Establishing a Design Process for Museum Exhibition Design

As museum exhibition become technically complex and design teams more specialised and fragmented, the need to plan and co-ordinate the design process with greater quality is becoming important. According to previous research of museum studies, traditional object-based displays are being replaced by multi-disciplinary technology -based exhibits in science museums, therefore, a specifically multi-disciplinary model is necessary to develop a workable MEDP model. This research explores the theory of design processes and museum exhibitions toward integrating as a means of museum exhibition design process. The study takes a comprehensive look at how a design process model used in developing museum exhibitions within the multi-disciplinary design work. Research methods comprise an exploratory study of literature and collected data, the development of case studies and qualitative analysis of the results in terms of MEDP methodology. The research also examines theoretical models (Architectural, product and exhibition) and develops a small number of case studies of how design concepts are managed in real-world practice. The aim of this research is to develop a systematic design process that allows designers and curators to cope with the complexities of multi-disciplinary design working as well as meet curatorial requirements in the museum exhibition context. In particular, this study aims: (a) To identify the characteristics and concepts of the design process as they relate to exhibition design; (b) To establish the benefits of the application of design process theory to the practice of museum exhibition design; (c) To examine the feasibility of applying a museum exhibition process framework to museum requirements and needs; (d) To contribute to a more complete understanding of museum design management by developing guidelines for adoption in practice.