Formative Evaluation: CENTC Multi-touch Table

RK&A was contracted by Liberty Science Center (LSC) to conduct a formative evaluation for the development of a multi-touch table in collaboration with the Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis (CENTC). The touch table included four stations at which visitors could build molecules for crude oil products like aspirin and plastic water bottles. How did we approach this study? This evaluation explored engagement, usability, and meaning making from the CENTC multi-touch table, which was displayed at LSC in the Energy Quest exhibition. An RK&A evaluator observed and interviewed visitors who used the table. The evaluator interviewed 23 groups of visitors that consisted of 50 interviewees. The majority of interviewees were children (median age 8 years), and the rest were adults (median age 41 years). About one-half of the interviewees were cued to use the table, and about one-half chose to use the table unprompted. The evaluator observed approximately 200 other visitors at the multi-touch table, including camp groups, family groups, and adult-only groups. What did we learn? The CENTC touch table was almost always in use. While a few visitors—often young children—approached the table to “play” with the molecules in the middle, the majority used the exhibit correctly and often dwelled at the exhibit for quite a while. The majority of the visitors who stopped at the exhibit completed one molecule, and several completed all the molecules. The functionality of the touch table was intuitive to most, and especially to children. However, several visitors tried dragging molecules to the main menu without selecting a molecule to work on, likely because they did not notice the instructions. Additionally, a few visitors struggled with the click and drag technology, and a few inadvertently closed the molecule they were working on. In completing the activity, most visitors understood that they used molecules to make other molecules or to make a product. However, few visitors understood that the exhibit is about crude oil. What are the implications of the findings? The touch table operates well, but there are a few minor modifications that could improve usability and meaning making at the exhibit. For instance, retain the prompt that was added on the second day of testing, which reads “Are you sure you want to start over?” This may prevent visitors from inadvertently closing the molecule they are working on while dragging molecule pieces to their station. Additionally, to connect the molecules to crude oil, consider referencing crude oil on the final molecule screen for each product. Currently, the final screens successfully link the products to the molecules (polyvinyl chloride to Barbie), but currently, only the final screens for Barbie and Aspirin reference crude oil. Since the evaluation, LSC has made the modifications suggested? and is creating a permanent interpretative graphic that explains the connection to crude oil.

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