Senior Product Manager
Dallas Museum of Illusions
Empathy Immersion Case Study
Project Overview
I visited the Dallas Museum of Illusions which includes installations and rooms that provoke illusions within the brain. On my visit, I used ear plugs to experience the museum as a person hard of hearing. My goal was to observe how the museum already accommodates people with a similar disability and look for opportunities on how to improve the experience, as well.
The Dallas Museum of Illusion features 13 installation exhibits. Each exhibit within the museum is accompanied by posted directions that explain how to interact with the exhibit and what the illusion accomplishes. Guests can interact with the exhibits independently without the assistance of a staff member. Because I was attending as a person hard of hearing, this was a helpful resource to help me navigate the installation exhibits.
The "Switch 10" exhibit directions explain the exhibit's set up, provide directions on how to play the game, and define the goal for the visitor.
The "Cylinder Swap" exhibit directions provide the history of the game, define the goal for the visitor, and explain the direction and rules on how to play.
The Dallas Museum of Illusion also features 3 illusion room. While each room is accompanied by posted directions similar to the installation, interacting with the room was more successful if a staff member positioned the visitors for the images and assisted them in taking their photos. In my immersive experience, I felt some anxiety because staff members would start verbally explaining where to stand, and I couldn't understand. When notified the staff that I could not hear, they briefly hesitated on how to respond, but quickly adjusted by demonstrating proper placement with their bodies.
An employee pointed to the directions posted next to the "Tilted Room" and used hand motions to explain the exhibit. When he spoke to me, he spoke clearly so I could attempt to lip read.
After our initial interaction in the first illusion room, he walked us to the next exhibit and physically demonstrated how to best utilize the "Reversed Room" for maximum results.
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Initial interaction with staff for museum overview is mostly auditory
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Results for images within the illusion rooms happen best with verbal explanations from staff
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Every installation and room was accompanied by posted written directions
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Staff will provide physical demonstrations to assist in understanding
