The Science History Institute was faced with a fascinating challenge: a building that was never meant to be public opened its doors, creating chaos for its open archives and complicated interpretation. Laymen walking in stood in awe of the artifacts and equipment, but didn’t understand any of it. So we created the Object Explorer, a hands-on interactive exhibit that took everyday, take-for-granted objects and exposed the incredible science behind each of them.

To help distinguish between other exposed artifacts and the ones you were allowed to touch, we created bold, life-sized, monochromatic 3D printed objects to satiate their desire for tactility. These totems became the key to unlocking the Object Explorer’s interface.

In addition to creating the Object Explorer, we also refreshed this two-story high media column with an 18-minute video loop, highlighting the Periodic Table, artifacts from the collection, notable scientists, and charming ephemera.

We did extensive paper-prototyping to ensure that the flow of information was logical and compelling. It was critical to not overwhelm the user with too much information.

We explored a variety of interface options to ensure that the objects were not merely functioning as a key to unlock content, but rather as a navigational tool to curate information.

To create a coherent set of elements, we quickly mocked up crude models to align on the ideal size of each object.