Thesis - Teknisk Design

Conceptual Design of Temporary Exhibition Platform and Smart Grid Exhibitionfor Siemens Urban Sustainability CentreResult and Analysisa well know location created a feeling of familiarity andmade the visitors curious of knowing more about thetechnology. Give-aways were appreciated by visitors andmade many people stop at installations which otherwisehad few things to attract attention with.KJ-analysis of the qualitative observationstudy resultThe results from the three qualitative observation studieswere KJ-analysed and gathered into the categories listedbelow. For each category some conclusions are madeand these conclusions are further developed in theExhibition Design Strategies for Successful Communicationdocument in the Final Concept section of this report.Attract attention and create interestAn exhibition must first attract the attention of the visitorto get a chance to communicate messages. This can bedone with an attractor that draws the attention of the userand focuses it on the topic of the exhibition.Exhibition structureTo maintain the users’ attention throughout an exhibitionit is important to tell a story and the structure, and howthe exhibition is organised needs to support this. Theuser should immediately get a clear picture of the topicof the exhibition, and an overview should be presentedbefore detailed information.Aesthetics and interior designThe aesthetical impression of an exhibition is important.It needs to work as a whole to create the right atmosphere,and at the same time all details need to match the rest ofthe exhibition to keep a harmonized experience.Interactive experienceUsing interactive objects and letting the user participatein a game or challenge increases the interest and createsemotions. Through interaction that appeals to all senses,the experience can be both more fun and engaging and atthe same time more informative for the user.Evoke emotionsOne of the main objectives with the exhibition is to makethe visitor feel the desired emotions to complement theinformation message.Installation solutionsInformation needs to be communicated in a way thatfacilitates learning and if objects and products are beingpresented, they should be placed in their context to makeit easier for the user to relate to them.Quantitative observation study at ElfackThe observations from the Elfack fair were summarizedinto a 13 by 16 matrix with the different companies/exhibits on the one axis and the different aspects thatwere observed on the other. Features like size, popularity,interactive objects, colour scheme, personnel, giveawaysetc. (See Appendix VIII - Quantitative observation studyon page 102) were studied. The different cells were thencolour-coded with respect to the degree of impact it wasconsidered to have on the exhibition’s popularity.InterpretationThe analysis shows that the following are very importantfeatures for a successful exhibition:Installations that visitors can interact with (e.g. buttons,touch screens, heat cameras, actual products that you cantouch and try) appeal to people’s curiosity and attractpeople to the space. By combining this with a game ora challenge (e.g. arm wrestling, ball games, computergames etc.) it also appeals to the audience’s playfulnessand/or competitiveness which attract even more attention.The exterior and interior design of the exhibit is animportant communication tool. The first thing that theaudience will see when approaching the exhibit is theattractor. If this is placed in a position for increasedvisibility and if it is designed in a way that generatesemotions such as surprise and curiosity (impressivescreens, appealing design) it will attract visitors. Thenext thing that the user will pay attention to is the overalldesign of the exhibit. If the colour scheme, surfacefinish, lighting, placement of the installations etc.harmonise with the company’s brand and the content ofthe exhibition, the exhibition will be perceived as wellthought through and thus interesting.Some exhibits aspired to create environments thatthe user would recognise from other contexts (e.g.living room, beach bar, hard ware store). This playfullyconflicting experience (e.g. having a sandy beach insideof a fair) creates surprise and interest and attracts people.By incorporating a calm café area into your exhibit yougive the visitors the opportunity to escape the hystericalenvironment of the fair for a while and enjoy a cup ofcoffee or tea and a nice relaxing experience.Other giveaways in the form of food were also extremelypopular. The exhibits that offered e.g. hamburgers wereconstantly very crowded. A trade show involves a lot ofwalking and taking in new impressions which consumesquite a lot of energy and thus making the visitors34