Formative Evaluation: Testing of the Model Table and Mexican Era section for the Becoming Los Angeles Exhibition

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a formative evaluation of two prototypes Mexican Era section and Model Table for the Becoming Los Angeles exhibition. RK&A designed this study, which was preceded by a front-end and earlier formative evaluation, to help NHM further refine the development of the exhibition. How did we approach this study? RK&A utilized open-ended interviews to evaluate visitors' responses to the two prototypes. In order to accurately assess these responses, the prototypes were evaluated separately. Visitors were recruited from the main hall using a random sampling method, and then escorted behind-the-scenes to one prototype or the other. The evaluator provided an introduction to the prototype and asked participants to use it as much or as little as they liked. After participants viewed the prototype, the evaluator asked a series of questions related to the prototype and took detailed notes on the responses. What did we learn? The Mexican Era section explored the idea that Mexican Independence was a trigger for environmental degradation; most visitors understood this idea after viewing the prototype, which is impressive given the complexity of the message. Additionally, the prototype employed the use of a central object to help signify the trigger of a change in landscape. For some visitors, the connection between the object (in this case, a saber) and concept at hand Mexican Independence as a trigger was not always immediately apparent. The Model Table, the second prototype, included a mockup of a piece of a 1940 scale model of Los Angeles and a prototype version of a touch screen interface that was tested on an iPad. Most participants had some difficulty navigating the program; this difficulty was generally due to the low touch-sensitivity of the screen. Encouragingly, most visitors enjoyed the content of the program, which included stories about Los Angeles' locations, buildings, people, or events; however, visitors sometimes did not see a clear connection between the stories and the model.

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