live with a disability and 2.2 million people are dependent on wheelchairs for assistance. The David Owsley Museum has implemented some changes to the facility to make it more accessible for people who are wheelchair users, but after taking a tour of the museum in a wheelchair to gain perspective, there were still some areas of concern. The challenge was to create design solutions that would improve these areas of concerns for people who are wheelchair users.
Based on my preliminary research conducted at David Owsley Museum of Art, I chose specific decision points that could be influential to the overall experience of a visitor—whether their experience was engaging and insightful or influenced them to leave prematurely. Although I focused on wheelchair accessible design solutions, people who are wheelchair users do not want to draw attention to themselves.
Solution 1 is DOMA 360, an augmented reality app that allows users to experience works of art in the round, access label information for each artwork, and be provided with maps of all floors for seamless navigation. Extending the functionality of DOMA 360 users can also learn more about DOMA, search the entire DOMA collection, and locate artworks in the museum. DOMA 360 layers digital information in real time using visual content and sounds to add elements that may not be available due to the limitation of the physical space. The Cleveland Museum of Art and Smithsonian Museum of Natural History have already integrated augmented reality into exhibits with tremendous success.
Solution 2 provides navigational map signs and promotional design templates specifically to be placed in the elevator or be implemented as tv slides. The navigational maps inform visitors how to get to the east elevator from the north entrance of DOMA. In the east elevator, a new map would preface the layout and exhibits on the main level. Both designs use the simplified DOMA map specifically designed for DOMA 360. The promotional designs promote and provide further information about DOMA 360 app that all visitors are welcome to use to enhance their museum experience.
