Sharing the table. Human-centered design for museum education resources

Abstract

The design of museum education resources is a mediation process, and as such, its main considerations involves the visitors. How can we connect with our audiences? How to decode their reasons for meaning-making? How to integrate the users’ participation and presence in the development of such mediation? The twenty-first-century museum is built on resilient links within its visitors and community. And in the expansion of its exercise, it does not only consider its discipline. By setting research, empathy, and mutual support, as a habit, we can develop approaches to reach the museum communications goal and the users’ needs in a meaningful way. In this text, the human-centered design is meant as a strategy to share the table with the visitors, to know their thoughts, feelings, and doings, hence, to set up collaborative processes in the museum-making. At this table we are all able to apprehend and contribute, therefore, it takes responsibil­ity to re-learn and build.