Mercedes-Benz World
The modern MB World is located in Surrey and is designed to showcase Mercedes' newest vehicles and display its classics in a bright, airy environment.
It also has interactive displays such as a simulator "ride"; information kiosks and cinema booths:
In keeping with the modern feel, the information displays are stylish and interesting to look at:
The displays above are designed to add features to blank wall space, something which our exhibition space will have a lot of.
The way objects and concepts were displayed is also intriguing. The above example image on the left is a display about car safety systems. However, instead of just using images, the objects themselves such as an airbag and ABS control board are displayed in glass cases, similar to how products are displayed in a modern boutique. This also is in keeping with the brand's "premium" theme. In the image on the right, there is a display of available colour swatches for car exterior and interiors. The different options are shown in a palette form, which could be applied to the "design studio" theme of our exhibition as we could show a palette of colours used in our work. Also on this display is a tactile element as different interior fabrics are attached to the wall and alloy wheels are also displayed. This, again, is in keeping with the "buying experience" theme.
An important part of the MB World experience is not only being able to sit in most of the cars on display but also being able to drive/be a passenger in a multitude of Mercedes cars on a test track. In my opinion, this is a massive plus point as most museums do not include any way to experience the subject matter first hand or offer anything to do except look at exhibits. This is especially a problem for automotive museums as walking around looking at the objects creates a desire to play with them, an opportunity which is not present in many. Most importantly, the test track enables visitors to engage with the Mercedes brand in a memorable way. I'm not suggesting we put a racetrack in our exhibit, but maybe a way for visitors to have a go at design themselves would be a good thing - for example, a laptop where people could try Photoshopping or play with primitives in 3D Studio Max.
Another notable thing at MB World was the staff - the moment we walked in, two "greeters" offered us a free visitor guide and explained the best path to take through the building. The building itself was also deisgned with the visitor experience in mind - there was a clear path through (top floor to bottom) to ensure the visitors experienced everything, but each floor was split into two distinct sections to allow visitors the chance to explore.
Brooklands Motor Museum
Brooklands motor museum is a "traditional" outdoor museum - that is, a lot of old stuff in a shed next to information boards, with very little indication of the path visitors should take through the museum. The exhibits were also roped off and the one exhibit which could be explored, a Concorde, required an additional payment and tours were at set times. The Brooklands museum highlighted the issues common in many museums, issues which were addressed extremely well by MB World.
Above: Roped off exhibits, display boards with lots of small print, and Concorde.
Also, some of the exhibits at Brooklands seemed "run down" - the aircraft had wings or tail sections missing - but I'm not sure if they were undergoing refurbishment at the time. Either way, this does not give an impression that visitor experience is a priority:
In Brooklands' defence, it included a free simulator (below) so visitors could engage with the F1 exhibits and was attended by a knowledgeable member of staff. However, it was tucked in a dead-end corner. This was a common theme at Brooklands - to exit an exhibit, you had to walk back through it and leave through the entrance instead of having a consistent path.
Beaulieu Museum
This museum is a bit of a mixed bag - it has a spacious exhibition hall and a fairly clear path through the grounds, but the exhibits are all roped off and the display boards tend to be overloaded with information. Some of the side exhibits suffer from the same problem as Brooklands - the lack of a clear path through the exhibit. Also, there is almost a complete lack of interactivity at Beaulieu - there is a passive monorail to allow visitors a scenic trip through the museum grounds, a small track with sedate "go-karts" for children and an arcade racing game in the corner of the main hall, but there are no stimulating interactive displays, cinemas or simulators.
Conclusion
Through my visits to various museums and exhibitions, I have concluded the most important aspects are:
- Visitor experience: Specify a clear path through the exhibition, but allow visitors the opportunity to explore from the path
- Environment: Must not be cluttered! Bright, modern and airy with natural light is good.
- Displays: A good way to occupy blank wall space- must be simple, clean and 3D features/objects can be used where appropriate
- Exhibits: Physical exhibits should be accessible and in pristine condition, this doesn't really apply to us as most of our work will be on displays
- Interactivity: Interactive kiosks and videos are good, but the best way to get visitors to engage with the brand is by letting them have a go themselves!
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