M Museum​

To map emotional responses through multisensory learning, we used a lean development approach, placing the experience of the human ‘research subject’ at the centre of the design. We implemented two different stages, where, in the first stage, the art pieces remained the same. In the second stage, the setting was manipulated by including multisensory experiences to existing art pieces. Comparing both situations enabled us to deep dive into the effect of combining sensory with art.​ We implemented a hybrid design in both stages. In qualitative focus groups, we focused on our proprietary Symphony Of Senses approach, which is based on the theory that all knowledge, perceptions and emotions that consumers build about their environment comes from the information they receive via their senses.​ For the quantitative stage, we designed an app specifically for this research.​

The research helped us to truly understand the M Museum visitor.​ Visitors go to a museum to experience a mental transportation. They want to learn but also relax, they want to escape everyday life during their museum visit. To experience this transportation, everything needs to breathe the same message; the building, entrance, garden, shop, art works, …​ Visitors don’t distinguish between old masters and contemporary art, but view it holistically and as a whole.​ Visitors like multisensory information, but have difficulties using multisensory tools, since they don’t match with their traditional expectations. Multisensory tools need to be in line with the rest of the museum and need to facilitate this mental transportation rather than interrupt it. M Museum will need to disrupt by using simple and continuous tools that give visitors the confidence to use their other senses.​