Travels of Henry Mercer Prototyping Findings

PROTOTYPING FINDINGS Travels of Henry Mercer Future Exhibition Prepared by: Chaya Arabia, Exhibits Assistant May 21, 2021

table of contents

OVERVIEW Key Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 1 Immersive Scenes ............................................................................................................... 2 Protocol ................................................................................................................................. 4 Participants .......................................................................................................................... 4

PROTOTYPES Installation ........................................................................................................................... 6 Houseboat Scene Walkthrough .................................................................................... 8 Cave Scene Walkthrough ................................................................................................ 17

FINDINGS Houseboat Scene Feedback ........................................................................................... 22 Cave Scene Feedback ....................................................................................................... 26

CONCLUSIONS Reaction to Immersive Experiences ............................................................................ 29 Interest in Concept ............................................................................................................ 30 Instilling Curiosity .............................................................................................................. 32 Interactive Elements ......................................................................................................... 33 Preference for Triggering A/V Components ............................................................. 35 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 37

OVERVIEW

KEY OBJECTIVES The purpose of prototyping with visitors is to inform the development of an upcoming exhibition at the Mercer Museum, referred to internally as The Travels of Henry Mercer. The exhibit will consist of scenic vignettes and immersive installations of Henry Mercer’s travels to France on a houseboat in 1889. Multi-sensory experiences include exploring the house boat, hearing music and the sounds of life on the boat, bathing in the light of projected video and images, listening to dramatized recordings of conversations, and entering a recreation of a cave where Mercer developed his glass lantern slides.

Through prototyping, the Mercer Museum hopes to learn more about their visitors interests, curiosities, and needs. The Exhibits Team will utilize prototyping to see how visitors respond to the experiences and provide an opportunity for visitors to shape the exhibition going forward. The Exhibits Team sought to answer the following questions: • What are visitors’ overall reactions to the immersive experiences?

• How do visitors want to interact with objects and trigger audio/visual components?

• Are visitors interested in the exhibition content?

• Do these experiences instil curiosity about Mercer’s travels to France?

1

IMMERSIVE SCENES During the Summer of 2020, the Exhibits Team researched and developed the following two scenes for prototyping:

Storm on a Houseboat The first scene, herein referred to as the “Houseboat scene,” is based on Mercer’s journal entry describing his experience weathering a storm on the boat while traveling along the Rhône river. Mercer writes about treacherous waters, bushes overhanging the water, pouring torrents, whirlwind pools, tempestuous storm, lightning dancing in balls of fire, poplars bending dangerously. He documents sounds of the breakers and rapids roaring wildly, scraping of rocks, hissing of whirlpools, crashing of thunder, flapping tarp, howling wind, unearthly music of the tempest, creaking rudder and floor boards, and piping frogs.

Developing Slides in a Cave The second scene, herein referred to as the “Cave scene,” is based on Mercer’s journal entry in which he describes developing glass lantern slides in the La Balme cavern, a hideout of 18th century smuggler Louis Mandarin. Mercer writes about finding the evidence of Druids and cavemen and in the process of developing his slides, he awakens a colony of bats that startle him.

2

Top: Initial sketch of the Houseboat scene showing a visitor exploring the inside of Mercer’s cabin.

Bottom: Initial sketch of Cave showing a visitor exploring the recreated cavern known as La Balme.

3

PROTOCOL Prototyping occurred on Saturdays and Sundays during the months of February through April 2021. Visitors were made aware of prototyping at the front desk, where Visitor Services staff invited willing and interested groups of visitors belonging to the same party to assist in prototyping. Those that indicated interest signed up for 30-minute time slots throughout the day (starting at 10 am and ending at 4 pm daily). Time slots were given out on a first come first serve basis.

During each prototyping time slot, the Exhibits Team oriented visitors to the purpose of prototyping, the concept of the exhibit, and the two scenes. Most visitors had the opportunity to test out both scenes, but if only one was possible (mainly due to time constraints), the Houseboat scene was prioritized, as it was farther along in its development. After visitors experienced either scene, the Exhibits Team first asked about their initial impressions, and then dove into more specific questions to gage interest in the experiences, content, and stories; questions and curiosities that visitors had; preferences for triggering audio/visual components; and overall feedback.

PARTICIPANTS Over the course of three months, 122 visitors participated in prototyping. Demographics were not asked; however, general age and ability were assumed and documented.

A variety of visitor groups participated, including families with young and/or adult children, younger couples, older couples, and friend groups. To the Exhibits Team’s knowledge, prototyping participants did not have visible disabilities.

4

Prototyping sign and tickets.

The top image shows a sign located outside of the temporary exhibits gallery space as a sensory warning. It reads, “Prototyping Mercer Exhibits Lab contains flashing lights, abrupt noises and changing volume.”

The right image shows two tickets to the prototyping experience. Timed ticketing was set up so that one group participated at a given time.

5

PROTOTYPES

INSTALLATION The Exhibits Team built and installed the immersive scenes in February 2021 in the temporary exhibits gallery at the Mercer Museum. The prototypes were created to be modular and flexible enough so that updates and changes could be made as visitors provided feedback. In addition the prototypes were built using cheap materials like cardboard and paper bags so that the scenes presented an unfinished look. The “scrappy” quality that was intended to be a signal to visitors that what is on display now are prototypes and that their feedback was critical to making them better.

The following equipment and materials were used to build the prototypes:: • U-line leaf bags • Brown paper rolls • Black foam core • Fabric • Props • Motion sensor speaker • Fishing line • Tape • Rain machine • Water reflection light • Speakers

6

Documentation of installation The basic structure and components of both prototypes were installed in February.

The top image shows Maya Hartmann, Curator of Exhibits, using the forklift to hang the fabric banner for the Houseboat scene, which was used to project media of storms.

The bottom image shows Chaya Arabia, Prototyping Assistant, placing crumpled up brown paper on top of the cave structure, which was made out of U-line leaf bags stacked together.

7

HOUSEBOAT SCENE WALKTHROUGH Visitors step onto the deck of Mercer’s houseboat, and a film projection (3 minutes in duration) starts to play on the exterior wall of the cabin. They sit and watch the film which scrolls through Mercer’s journal entry, in which he describes getting caught in a treacherous storm along the river. While Mercer’s journal scrolls, an actor portraying Mercer narrates his experience. At the same time, visitors hear the sounds of the storm, lightning, the creaking wood, and the wind howling. Visitors see the reflection and movement of water shine onto the boat.

Once the film ends, visitors use lanterns to explore the dimly lit cabin, which contain the following props to set the atmosphere and immerse visitors in life on a houseboat: clothes, boots, shelf, cot, pillow, blanket, bowl, food, writing utensils, maps, artist set, wallet, desk, chair, wooden boxes, barrel, and a lantern. Several items like the cot and the books were actual period pieces from the 1800s.

The storm sounds continue while visitors are inside the cabin. Using the lantern, visitors read labels with questions, prompts, and interpretation. These labels engage visitors to explore items in the cabin and discover clues as to what they can find. Visitors learn that the original roof of Mercer’s cabin was a lot shorter than he was. A silhouette of Mercer bending over encourages visitors to crouch and explore the boat from his perspective. They also learn about Mercer’s route along the French rivers, and the kinds of books he read on his trip.

8

The Houseboat scene installed.

To test the basic experience, the Exhibits Team created the boat’s deck and half of the cabin (the side where Mercer slept). The deck of the boat was created using brown tape to outline the floorboards. The cabin was built with three structural walls, leaving one wall open for visitors to get a feel for the storm happening outside of the boat. A fabric banner was hung from the ceiling next to the side of the cabin with an exposed wall, where video of a storm was projected.

The top image shows an earlier iteration of the Houseboat scene with the lights in the gallery turned off.

Light from the lantern emanates from inside, and the reflection of water glistens.

The bottom image displays a view from the where visitors could sit on a bench to watch a projection of Mercer reading from his journal.

9

Another view of the Houseboat scene.

The houseboat included several props including a shelf with Mercer’s clothes and a painting set, a lantern, and a chair and desk.

The roof of the recreated boat was installed higher than the actual boat in order to make the experience more comfortable for taller visitors.

The top image shows a view from inside the houseboat with the gallery lights turned off and is an earlier iteration of the scene. Light from the lantern emanates and the reflection of water glistens along the walls inside the cabin.

10

Addition of Mercer’s cot.

Henry Mercer described having a cot in his sleeping quarters. The Exhibits Team included a cot, pillow, blanket a metal basket with prop foods, and wooden boxes underneath.

The bottom image shows Gloria Mosely, from Visitor Services, testing out the full experience by lying down on the cot.

11

Additional Houseboat props.

The houseboat contained props that Mercer wrote about in his journal like books, maps, a wallet, and writing utensils. Mercer’s drawing of his route and his journal entry were added to the desk in later iterations.

The top image shows Mercer’s journal, maps, books, a fountain pen, and a bowl with apples.

12

Label to explore Mercer’s boots.

After noticing that visitors were not exploring the items in the Houseboat, the Exhibits Team added labels to remind visitors that these experiences were designed to be immersive, that it was okay to touch. The first iteration of labels were written on brown paper taped to the walls of the cabin.

The top image shows the prompt which reads, “Check out these boots.

Were Mercer’s feet really this big?” with arrows pointing to the boots on the ground below.

The bottom image shows the answer to the prompt, which visitors must pull out in order to read. It states, “No! Mercer’s feet were not this big, but he wrote about his rubber boots, so we wanted to represent them.”

13

Label about the height of the roof.

The labels were updated to be more legible in the dimly lit cabin. The next iteration of labels was written on white paper.

Interpretation was added to provide clarity about the actual ceiling height of the real cabin. The top image shows the label that reads, “The ceiling was only five feet high! That’s the height to the bottom of this tape line.”

In addition, the Exhibits Team added a cut out of Mercer bending over to simulate what it would be like to be Mercer’s height of 5’10 in a cabin shorter than him (bottom image).

The taped line was added along the entirety of the three cabin walls.

14

Labels about books and map.

The top image shows two labels to prompt visitors to explore items on Henry Mercer’s desk in the cabin.

The first reads, “Books on the table what language is this” with an arrow pointing to the books below. The second label reads, “Maps - where in France was Henry Mercer?” with an arrow pointing to the map below.

The bottom image shows the answer to the first prompt about the books which reads, “Books are in French.

Mercer purchased a number of books in Seyssel while waiting for his boat to be built.”

15

Maps and prompt response.

The top image shows Mercer’s drawing of the map of France, in which he indicated the route he took along the Rhone river with additional notes.

The bottom image shows the answer to the prompt “Maps - where in France was Henry Mercer?” The answer reads, “Mercer traveled 700 miles through France. This storm took place south of Lyon, on the river Rhone.”

16

CAVE SCENE WALKTHROUGH Visitors read a sign that identifies this cavern to be “Les Grotes de La Balme”. Prior to entering the cave, visitors learn about the former cave dwellers, Louis Mandarin and the Druids, through a series of images.

Visitors enter the dimly lit cave using light from their lanterns to guide their way. While in the cave, they hear the drip of water and the sound of footsteps on gravel. They listen to an actor portraying Mercer recounting his experience being in the cave with his canine companion, Sailor. Visitors continue to explore the cave, and when Mercer describes being startled by a colony of bats, visitors hear the sounds of bat wings fluttering and Sailor barking. They look up to see bats flying around them.

Visitors sit in a nook nestled in the cave and discover a box containing Mercer’s glass lantern slides. Mercer continues telling visitors his stories of Louis Mandarin, the folk hero and pirate. Just before exiting the cave, visitors hear the clanging of swords and find gold and treasure, clues of Louis Mandarin’s former presence in the cave.

17

Cave scene installed.

The cave was built with two openings and big enough so that a group of six or so people could be in the cave at one time. The cave was large enough for multiple experiences including sitting down in a nook with a bench and exploring the walls of the cave at either opening.

The top image shows the Cave scene with the lights in the gallery turned off. Light from the lantern emanates from inside, and the reflection of water glistens.

The bottom image displays a prop camera and an illustration of Mercer to represent a potential projection.

18

Cave scene props.

The cave included several props including hanging bats (top), a lantern, and a box of recreated glass lantern slides with images from Mercer’s travels to France (bottom).

19

Updates to Cave scene.

Visitors gave feedback that rather than a video projecting Mercer’s journal scrolling through, they preferred to have access to Mercer’s journal. Visitors liked the idea of seeing his handwriting and style of journaling but reading it was less important. The Exhibits team printed Mercer’s journal entry in which he writes about his experience in the cave (top image).

The nook included a bench for visitors to sit and explore. In its original iteration, the Exhibits Team noticed few people opened the box containing Mercer’s lantern slides. Because it was brown, it blended into the background. The box was updated to have a red stripe so that it could more easily be seen. In addition, “What’s in this box? Open me!” was added on the top of the box to prompt visitors to look inside.

20

Stories of the cave of La Balme The Exhibits team wanted to know if visitors were interested in the stories found in the cave. On the wall next to the prototype of the Cave, were images of Louis Mandarin, Druids, and Mercer’s photo of La Balme (top image). Maya briefly introduced visitors to potential aspects that might be included in the exhibit to reference previous cave dwellers that Mercer writes about in his journals.

The bottom image shows the addition of gold and treasure, an update that was made to the Cave to instil curiosity about Louis Mandarin, a folk hero who used the cave as a smelting room.

21

findings

HOUSEBOAT SCENE FEEDBACK Visitors shared their overall impressions of the Houseboat scene, feedback on the film projection, the sights and sounds of the storm, and being immersed in life on a houseboat.

Film Projection Visitors provided their reactions to the projection of Mercer’s journal entry of the storm. They highlighted aspects they enjoyed, like seeing Mercer’s handwriting and how he made edits to his journals. Several visitors commented that seeing how he crossed out his own writing humanizes a historic figure.

While visitors appreciated seeing primary source documentation of his journal, many visitors stated that it was hard to follow and read along for several reasons. Some said his script was challenging to read and that subtitles would be helpful in addition to having the visual of his journal. Some visitors provided feedback that viewing text only was not very engaging and that they got bored quickly. To keep visitors’ attention, many visitors suggested adding Mercer’s photographs that he took on his trip, or visuals of scenery and experiences related to what he saw along the river. Adding a countdown would also help with visitors who may get antsy and curious to know how much time is left in the film.

After adding a bench on the deck, visitors sat and watched the full projection on deck prior to entering the cabin, and some visitors did not wait until the end of the film and walked into the cabin at their leisure. They appreciated having a place to sit, especially for longer videos.

Visitors were asked whether the film should be played inside the cabin or outside, and almost all visitors preferred to have the film play outside of hte cabin. This location makes sense because the cabin space is quite small.

22

Storm Experience Visitors want the Houseboat scene to be as immersive as possible. Visitors said they liked seeing the visuals of the storm inside the boat and responded positively to the sound effects. A majority of visitors suggested the sound effects to be layered and aligned with visuals. Many visitors said they wanted the storm sounds to be loud and raucous so that it would feel like they are on the boat, while a storm is happening. In particular, they would like want to hear more sounds of the creaking floorboards and the water sloshing below them, and also wanted to listen to the rain drip from the roof of the boat. One visitor wanted a more dramatic build to the storm, so when visitors first step onto the deck, there is a sense of calm, and as the narration continues, the sounds and imagery of the storm intensify.

Visitors described a desire to make use of theatrical effects and suggested recreating the experience of the boat rocking using lighting and sound effects. The Exhibits Team heard many comments about wanting the walls of the cabin vibrate to feel the thunder.

One visitor suggested looking into “So-sound:”, which works with low tones to create vibration through furniture.

Visitors also suggested adding the feeling of wind in the gallery using fans. Several people said they wanted the experience of getting misted with water. At the same time as people wanting it to be louder and have more effects, one group cautioned these experiences for people with sensory sensitivities.

Visitors commented that, overall, they liked the lighting effects of the storm and enjoyed seeing light reflection from the water. Several groups of visitors want more dramatic lighting effects when they hear the strike of lightning.

23

Exploring the Boat Almost all visitors said using the lantern was intriguing and made them curious to explore what they could find amongst the darkness. Many visitors compared it to a scavenger-like activity with delight. Visitors like the mysterious quality of being in the dark cabin; however, some visitors requested the ambient light to be a little brighter because for some it was hard to see. One person bumped their knee on the cot because it was so dark, so a balance of immersion and safety should be considered.

Visitors commented positively about the labels scattered throughout the cabin because it made them curious to answer the questions by engaging the objects. Visitors enjoyed having different items to explore in the cabin. They appreciated having items that were from the same era like the cot but also suggested leaving out delicate period pieces and include replicas.

When asked which artifacts visitors found most interesting, many visitors noted the maps and the books. Visitors suggested having a clearer map to follow Mercer’s route.

Several suggestions were made by visitors to include additional items on the boat like a suitcase, compass, poncho, anchor, and rope. In addition, a couple of visitors suggested to include clues on the deck of the boat or inside the cabin to show Mercer’s dog Sailor traveled aboard the houseboat.

Visitors appreciated seeing the height of the cabin indicated, and wanted some way to demonstrate the actual height to be able to experience bending over as Mercer did to walk about in the cabin. A solution could be to lower the ceiling height of a small part of the cabin, like over the sleeping area. One visitor who was 6’3” tall requested the roof to be even higher to accommodate tall people.

One group of visitors noticed one photo of Mercer’s boat showed Mercer and company using the roof as a lounge area. They suggested representing that in the recreated boat in the gallery to give a full picture of how Mercer used all aspects of his boat.

Many visitors were curious about how the boat was laid out and suggested including a model to engage visitors in its scale, how it was built and the different rooms in the cabin (e.g., kitchen).

24

Questions Asked Visitors asked the following questions related to the Houseboat scene: • Did he keep the boat after the trip?

• Why was the boat so low?

• What rivers did he travel along?

• What are the dimensions of the boat and cabin?

• Who built the boat?

• What kind of cot did he have?

• What happened when he wrecked his boat?

• Did they go fishing?

• Why was the boat this size?

• Did the boat have windows?

25

CAVE SCENE FEEDBACK Visitors shared their overall impressions of the Cave scene, their interest in the stories of the cave, feedback on the interactive experiences and being immersed in a cave.

History of the Cave All visitors were interested in learning more about the history of the cave of La Balme.

They were curious to learn more about previous cave dwellers, Louis Mandarin and the Druids, and what they did in the cave.

Visitors suggested referencing the history of La Balme on the outside of the recreated cave by adding a gate and a sign. Several visitors also suggested having interpretation about the cave’s history, Louis Mandarin, and the Druids located on the outside of the cave. They wanted to learn about the history prior to entering the cave so that they can look for evidence of their presence when they explore inside the cave.

In addition, visitors expressed interest in learning about what the cave is like today and how it has changed over time. They would like to be able to compare the cave when Mercer visited to today. One visitor commented that, “It was cool to learn about the history of the cave prior to Mercer, and how Mercer becomes a part of that history, and now the visitors can too by attending this exhibit and exploring the cave.”

26

Cave Experience Visitors had fun exploring the cave and many recommended expanding it in scale because they wanted to keep discovering more.

Most visitors preferred the sounds and projection of Mercer describing his experience to be played while they were inside of the cave. If the sound is layered with audio of Mercer reading from his journal, visitors suggested coordinating the sound effects with the audio so that they don’t overshadow each other. Visitors also liked the idea of seeing animations of Mercer in the cave along with his musings and imaginations of the previous cave dwellers.

In addition to listening to Mercer narrate his experience, visitors requested more interactive experiences inside the Cave. Visitors would like to see more clues or references to the Druids and Louis Mandarin, like petroglyphs and treasure. They also suggested adding visual clues of Sailor’s presence in the cave, like paw prints or his shadow. Several visitors also suggested adding stalactites and stalagmites inside the cave and greenery, like moss and lichen, on the rocks outside of the cave.

Visitors enjoyed the sound scape of water dripping and expressed a desire for more echo sounds. One group of visitors suggested having textured floor in the cave so that it feels like you are walking in a cave and visitors also add to the cave sound scape.

They also indicated a preference to be surprised by the sound of the bats fluttering in the cave. Several visitors even suggested having the bats drop down to create more of that element of surprise, or using light and shadow to make it seem like the bats are flying around them.

27

Questions Asked Visitors asked the following questions related to the Cave scene: • What did Mercer do in the cave?

• Where is the cave located?

• Was the cave by the river?

• How did it travel to the cave?

• What are the lantern slides?

• Who is Louis Mandarin and what did he do in the cave?

• Who are the Druids and what did they use the cave for?

• What is the cave like today?

• How big was the actual cave?

• Did Mercer find any gold in the cave?

• Did Mercer finds cave paintings in the cave?

• What kind of rock is the cave made of?

28

Conclusions

Prototyping with the Mercer Museum’s visitors was an important process in developing The Travels of Henry Mercer. Prototyping helped the Exhibits Team understand visitors’ interests, needs, and curiosities. It was a creative way to engage visitors in the process of developing an exhibit. Visitors seemed to enjoy participating in prototyping and many commented that it was a unique experience to see what happens behind the scenes at the museum. The Exhibits Team found prototyping to be a great way to generate interest in future exhibits, be present with visitors to understand impact of designs, and instil a sense of visitor ownership in the museum.

Visitors of all ages are excited about The Travels of Henry Mercer exhibit, the goals of which cater to a broad audience. All visitors that participated in prototyping said they would absolutely return to the Mercer to attend the exhibit when it opens. One group commented that they felt transported to France and the exhibit will attract people who have ventured there before and inspire people to travel.

The following pages provide an overview of the conclusions made by the Exhibits Team and future considerations as they move forward with the exhibit.

REACTION TO IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES Visitors appreciated the immersive goals of the exhibit and they would like the Mercer Museum to continue exploring opportunities to engage different senses in the exhibit. One sense that was not explored during prototyping was smell. Several visitors suggested incorporating smell experiences throughout the exhibit. In the Houseboat scene, visitors suggested to include the smell of the food Mercer ate, smells relating to the storm like rain, and the smell of the wood planks that make up the boat. The Cave scene could include smells of wet rock.

While visitors want the exhibit to be immersive, they expressed concern about the cacophony of sound experiences and the dimly lit spaces, which could be challenging for different communities. Going forward the Exhibits Team should test these experiences with specific groups of visitors in the disabled community including people with physical disabilities (blind, hearing impaired), and neurodivergent individuals with sensory sensitivities.

29

INTEREST IN CONCEPT Visitors liked the overall exhibition concept and expressed interest in the different narrative strategies being employed to include multiple layers (e.g., Mercer’s experience in France, and history of the sites he visited). They encouraged having opportunities for deeper dives into storylines.

Visitors expressed interest in the Mercer Museum continuing to develop the Houseboat and Cave scenes further and would like a throughline between different scenes. Visitors were curious about additional scenes that might be developed in the actual exhibit and were interested to learn more about the people Mercer met and the places he visited. They expressed an interest in seeing scale cut-outs of people to orient visitors at different parts of the exhibit.

The Exhibits Team solicited visitor feedback on scenes they want to know more about based on images Mercer took of a regular day, La Tarasque, a shipwreck, and a creepy castle. Visitors were interested in all four scenes across the board, as shown in Figure 1.

14 12 10 8 6 4 2

Regular day

La Tarasque

Shipwreck

Creepy castle

Figure 1. Graph showing number of visitors interested in each scene.

30

Generating interest in other scenes.

The Exhibits Team briefly described to visitors potential scenes to explore further in the full exhibit.

The top image shows the four different scenes with Mercer’s images and the bottom image shows images of Mercer and a regular day.

31

INSTILLING CURIOSITY The Houseboat and Cave scenes instilled visitor curiosity about Mercer’s travels to France. During prototyping, visitors demonstrated their curiosity by asking a variety of questions listed below. These questions are helpful for the Exhibits Team to understand what visitors want to know and to anticipate content that would be worth including in the exhibit.

Visitors asked the following questions related to Mercer’s overall trip to France: • What time of year did he travel to France?

• What was the original purpose of his trip and what did he get out of it?

• What did he see on his and what would we see today?

• What did he take on his journey?

• Was he traveling with companions?

• How old was he when he went to France?

• How did he fund the trip?

• Where and how did he give his presentation in Doylestown?

32

INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS Visitors appreciated having many objects to explore. They loved the opportunity to use the light from the lantern to illuminate their path and the prompts guiding them to discovery. During prototyping, several interactive ideas emerged relating to the glass lantern slides and Mercer’s maps.

Glass Slides Visitors were drawn to the glass lantern slides as artifacts when they were shown on top of a light box because the image was so clear. They expressed an interest in having ways to explore the slides in both a passive and interactive way. Several people suggested that the slides could be projected in areas of the gallery. One idea that was shared was to recreate the slide show of Mercer’s presentation at the Lenape Hall on loop set to music. Others suggested having a way for visitors to enlarge the glass slides themselves using a magnifying glass.

Because there was so much interest in the photographs, which are a major element to ground visitors in what Mercer experienced in France, one idea is to create a space in the gallery to act as a photo booth. Here, visitors can take old timey photographs as keepsakes of their visit to the Mercer Museum.

Maps Many visitors indicated a desire to understand Mercer’s travels through maps early on in the exhibit, and expressed wanting more information on the exact route that he took, the rivers he traveled along, and the stops that he made during his trip. They suggested having the same map at different sections of the exhibit, or having one central location in the gallery to explore his journey.

Though maps were included in the Houseboat scene, visitors said the maps were not entirely legible and hard to follow. They did like seeing Mercer’s sketch of his route as an artifact, but they wanted another map that was functional. Further considerations should be made as to how to annotate a map for greater clarity.

33

Glass slides.

The top image shows s an image Mercer took of a woman along a river being projected on the gallery wall. It also shows the artifact table displaying Mercer’s glass lantern slides on top of a light box, the box of slides, and a magic lantern which was used to project the images on the slides. In addition, a poster was on display that advertised Mercer’s presentation of his travels sat the Lenape Hall in Doylestown. The presentation was called “700 Miles in a Houseboat on the Rivers in France.”

The bottom image shows a close up of the lantern slides atop a lightbox.

34

PREFERENCE FOR TRIGGERING A/V COMPONENTS The Exhibits Team received mixed feedback as to how visitors would like audio experiences to be initiated. They found that people in older generations preferred audio/visual components to be on a loop or triggered with a motion sensor. These visitors wanted a cinematic experience as opposed to having control. Another reason visitors cited a preference for more passive viewing because they notice that interactive buttons tend to break and end up being less functional.

Other visitors, mostly groups with younger generations, did want to control their experience, and felt that it was more interactive to trigger audio visual components themselves. They expressed an interest in initiating these experiences using either a button or a foot pedal. Visitors were eager to explore through touch, and to their surprise, the Exhibits Team found that only one group avoided interacting through touch due to concerns of Covid-19.

35

Simulating interactives.

The Exhibits Team tested different ways to initiate audio/visual interactives in the prototypes as a way to understand visitors’ preferences for engaging in these experiences.

The top image shows a “Wave here” sign that was added to indicate gesture-based interactives outside of the Cave scene.

The bottom image shows a sign on the floor of the deck of the houseboat that reads “Step here” for an interactive initiated by stepping on a foot pedal.

36

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Prototyping for this exhibit was made possible due to the support from the Mercer Museum’s generous donors. On behalf of the Exhibits Team, I express gratitude for their support. In addition, acknowledgements are in order to Maya Hartmann, Cory Amsler, Clint Flack and many Visitor Services staff for making this project happen. Lastly, I would like to express immense gratitude to the 122 people that prototyped with us.

37