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Bidwell’s Ghost

Post-Redesign Evaluation Adam Klinger and Nina Hido

January 2013

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Bidwell’s Ghost Post-Redesign Evaluation

Study Goals After an exhibit has been renovated, redesigned, or refurbished in preparation for the Exploratorium’s move from the Palace of Fine Arts to Pier 15, an interview and observation study is conducted. The purpose of the study is to identify any major issues that would require immediate attention prior to the move. This collection of redesign evaluations will serve as a baseline of information for the Exploratorium’s new exhibit set at Pier 15. General goals:

• To confirm that visitors are able to access and use the exhibit • To confirm that visitors can build a basic understanding of the exhibit’s content • To uncover visitors’ frustrations and confusions • To understand whether visitors move on from an exhibit for intrinsic or extrinsic

reasons

Exhibit Description

. This phenomenon isn’t completely understood. The rapidly changing sequence of colored, white, and dark flashes combine to create the illusion of a tree that is the opposite or color complement of the actual tree—blue-green (cyan) instead of red. This illusion takes its name from English inventor Shelford Bidwell, who discovered it in 1899. �

Methods Uncued observations and interviews were conducted. A researcher randomly selected visitors who crossed an imaginary line on the floor that stopped facing the exhibit with two feet planted and either looked at or touched the exhibit for approximately 15 or more seconds. Uncued visitors do not know they are part of the study until after they finish using the exhibit so their behavior can be considered representative of normal use patterns. This means that some of the visitors in this study may have used the exhibit only briefly. Visitors were approached after they left the exhibit and asked if they would be willing to participate in a 7-question interview about their experience at the exhibit.

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Demographics

Gender Count (N=5) M 3 F 2

ESL Count (N=5) N 3 Y 2

Estimated Age Count (N=5) 8-12 0 13-17 1 18-20s 1

30s 2 40s 0 50s 1 60+ 0

Group Composition Count (N=5) Adults-only 2 Adults with children 2 Adults w/ teens 1 Adults w/ teens and children

0

Findings Holding Time

This is the time the visitor spent using or otherwise engaged with this exhibit. The amount of time a visitor spends at an exhibit is influenced by many factors and can indicate level of engagement or interest, but not as a measure on its own.

Time at exhibit mm:ss (N=5)

Mean 0:47 Median 0:48

Min 0:36 Max 1:00

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Visitor Behaviors

Visitors were observed as they used various parts of the exhibit.

Counterclockwise very slowly (<4rpm) for >5 seconds?

Count (N=5)

No 3 Slow but >1rpm 2

Yes 0

Counterclockwise fast (~4rpm or more) for > 5 seconds?

Count (N=5)

Yes 3 No 2

CLOCKWISE for > 5 seconds? Count (N=5)

Yes 4 No 1

Press and hold light button for > 5 seconds?

Count (N=5)

No 2 Counterclockwise 2

Both 1 Clockwise 0

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Visitor Interest Visitors were asked about their interest in the exhibit and why they rated from “not interesting” to “very interesting” (1 – 7).

Interest level Count (N=5)

High Interest (6-7) 1 Moderate Interest (4-5) 4 Low Interest (1-3) 0

Visitor responses:

H It is very cool how it worked, the color change. I like the ease of use. You can go forward, backwards, slow or fast.

M

I don't have a lot of time to read instructions because I am following him (3 year old boy), so having the illusion be obvious and not having to read it to get it is important to me.

M

I actually didn't read the directions. I was just messing around. [Why did you not read the instructions?] I saw an experiment thing and just wanted to do it. Like this (points to Zoetropes) I walk up and start using it. I don't read the directions. With that one (Bidwell's Ghost) I was trying to get the window to stop on the tree.

M Because it is just two colors changing two colors. Maybe if it was more colorful it would be more interesting.

M Because of my lack of science background. [Can you say more about that?] Not really. [How does it effect your experience?] I don't know that it does.

Visitor Frustration or Confusion

Visitors were asked to tell us if there was anything confusing or frustrating, what the source of the frustration was, and whether or not it made them want to leave the exhibit and move on to another one.

Source of visitor frustration or confusion* Count (N=5)

# that wanted to move on

Nothing frustrating or confusing 2 -- Not sure what’s happening 1 1 Not sure how to use it 2 1

*Totals may add up to more than N = 15 because visitors gave more than one response.

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Visitor Understanding

Visitors were asked what they think the exhibit was about with the goal to determine whether or not they have a basic understanding of the concepts presented and to identify possible areas of misunderstanding. We acknowledge that this study has a small sample size and that these findings illustrate trends and may not be representative.

Visitor responses:

− An optical illusion priming your eye with a color and then setting up a situation where you trick your eye to think the color.

− How light and black and white changes the color of the picture. I'm just noticing now when it goes to the right it has more color and when it goes to the left it fades.

− There is white and black the transition of color from one to another. Even though black is not a color

− Optical illusions. − About if you spin a certain way at a certain speed the color will change.

Visitor Reasoning for Leaving the Exhibit

The goal of this question is to explore how open or closed-ended the exhibit seems to be for the visitor. Visitors tend to leave exhibits for intrinsic reasons, such as feeling bored, or finished with the experience, or for extrinsic reasons, like having to go to lunch or being distracted by another exhibit. Leaving for intrinsic reasons could suggest a more close-ended exhibit experience.

Reasons for moving on to the next exhibit

Count (N=5)

Intrinsic 3 Extrinsic 1 Both 1

Visitor responses: Intrinsic Once I've used all the buttons, I look at something else and go to it. Intrinsic I had done all of it. Intrinsic Once I had gotten it to change, had pushed all the buttons, I was done. Extrinsic Mostly because we need to get him some pizza.

Both I felt like I had seen what I was supposed to. I saw colors change. [Anything else?] Limited time.

It appears that visitors DO have a basic understanding of concepts presented.

X

It appears that visitors DO NOT have a basic understanding of concepts presented.

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Conclusions Based on this small sample, we conclude that the redesigned exhibit does not require immediate remediation. This evaluation did not identify sufficient impediments to visitor use, engagement or basic understanding.

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APPENDIX: Graphic Panel

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Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Sarah Elovich for observing, recruiting and interviewing visitors for this study. This material was created with funding provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect their views.