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	One way we've attempted to solve the dilemma, in an 
exhibition on microorganisms for our school and family audience 
(actually Beverly Serrell was the writer), Lisa refers to is to write 
labels at a level for the reading public (say 12 years old) with one 
idea that parents can understand well enough to impart to their 
children. And to test them. One example, of an experience (and I am 
certain we all have them) I overheard might suffice to illustrate 
what we should try and avoid. In an exhibition about genetics an 
adult (mother?) and child came upon a label with the word DNA 
highlighted in yellow (the label was red background) and occurring 
large number of times through out the two or three paragraphs. The 
mother repeated to the child (9 or 11 yo?), several times, "See, its 
about DNA!, See, its about DNA!" The child wandered off after hearing 
this and the mother was left to follow. Yes, the text was about DNA 
but it did not offer a way for the mother to explain what about DNA 
and engage the child in a conversation. Agreed this is a sample of 
one, and I am not sure I'd want labels from my exhibitions to be 
discussed so openly (therefore the anonymity) but it illustrates 
several points about how to reach your audience. Who is it, and it 
certainly is more than one Gene, and how to help them get the 
message. Yes, there are also design issues (highlighting words 
against a colored background may not be best practice) but I guess my 
point is labels need to help the visitor get the message and that is 
not always easy. Fewer words often work best and written so parents 
(adults) can children understand.

Evaluation of our universal design audio tours also have demonstrated 
increased understanding among visitors with normal as well as 
impaired vision.


Martin
>
>I've never heard of an optimum number of target audiences, and look forward
>to what others have to say about this.
>
>The one published work that comes to mind is Betty Davidson's "New
>Dimensions for Traditional Dioramas" (available from the AAM bookstore)
>which reports that designing for visitors with disabilities increased use
>and comprehension for all visitors. I believe the Denver Museum of Nature
>and Science had similar findings for their "Edge of the Wild" exhibit. Both
>of those were updates to diorama halls.
>
>Has anyone heard of successful attempts at "layering"? Beverly Serrell warns
>against it in Chapter 6 of "Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach."
>Denver tested color-coding and other graphic devices in its "Prehistoric
>Journey", and found that visitors didn't perceive the distinctions that were
>supposed to represent different "layers". I did a study here at the Academy
>on an exhibit with labels in three different languages, each consistently in
>a different color. The visual impact of so much text discouraged many
>visitors from reading.
>
>Here's one on layering from your own museum, Georgia-Gina. Take a look at
>the Roger Miles article "Lessons in Human Biology: Testing a Theory of
>Exhibition Design" in The International Journal of Museum Management and
>Curatorship 5 (1986): 227-40, for an unsuccessful example of trying to use
>exhibit layout for layering.
>
>Anecdotally, the exhibits here at the Academy that seem to do the best job
>with interpretation are those for which the developers have insisted on
>selecting a target audience (such as families with young children) rather
>than "everybody". Good luck sorting this one out!
>
>Lisa Hubbell
>Program Evaluator
>California Academy of Sciences
>875 Howard Street
>San Francisco, CA 94103
>[log in to unmask]
>
>


-- 
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356

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