The Solo Exhibit Designer's Survival Guide

Let's set the scene: You're the "exhibit team." Not part of the team—you ARE the team. Content research, design concept, fabrication planning, vendor coordination, installation supervision, and probably writing the press release, too. Your business cards should just say "Department of Everything."

Sound familiar? Welcome to the reality of small museums, where "we need a new exhibit" translates to "you need a new exhibit and also figure out how to make it happen with whatever budget is left after we fix the roof leak."

Before you update your LinkedIn status to "seeking opportunities in retail management," take a breath. Some of the most innovative, engaging exhibits I've seen (like the ones pictured in this post) came from solo designers who learned to work smarter instead of just working harder.

Tools and Tips for (Solo) Designers

The Master Project Timeline (Your North Star)

Create a single document that outlines everything: content deadlines, design milestones, fabrication schedules, and installation tasks. Update it regularly. When you're overwhelmed, this document tells you what actually needs attention today versus what just feels urgent.

Pro tip: Work backward from opening day, not forward from today. Identify the absolute drop-dead dates and build your schedule around those.

The "Good Enough" Decision Framework

Not every decision needs to be perfect. Develop categories:

• Mission critical: Affects visitor safety or core learning objectives.

• Important: Significantly impacts visitor experience.

• Nice to have: Makes things better but isn't essential.

Spend 80% of your energy on mission-critical items.

The Vendor Relationship Strategy

You can't do everything yourself, but you can coordinate people who are experts in their fields.

Build relationships with:

• Fabricators who understand museums: They know the durability requirements and budget realities.

• Graphic designers who work fast: They can make your content look professional without endless revisions.

• Installation crews who problem-solve: They'll help you figure out what you didn't think of.

Cheap contractors who cause stress aren't actually cheap.

• The Weekly Reality Check

Every Friday, ask yourself: "What's actually broken versus what just isn't perfect?" Focus your weekend worries on things that could prevent opening or harm visitors. Everything else can wait until Monday.

• The "Close Enough" Celebration

When something is 85% of what you envisioned and is fully functional, celebrate that as a win. Perfect is often the enemy of good enough to open.

• The Emergency Backup Plan

Always have a simple, low-cost fallback option for your most complex elements. If the interactive touchscreen system fails, what's the analog backup that still serves visitors?

When You're Behind Schedule:

1. Identify what can be simplified without losing impact.

2. Move non-essential elements to "Phase 2" (after opening.)

3. Call in favors from your vendor network.

4. Remember: opening with 80% of your vision is better than not opening at all.

When You're Over Budget:

1. Cut features, don't cut quality on what remains.

2. Look for materials substitutions that maintain the visitor experience.

3. Consider phased installation—core exhibit now, enhancements later.

4. Get creative with partnerships and donated services.

When You're Overwhelmed:

1. Go back to your "one paragraph" success definition.

2. Focus on mission-critical items only.

3. Ask for help with specific, defined tasks.

4. Remember why you're doing this work in the first place.

The Long Game

Solo exhibit design is a marathon, not a sprint. Build systems and relationships that make the next project easier. Document what worked and what didn't. Create templates and checklists that reduce decision fatigue.

Most importantly, remember that being the entire team means you get to see your vision through from concept to completion. That's amazing, even when it's exhausting.

You don't have to be perfect at everything. You just have to be good enough at everything to create something meaningful for your visitors.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

How Do You Design One Space That Works for All Ages?

Here's a question that keeps exhibit designers up at night: How do you create a single museum experience that genuinely engages a curious five-year-old, their design-savvy parent, and their retired grandparent—all at the same time, without patronizing any of them?

The answer isn't "dumb it down for kids" or "add a separate kids' corner." The secret lies in designing exhibits with multiple entry points and layers of complexity that visitors of any age can explore based on their interests, abilities, and prior knowledge.

Think of it like a great Pixar movie. There are jokes for the kids and cultural references for the adults. Nobody feels left out, and everyone leaves satisfied. 

Let's explore how to replicate this same trick in physical exhibit spaces with a few concrete strategies, as well as some “Do’s and Don’ts.”

Strategy #1: Use Real Materials and Authentic Complexity

Don't use toy versions of real tools. Don't oversimplify because "kids won't get it." Children smell condescension a mile away, and adults resent being treated like children.

Instead, use professional-grade materials with appropriate safety measures. Real woodworking tools. Actual scientific equipment. Genuine art supplies. The challenge scales naturally—a beginner and an expert can both work with real materials, and both will be appropriately challenged.

Strategy #2: Open-Ended Creation Without "Right Answers"

Design and making spaces where the goal is creation, not completion. Digital design tools, art studios, building zones—anywhere the question is "what do you want to make?" rather than "can you solve this?"

This works because:

• No "right answer" exists—a child's creation is as valid as an adult's.

• Aesthetic appreciation transcends age.

• Multiple roles emerge naturally—one person creates while another offers ideas.

 

Strategy #3: Provide Multiple Paths to the Same Insight

Don't assume everyone learns the same way. Instead, build in options:

• Hands-on manipulation for kinesthetic learners

• Data visualization for analytical thinkers

• Personal stories for emotional connectors

• Clear explanatory text for readers

• Video or audio for those who prefer multimedia

A ten-year-old might gravitate to hands-on components while their parent connects with data. Both reach understanding through their preferred door.

Some Do's and Don'ts

DON'T:

• Use baby talk or condescending language 

• Create "dumbed down" labels that insult adult intelligence

• Assume physical limitations based on age

• Make one age group the "helper" and another the "learner"

• Use toy versions of real tools or fake materials

• Create separate "kids sections" and "adult sections"

DO:

• Use clear, direct language that respects intelligence at any age

• Design for sitting, standing, and wheelchair users simultaneously

• Create sight lines that work for different heights without segregating

• Make the first action obvious, but deeper exploration optional

• Test with real intergenerational groups, not age-segregated focus groups

 

The best intergenerational exhibit design isn't about compromise—it's about richness. When you design with genuine depth, multiple modalities, and respect for every visitor's intelligence, remarkable things can happen. 

A three-year-old and a 73-year-old can stand side by side, both fully engaged, both learning, both having their unique experience validated. That's not just good design—that's what museums are supposed to do.

 

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

The Room(s) Where It Happened ...

Here's something that museums can give you that Artificial Intelligence or Virtual Reality can't touch -- the literal "room where it happened."

As someone who was born and raised in Detroit, it was incredibly powerful to stand inside "Studio A" at the Motown Museum, where amazing musicians like Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye created their hits.

There's something interesting in visiting a place and feeling, if not exactly the "ghosts" of the past, at least the "spirit" of the people who passed that way before you.  I have felt that way while visiting Graceland and the Mark Twain House, as well as in very particular outdoor locations, such as the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts.  There was something very evocative in all of those spots  --- almost as if each one of those spaces had a "personality."

One of the best things I've ever heard said about the original Exploratorium was that it felt like you'd walked into Frank Oppenheimer's workshop after he just stepped outside for a minute.  The feeling that real people, with real interests and foibles, have created something for you to experience is one of the most powerful, and most authentic, of museum experiences.

This authentic museum "spirit" is not something that just casually occurs or manifests itself through some sort of formulaic exhibit development process.  But when all the elements of such a museum experience come together, they form something that really cannot occur in any other medium.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Museum Work as (Quiet) Resistance

You know that moment when a board member suggests you "tone down" that civil rights exhibition? 

Or when a donor hints that your climate science display might be "too political"? 

Or when local politicians start making noise about your programming choices?

Welcome to the front lines of cultural resistance.

Guess what? Our work is inherently political. 

Every object we choose to display, every story we decide to tell, every voice we amplify or silence—these are political acts, whether we acknowledge them or not. 

The question isn't whether our work has political implications. The question is whether we'll own that reality and use it purposefully.

The Power of the Long Game

Politicians come and go. Donor priorities shift. But that artifact you preserve today? That story you document now? They outlast the pressure campaigns and the culture wars.

I've watched museum professionals navigate impossible situations by playing the long game. They quietly document stories that others want forgotten. They preserve objects that challenge dominant narratives. They create educational programs that plant seeds of critical thinking, even when the soil seems hostile.

Small Acts, Big Impact

Resistance in museums doesn't always look like dramatic confrontations. Sometimes it looks like:

• The educator who finds creative ways to discuss difficult topics despite administrative pushback

• The curator who ensures diverse voices are represented in "non-controversial" exhibitions

• The archivist who prioritizes preserving materials from marginalized communities

• The museum worker who creates inclusive programming even without explicit support

These aren't grand gestures. They're professional choices made with intention and integrity.

Your Professional North Star

When external pressures mount, your primary obligation is to uphold your professional ethics and ensure your community's right to access authentic, complex, and meaningful cultural experiences.

Not to a donor's comfort level. Not to a politician's talking points. Not even to your board's risk tolerance.

This doesn't mean being reckless or ignoring practical realities. It means being strategic about how you fulfill your actual mission—not the sanitized "neutral" version that keeps everyone comfortable.

The Network Effect

You are not alone, and you're more powerful than you think. Every curator making thoughtful choices, every educator refusing to oversimplify, every museum worker standing up for their community's stories—together, you create a network of (quiet) resistance that's remarkably resilient.

The pressure will come. It always does. But remember: you're not just preserving the past or entertaining the present. You're shaping the future's understanding of this moment.

Make it count.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

The Secret Sauce of High-Quality Museums: Internal Capacity

Here's something I've learned after years in the trenches of exhibit design and development: all truly high-quality museums share one critical characteristic. It's not their flashy architecture, their famous collections, or even their generous budgets. It's something far more fundamental.

High-quality museums have strong internal capacity.

Now, I'm not saying these museums create everything internally—that would be impossible and frankly, unwise. But they can handle many things in-house, and more importantly, they know exactly what those things are. Great museums understand their strengths and double down on them. They also know their weaknesses and where to find the right help.

High Quality = Internal Capacity

The Long Game

Developing genuine museum quality means thinking beyond your opening day celebration. You need a crystal-clear vision of what your institution will look like two, three, or more years down the road—not just two months after you cut the ribbon.

This requires investing in thoughtful experiences, dedicated staff, and deep expertise for the long haul. As Jane Werner wisely puts it: "Invest in staff, not stuff!"

The Two Questions That Matter

In my practice, I often pose two straightforward questions to museum partners:

1) How will you (the staff inside your museum, not contractors or consultants) fix things that break or don't work?

2) How will you transform great new ideas into real exhibits and programs?

If you can't provide credible answers to both questions, you're setting yourself up for trouble. You'll spend your days frantically putting out fires—dealing with problems that could have been anticipated, on top of all the truly unexpected challenges that will inevitably arise.

Even worse? Your bright, shiny museum will inevitably become dingy and boring. And I don't just mean physically—I'm talking about its intellectual and emotional spirit too.

Culture Beats Everything

Creating a robust institutional culture of internal capacity is the defining difference between a great museum and a mediocre one. But here's a crucial point: building strong internal capacity doesn't mean working in isolation.

Quite the opposite, actually.

When you truly understand your institution's strengths and weaknesses, you gain clarity about when and where to invest your precious time and resources. Those investments might involve tapping into local community expertise, sending staff to conferences, pursuing professional development opportunities, or yes—sometimes bringing in consultants to help build internal capacity in areas where you need it most.

You have many choices.

What's not a choice is doing nothing.

Because doing nothing will surely begin the slide from "high quality" to "who cares?" And honestly, is that the kind of museum you want to be part of?

Postcards from the Future!

Last month, during a workshop in Bulgaria, I did an activity called "Postcards from the Future!"

It allowed workshop participants to synthesize some of the work we did earlier in the week and to share a future goal related to the workshop content with a partner.

Basically, each participant chatted about their goals, and then had a partner create a "Postcard from the Future!" that would give them a nudge, or ask about progress, and offer help with what they would be working on in a month or so.

(We gathered up all the postcards and will be sending them out to each participant at the end of this month.)

It was such a fun activity that I thought, "Why not do this for my ExhibItricks blog?"

So, if you send me a postcard with a short message (and your return address) about a project you are working on, or a sticky museum/exhibit problem you are trying to solve, I promise to send you back a cool "Postcard from the Future!" with some friendly encouragement and/or my suggestions.

And who doesn't like receiving a postcard in the mail?

You can send your postcard to:

POW! World Headquarters

1684 Victoria Street

Baldwin, NY 11510

U.S.A.

P.S.  This offer is open to anyone around the world, since I have readers and subscribers from outside the United States.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Museum Materials Hacks: When Home Depot Meets High-Touch Design

Today, we're diving into the delightfully scrappy world of unconventional exhibit materials. When creativity kicks into overdrive, and the hardware store becomes your new best friend. 

Because sometimes the best exhibit solutions are hiding in aisle 7, next to the paint brushes.

Here are some of my favorite "Wait, That's Not What It's For" materials:

Pool Noodles

Those colorful foam cylinders aren't just for cannon-balling into pools anymore. I've seen them used for:

• Edge Protection  -- slice lengthwise and slip over sharp corners.                          

• Cable Management  -- hollow core = perfect conduit for wiring.  

• Kid-friendly barriers -- Zip-tie them together for the world's friendliest crowd control                      

• Padding for shipping crates -- Cut to fit, way cheaper than custom foam.

Pro tip: Buy them off-season in bulk. 

Shower/Curtain Rings 

These little metal or plastic rings are the unsung heroes of flexibility.

• Quick-change graphics -- Hang banners that swap out seasonally.

• Modular displays -- Connect lightweight panels that reconfigure easily.   

• Interactive elements --Create flip-through graphic cards.

• Budget-friendly hardware  -- Sometimes you need 50 rings and $0.79 each beats custom fabrication costs.

Velcro

Industrial-strength Velcro is your secret weapon for:

• Removable artifact labels -- For non-invasive mounting. 

• Modular wall systems --Panels that stick and unstick without damaging surfaces. 

• Interactive components -- So visitors can move exhibit elements around safely.

• Temporary installations -- Perfect for pop-up exhibits/graphics in awkward spaces.

PVC Pipe: The Lego of Adult Museum Professionals

• Custom display stands -- Adjustable height, lightweight, paintable.

• Cable raceways -- Run power and data wherever you need it.

• Modular structures --Think jungle gyms, but for artifacts.

Magnetic Sheets

Thin, flexible magnetic sheeting transforms any metal surface into an interactive playground.

• Changeable graphics --Print directly onto magnetic material.  

• Kid-height interactive zones -- Magnetic poetry, anyone?

• Staff work areas -- Instant bulletin boards on metal cabinets.

 

Household Items with Museum Potential:

• Ice cube trays -- For organizing small artifacts during installs.

• Lazy Susans for rotating displays -- Because everything is better when it spins.   

• Drawer organizers -- For tool storage in Maker Spaces.

• Tension rods --For instant, non-permanent hanging systems.

Reality Check!

Before you go wild with the zip ties and duct tape, let's insert a quick Reality Check:

When to DIY: Quick fixes, temporary installations, tight budgets, prototyping, staff work areas.

When to call the Pros: Anything structural, high-traffic areas, permanent installations, safety-critical components, anything involving valuable artifacts.

The Golden Rule: If visitors will touch it, lean on it, or if it's holding something irreplaceable, spend the money on proper materials and installation.

So, next time you're wandering through a hardware store, grocery store, or even scrolling through Amazon, ask yourself: "How could this solve my exhibit problem?"

You'd be amazed at what creative solutions emerge when you stop thinking about objects in terms of their intended purpose.

The best museum design hack is the one that works for YOUR space, YOUR budget, and YOUR visitors. Now go forth and MacGyver responsibly!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

18 Years of ExhibiTricks!

The ExhibiTricks blog turned 18 this summer!

Since June 2007, I've been posting roughly once a week -- so I've built up quite a "back catalog" of ideas to share.

Here are four "blasts from the past" that are among the most popular ExhibiTrick posts:

Are Exhibit Timelines So Boring Because of the Lines? 

There are soooo many timelines in exhibitions -- can't we make them more interesting, both physically and conceptually?

Hayao Miyazaki's Museum Manifesto

Hayao Miyazaki is a film artist who has created some amazing animated films for Studio Ghibli in Japan. He has also created one of my all-time favorite museum manifestos, which I think is worth revisiting from time to time.

Many Ways To Say Thanks

Most donor recognition installations in museums are really ways to say thanks.  And who could argue with that? Here's a post with lots of interesting examples.

Are Screens Killing Museums?

I still think museums default to screen-based solutions too often, without really considering other design alternatives.  This post is memorable for me for the amount of "hate mail" it generated!

THANKS to everyone who has been along for the ride -- whether for the whole eighteen years, or for just the past few months.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Back to Bulgaria!

I'm excited to be heading back to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, in just a few days to kick off the FIFTH edition of the MUSE Academy program sponsored by the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF).

The MUSE Academy will equip Bulgarian professionals from museums and other cultural organizations with the tools to create compelling exhibits and tell powerful stories that will keep visitors returning for more.

I am doubly excited to share the MUSE Academy teaching stage with colleagues Isabella Bruno and Christina Ferwerda!

Also check out this article from the ABF website, which shares more information about my work and the MUSE Academy. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram, where I will post live updates from Bulgaria!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Beyond Buttons, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Analog.

I get it. You walk into a museum planning meeting and someone inevitably says, "What if we just put a touchscreen on it?" It's like the exhibition equivalent of putting bacon on everything – sure, it works, but sometimes you need to step back and remember that not every problem needs a digital solution.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Luddite. I'm typing this on a computer, after all (shocking, I know). But there's something enjoyably subversive about creating engaging, interactive experiences that don't require a single pixel, USB port, or software update. 

The Case for Going Analog

There's something primal about physically manipulating objects. We're tactile creatures who spent thousands of years figuring out the world through our hands, not our fingertips on glass.

And here's the kicker: analog interactions are often more memorable. When was the last time you remembered a specific touchscreen interaction? Now think about the last time you turned a really satisfying crank or pulled a lever that made something dramatic happen. 

Mechanical Marvels That Actually Work

The Mighty Lever System

Nothing says "I have the power!" like a good lever. Some museums have visitors lifting actual cars with giant levers.  These exhibits demonstrate powerful mechanical principles that make visitors feel like they have superhuman strength. The key is making the payoff dramatic – don't just move a small weight, move something that makes people go "whoa."

Pro tip: A satisfying clunk when something locks into place is worth its weight in engagement metrics.

Gear Trains Tell Stories

Gears are visual poetry. They're also perfect for showing cause and effect, which is the holy grail of interactive design. Create a gear system where turning one element starts a chain reaction.

Maybe it's showing how a clock works, or how an appliance like a mixer operates. The trick is to make it detailed enough to be fascinating, simple enough to understand.

The Humble Crank

Never underestimate the power of a good crank. It's immediate, satisfying, and gives visitors a sense of control. Use it to power animations, reveal hidden information, or create sounds. The classic "crank a generator" component can power dazzling visual and physical effects, while allowing visitors to directly experience how their physical energy can transform into electrical energy. 

Making It Work in the Real World

Durability is Key

If you're creating mechanical interactions, build them like tanks. Visitors will push, pull, crank, and manipulate your exhibits in ways you never imagined. Use materials that can handle abuse and design mechanisms that fail gracefully. A broken interactive exhibit is worse than no interactive exhibit.

Clear Instructions, Obvious Affordances

Make it immediately obvious what visitors should do. If it's meant to be turned, make it look turnable. If it's meant to be pushed, make it look pushable. Don't make people guess – confusion kills engagement faster than broken technology.

Maintenance Plans Matter

Mechanical doesn't mean maintenance-free. Create exhibits that can be easily cleaned, adjusted, and repaired by your existing staff. Document everything, and make replacement parts easy to source. Future museum employees will thank you.

The Secret Sauce: Emotional Payoff

The best analog interactions create emotional responses. The surprise of a hidden compartment opening. The dramatic moment when a lever lifts something heavy. Design for those moments of delight, frustration, and ultimate satisfaction.

 

Remember, you're not just creating an activity – you're creating an experience. The best analog interactions make visitors feel smart, powerful, or surprised. Sometimes all three.

The Bottom Line

In a world of endless screens and digital overload, analog interactions offer something refreshing: direct, immediate, tactile engagement with ideas. They're reliable, memorable, and often more engaging than their digital counterparts. Plus, they won't become obsolete when the next operating system update drops.

So the next time someone suggests "just adding a touchscreen," take a deep breath and consider the alternatives. Sometimes the best way forward is backwards – or sideways, with a really good crank!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Feeling Flush With Success -- Making Museum Bathrooms Into Exhibition Spaces

You know that moment when you're mid-museum visit and nature calls? You reluctantly tear yourself away from that fascinating display about medieval pottery, trudge to the restroom, and then -- POW! -- you're face-to-face with more educational content. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of bathroom exhibits, where even your most private moments become learning opportunities.

The Captive Audience Advantage

Let's be honest: museum bathrooms have something most exhibition designers can only dream of —a truly captive audience. Where else can you guarantee that visitors will spend at least 60 seconds in one spot, with literally nothing else to do but read what's on the wall? It's an educational ambush at its finest.

The genius lies in the psychology. Your guard is down, and suddenly you're absorbing information about Victorian sanitation practices or the cultural significance of chamber pots.

When Content Meets Context

The best bathroom exhibits don't just happen to be located in restrooms—they're about restrooms. Imagine encountering a mini-exhibit about Roman latrines while you're using a modern equivalent. The contextual connection creates an "aha!" moment that's both humorous and genuinely illuminating.

Historical societies display vintage bathroom advertisements, science centers showcase spaceship toilets, and art museums feature contemporary works, like gold-plated toilets (yes, that's a thing, and Duchamp would be proud).

 

The Unexpected Venue Effect

There's something beautifully subversive about turning society's most private space into a public learning environment. When you encounter a thoughtful exhibit about water conservation while washing your hands, it has a different impact than if you'd seen the same display in a traditional gallery space.

The Bottom Line

Museum bathroom exhibits work because they catch us off guard in the best possible way. They transform a necessity into an opportunity for discovery, reminding us that learning can happen anywhere—even in the most unexpected places.

The next time you find yourself in a museum restroom, don't just use it and leave. Take a moment to appreciate the curatorial audacity of whoever decided that yes, this is precisely where people need to learn about 18th-century chamberpots.

Now get back to those museum bathroom exhibits—and wash your hands!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Designing Instagram Moments That Actually Mean Something

People are going to share photographs of your exhibits, whether you design with that purpose in mind or not. The question isn't whether to embrace social media like Instagram, it's how to do it without turning your museum into a themed backdrop factory.

The Balancing Act: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you add that neon sign or Instagram-ready backdrop, run through this checklist:

1. Does this photo opportunity require engagement with our content? (If visitors can get the shot while ignoring your message, reconsider.)

2. What story will visitors tell when they share this image? (If it's just "I was here," you've missed an opportunity.)

3. Would this element exist if social media didn't? (If the answer is no, think harder about integration.)

4. Does the visual reinforce or compete with our learning objectives? (Competition is a red flag.)

5. Are we creating one Instagram moment or multiple micro-moments throughout the experience? (Spread the social love around.)

When Instagram Actually Makes Exhibits Better

Here's the plot twist: designing with social sharing in mind can make your exhibits more effective, not less. Why? Because it forces you to think about:

 

Emotional impact: What makes people feel something worth sharing?   Personal connection: How does this relate to visitors' own lives?

Clarity of message: Can someone explain your main point in a social media caption?

Memorable moments: What will stick with people after they leave? These are all hallmarks of good exhibit design, Instagram or no Instagram. 

Your 'Gram Plan

1. Audit your current exhibits: Where are people already taking photos? What does that tell you about what resonates?

2. Listen to the captions: What do visitors write when they share images from your space? Are they engaging with your content, or are they just documenting their visit?

 

3. Test the integration: Can someone learn your key message just from the elements that photograph well? If not, strengthen those connections.

4. Embrace the micro-moment: Instead of one big photo op, create multiple smaller moments throughout the experience that reinforce different aspects of your message.

The Bottom Line

Instagram isn't the enemy of good exhibit design—thoughtless pandering to Instagram is. The best social media moments in museums happen when the photo opportunity and the learning objective are so well integrated that they're inseparable.

Your visitors want to share meaningful experiences, not just pretty backgrounds. Give them both, and your educational impact will multiply across social networks.

After all, the best marketing for your next exhibit is visitors who can't stop talking about what they learned at your last one!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

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What Fixing Broken Exhibits Has Taught Me About Smart Design

Let me paint you a picture. It's Tuesday morning, and the school groups are due to arrive in an hour. Your star interactive exhibit—the one that took six months to design and three months to build—is making that clicking sound again. You know, the one that means "expensive repair visit" in exhibit language.

Meanwhile, that simple wooden flip-book station you built as a "temporary" solution five years ago? Still going strong, still engaging visitors, and the only maintenance it needs is occasionally tightening a screw.

After four decades of watching exhibits live, die, and get resurrected more times than a soap opera character, I've learned that maintenance-friendly design isn't about dumbing things down—it's about respecting the brutal realities of public use.

The Immortals: Exhibits That Refuse to Die

Simple Mechanical Interactives: Hand cranks, pulleys, lever systems, rotating drums. These workhorses continue to operate effectively because they utilize principles that have proven successful since the Industrial Revolution. When they break, any competent handy person can fix them.

Magnetic Systems: Those "build your own molecule" exhibits with magnetic atoms? Nearly indestructible. Drop-proof and child-proof, with the only moving parts being the magnetic pieces themselves.

 

Gravity-Fed Demonstrations: Ball runs, catapults, pendulums. Physics does the work, not motors. When something goes wrong, it's usually obvious and can be easily fixed.

The Universal Laws of Exhibit Entropy

Law #1: If It Can Be Touched, It Will Be Touched Incorrectly

Design for the visitor who will push when they should pull, lean when they should stand, and somehow find the one way to use your exhibit that you never imagined.

Smart design response: Make the "wrong" way to interact either impossible or harmless. You can't push in the wrong direction if the mechanism only moves one way.

Law #2: Children Are Tiny Engineers of Destruction

Not maliciously—they're just incredibly effective at finding failure points. They apply force in unexpected directions, use exhibits as climbing equipment, and have an uncanny ability to separate components you thought were permanently attached.

Smart design response: If a six-year-old can break it, assume they will. Design accordingly.

Law #3: The Most Popular Exhibits Wear Out Fastest

Success breeds its own problems. That hands-on station that everyone loves? It's getting 10x the use you planned for.

Smart design response: Build for 5x your projected traffic, then add safety margins.

Law #4: Complex Repairs Happen at the Worst Possible Times

Murphy's Law applies doubly to museum exhibits. The touchscreen will fail right before the VIP donor tour.

Smart design response: Design for graceful degradation. When part of the exhibit fails, the rest should still function.

The Modular Mindset

Think Lego, not sculpture. Design exhibits as systems of replaceable components rather than integrated artworks.

 

Component Accessibility: Can you reach every part that might need maintenance without dismantling half the exhibit? If not, redesign.

Standard Fasteners: Use screws and bolts that are readily available at any hardware store. Avoid proprietary connectors that require special orders from manufacturers who might not exist in five years.

 

Diagnostic Simplicity: When something stops working, can a non-expert quickly identify the problem? Visual indicators, clear troubleshooting steps, and logical component organization save countless hours.

The Long Game

Maintenance-friendly design isn't about creating boring exhibits—it's about creating exhibits that can continue to engage visitors year after year. The most innovative interactive in the world is useless if it's broken half the time.

The goal isn't to eliminate maintenance, but to make it predictable, manageable, and affordable. Design exhibits that age like fine wine, not like forgotten leftovers.

Visitors don't care how clever your engineering is—they care that the exhibit works when they want to engage with it. Design for reliability, and the innovation will take care of itself.

What's your most maintenance-friendly exhibit success story? Or your biggest maintenance nightmare that taught you valuable lessons? Share your war stories in the "Comments" Section below—we can all learn from each other's triumphs and disasters.

 

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Can AI Be Your Museum Brainstorming Buddy?

Let's be honest: we've all been there. It's 3 PM on a Tuesday, and you're staring at a blank concept document, with your brain feeling like it's been replaced with cotton candy. The client wants "something interactive about local history that appeals to all ages and doesn't cost more than a decent used car."

Your internal monologue goes something like: Interactive... history... families... budget... HELP.

Enter your new creative partner: AI. 

No, it won't replace your brilliant human insights (thank goodness), but it might just save you from that deer-in-headlights moment when inspiration decides to take an extended lunch break.

The Brainstorm Before the Brainstorm

Here's the thing about AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude: they're like that friend who's read everything, remembers everything, and never gets tired of your "what if we tried..." questions. The secret sauce isn't asking AI to design your exhibit for you—it's using it to unstick your creative gears.

Instead of: "Design an exhibit about butterflies." Try: "I need 15 unexpected angles for approaching butterfly conservation that would surprise visitors who think they know everything about butterflies."

Boom. Suddenly, you're not just talking about metamorphosis (again). You're exploring butterfly migration as climate data, butterfly wing patterns as inspiration for solar panel efficiency, or the economic impact of pollinator decline on local agriculture.

Journey Mapping: Your Visitor's GPS

 Remember when we used to draw visitor journey maps on napkins and hope for the best? AI can help you think through the emotional rollercoaster your visitors are about to experience—before you build the actual rollercoaster.

Try this prompt: "Map the emotional journey of a skeptical teenager being dragged through an exhibit about [your topic]. What are their pain points, potential engagement moments, and what would make them actually tell their friends about it?"

The AI might suggest that your skeptical teen initially rolls their eyes at the entrance, gets grudgingly intrigued by a hands-on station, feels genuinely surprised by an unexpected connection to their world, and leaves with one concrete thing to think about. That's a roadmap for your design decisions.

The "Yes, And..." Partner

AI excels at the improv comedy rule of "yes, and..."—it builds on your ideas instead of shutting them down. Having a creative block about how to make 18th-century farming techniques relevant to urban kids?

You: "What if we connected historical farming to modern urban gardening?"

AI: "Yes, and what if visitors could compare the efficiency of colonial crop rotation with vertical farming techniques, using the same square footage?"

You: "And they could actually plant something to take home..."

AI: "And track their plant's growth against historical weather data from the same region..."

Suddenly, you've an exhibit that bridges centuries, connects to current sustainability concerns, and provides visitors with a lasting takeaway.

Pro Tips for AI Collaboration

Be specific with context: "I'm designing for a 200-square-foot space in a children's museum with a $15K budget and weekly school groups of 25 kids" gets you better suggestions than "design something for kids."

Ask for alternatives: "Give me 5 completely different ways to teach this concept" will stretch your thinking beyond your first idea.

Play devil's advocate: "What would a museum visitor who hates technology think about this exhibit?" helps you design for all your audiences.

Get granular: "What should visitors be thinking, feeling, and doing in the first 30 seconds of this experience?" forces specificity.

The Human Touch (Still Required)

Here's what AI can't do: understand your specific community, navigate your institution's politics, or know that your facilities manager has strong opinions about anything that plugs into the wall. It can't feel the energy of your space, or know that Mrs. Henderson brings her third-grade class every October, and they always ask about dinosaurs, even in the art gallery.

AI is your museum brainstorming accelerator, not your replacement. 

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

"Stealing" Ideas from Everyone. What Apple Stores, Airports, and Playgrounds Can Teach Museums About Visitor Experience.

Here's a confession: some of my best exhibit ideas have come from places that have nothing to do with museums. That breakthrough wayfinding solution? Inspired by IKEA's store layout. The interactive that finally got teenagers engaged? I borrowed the concept from a skateboard shop in Portland.

Museum professionals sometimes act like we're the only industry that cares about visitor experience, but the truth is, we're surrounded by brilliant design solutions just waiting to be adapted. The question isn't whether to "borrow" ideas from other industries—it's how to "steal" smartly.

The Great Idea Heist: Where to Look

Retail: The Masters of "Just One More Thing"

Walk through any well-designed store, and you'll see visitor flow management that puts most museums to shame. Retailers have spent billions figuring out how to guide people through spaces, create desire, and encourage exploration.

What They Do Right:

• Sight lines that draw you deeper: You can always see something interesting ahead.

• Clear navigation without being obvious: You know where you are and where you're going.

• Strategic placement of "impulse" experiences: High-interest items at decision points.

• Varied pacing: Busy areas followed by calm spaces, creating rhythm.

Museum Takeaway: That "featured artifact" placement at the end of your gallery hallway? Pure retail psychology. Visitors see it from the entrance and naturally move toward it, encountering your other content along the way.

Theme Parks: Emotional Journey Architects

Disney didn't invent storytelling, but they perfected the art of emotional pacing in physical spaces. Every step of a Theme Park experience is choreographed to build anticipation, deliver a payoff, and leave you wanting more.

What They Do Right:

• Line design that's part of the experience: The wait becomes preparation for the main event.

• Layered storytelling: Multiple levels of detail for different types of visitors.

• Transition spaces: Clear beginnings, middles, and ends to experiences.

• Multi-sensory immersion: Sound, smell, temperature, and lighting work together.

Museum Takeaway: Your exhibit entrance isn't just a doorway—it's the opening scene of your story. What if you treated it like the loading area of a theme park ride, building anticipation for what's coming?

Playground Design: The Physics of Fun

Playground designers are brilliant experience architects. They create spaces that encourage specific behaviors, accommodate different ages and abilities, and somehow make parents want to linger while kids are completely absorbed.

What They Do Right:

• Multiple difficulty levels in one space: Challenging for experts, accessible for beginners.

• Natural supervision points: Parents can watch from comfortable positions.

• Flow that prevents bottlenecks: Multiple paths to the same destinations.

• Materials that age gracefully: Built to withstand weather and heavy use.

Museum Takeaway: That hands-on science station where kids naturally help each other figure things out? That's playground psychology at work—creating spaces where collaboration happens organically.

Other Industry-Specific Lessons That Translate to Museums

From Coffee Shops: The Art of Comfortable Lingering

The Lesson: Different seating for different social configurations (solo work, couples, small groups, large gatherings)

Museum Translation: Create varied spaces within your galleries—standing height for quick interactions, comfortable seating for deeper engagement, communal areas for group discussions.

From Bookstores: Discovery by Wandering

The Lesson: Mix of organization and serendipity—you can find what you're looking for, but you'll stumble across things you didn't know you wanted.

Museum Translation: Clear thematic organization with unexpected connections and cross-references that reward exploration.

From Restaurants: Pacing and Appetite

The Lesson: Building anticipation, managing expectations, and knowing when people need a break from intense experiences.

Museum Translation: Heavy content followed by lighter interactions, complex ideas broken up with hands-on activities, and "palate cleansers" between intense emotional experiences.

From Hotels: Creating Immediate Atmosphere

The Lesson: Great hotel lobbies establish mood and expectations within seconds of entry. They tell you what kind of experience you're about to have.

Museum Translation: Your lobby and entrance sequence should immediately communicate your museum's personality and prepare visitors for your content.

Permission to Experiment

Museums sometimes suffer from "museum-ness"—the assumption that we have to look and feel like "traditional" museums. But your visitors don't live in museums. They live in a world of retail spaces, entertainment venues, and public spaces that have evolved sophisticated approaches to human experience design.

Your visitors' expectations are shaped by the best customer experiences they have anywhere, not just in other museums. If Starbucks has figured out how to make waiting in line a pleasant experience, we can learn from that. If IKEA can guide people through a complex warehouse while making it feel like an adventure, maybe we can too.

Great ideas don't care about industry boundaries. The principles that make a bookstore browsable, a playground engaging, or a restaurant memorable can make your museum more effective.

Your next breakthrough exhibit idea might be waiting for you at the grocery store, the airport, or that well-designed playground down the street. Keep your eyes open—inspiration is everywhere!

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"