Digital Signage for a Guided Tour at the Science Museum

Abstract

In our previous survey (February 2018, Japan), 70 people with hearing loss indicated the lack of necessary information at museums. The d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors at museums want sign language interpreters. Therefore, we organized guided tours with a curator explaining in sign language on the B1 floor [Evolution of Life -Exploring the Mysteries of Dinosaur Evolution-] at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan. The guided tours showed that many jargons did not have corresponding signs in the sign language, which made seeing some exhibitions difficult. We had to support with written text to convey these jargons. We prepared a portable digital signboard. A tablet PC attached to a portable stand displayed technical terms and jargons in Japanese. The curator was able to navigate the exhibition floor easily while carrying the signboard. As the digital signboard was self-supporting, the curator could use both the hands freely. It was effortless, involved low technology (hence, inexpensive), and very convenient to use at museums. This practice paper will report the design method to support technical terms in written Japanese. While displaying in writing, we recommend the following: 1. Use easy Japanese; 2. Proper nouns must be written; 3. Add Kana for difficult Kanji; 4. Display structured information; 5. Align text to the exhibition layout. These methods will be useful not only for the d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing but also for the hearing. We aimed at improving information accessibility of the museum based on “universal design” and “design for all.”