Design intentions and outcomes in museums

This study explores the value of constructivist theory in the field of interaction design in museums by investigating the relationship of constructivist design intentions to their outcomes. As the design of technologies has shifted from instrumental aspects of interactive systems to the design of experience, there has become an increasing need to develop frameworks and evaluation techniques grounded in theory to support this change. Current approaches to understanding the user experience are underdeveloped and this study of intentions and outcomes aims to address this shortcoming through an exploratory multiple-case study approach. Museums were selected as a context to investigate these relationships since designers often take a constructivist approach in the development of interactive technology towards the design of experiences. The findings of this study point to an emerging constructivist framework by providing a series of themes, guidelines and evaluation techniques based on constructivist principles.