One Road: an engaging multi-touch interface within a museum context

Interactive multi-touch screens in museums are often used for a dual purpose: to both educate and entertain visitors. With this in mind, how can the sense of ‘delight’ in the use of a multi-touch screen in a museum be explained? What kinds of ‘delight’ may visitors experience, and why? A case study was enacted in April 2012 on One Road, an interactive multi-touch installation in the ‘Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route’ exhibition at the Australian Museum, Sydney. The study aimed to investigate user experiences of the interactive, and a range of different behaviours were observed. A discussion of the findings with reference to the concept of ‘delight’ in interface design examined how different aged visitors appeared to find ‘delight’ in different entertaining and educational features of One Road, and questioned whether entertainment-focused ‘delight’ was positive or negative. These considerations are important for interface designers. With further research, we may come to better understand and continue to investigate how an interface design on a multi-touch surface in a museum can be ‘delightful’, and influence users’ experiences.