Creating Inclusive Museum Experiences: The Role of Media Integration in The Dot Experience

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Billy Boyd and Annie Schauer from Solid Light to learn more about designing The Dot Experience, APH’s innovative museum designed with inclusivity at its core. It was such an honor to hear about how they are using media to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can engage with the exhibit in a meaningful way. 

Synchronicity is Key  

The process of integrating inclusive media into a museum is much more than just adding a few extra features. It involves a whole network of moving parts— from American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and refreshable braille devices, to synchronized video and sound. The goal is to create a seamless experience where everyone, from a person using a braille reader, to someone watching a video or utilizing sign language interpretation, can experience the exhibit at the same moment.  

The AFB Helen Keller Archives station is a great example of the importance of timing in creating an equitable experience. At this station, visitors are invited to explore a collection of documents from the archives. All content in The Dot Experience, will be available in print, braille, and ASL, so Billy and Annie’s teams work together to ensure all visitors receive this information in the same way, with the same cadence.  

Annie explained it best when she said, “Communicating the moment in the same time—we’re talking about everyone having a shared experience.” It’s about ensuring that every person who walks in the door has the opportunity to experience the same sense of awe and connection.  

Starting with the Familiar 

Billy also emphasized the importance of building off of familiarity when designing inclusive media. “The method by which people engage with technology in their daily lives needs to be telegraphed into how we build,” he said. What this means is that designers need to create interfaces and systems that people are already familiar with, reducing the learning curve for visitors. This is again evident in the AFB Helen Keller Archive station, which employs simple and intuitive buttons for navigation. 

But the work doesn’t stop with The Dot Experience. Billy explained that the lessons they’ve learned from this project are already being applied to other exhibits. For instance, the team has gained valuable insights into how refreshable braille works—like uptime and response times—that can be applied to future projects. “The underlying systems could then be employed for all kinds of other things,” Billy shared. 

The Importance of Experience 

As with everything in this project, the feedback from our prototyping team has been essential in driving the role of technology and media within the exhibits. While Solid Light brings its expertise in storytelling and exhibit design, the prototyping team provides real-world feedback, ensuring that the technology works not just in theory, but in practice. “Prototyping allows for input from people who can qualify these things with their own experiences,” Billy explained. Though there are codes and standards to follow, they can often be broad. The hands-on feedback from real users is what makes the technology truly work for all visitors—in the AFB Helen Keller Archives station that meant refining the button shape, placement, mechanisms, and more.  By combining expert design with real-life input, The Dot Experience is setting the bar for inclusively designed spaces and experiences. 

At the heart of it all, The Dot Experience is about creating a space where everyone—no matter their abilities—can share in the excitement of learning and discovery. It’s a reminder that when we design with inclusivity in mind, we don’t just create accessible spaces, we create more enriching experiences for everyone.