From Touch to Understanding: Tangible Design for Teaching Science - Exhibit for Teaching Scientific Scales to Adolescents

Abstract

This thesis investigates how interactive installations at science centres can be de signed, with tangible interaction as a focus, to increase science capital and teach adolescence between age 10 to 15 about scientific scales. The project was conducted in collaboration with Onsala Space Observatory and their visitor centre to redesign and improve an existing installation about scientific scales and magnitudes. A Research through Design approach was followed using iterative prototyping, user testing and semi-structured group interviews. The prototypes have been designed based on feedback from user testing with visiting school classes and a combination of researched theories such as experiential learning and gamification. The results showed that the implementation of tangible interaction, tasks driven by collaborative problem solving and clear visual communication positively influences the engagement from visitors and the installations independency from requiring a facilitator. It became very clear that intuitive interaction design and clear instructions are a important part of lowering the entry threshold for participation in informal learning environments. Ultimately, this project empathises that creating interactive scientific installations is not only about presenting scientific facts, but also about designing meaningful experiences that encourage young visitors to explore and engage with science in their own way, where tangible interaction serves as an effective approach for supporting such engagement.