Dear Ms Aburrow,
Hope you don't mind, but I have copied your concern onto the Museums Documentation Association (MDA) e-mail forum (Suggestions) page. You may get a direct reply from somebody from the MDA, otherwise if I see any response on the MDA forum, I'll pass it on.
Cheers,
Neil Campling
>>> [log in to unmask] 07/11/2005 12:22:15 >>>
Hi all
Recently I have become aware of an annoying example of poor usability and
accessibility. It is the way museums label their exhibits. Frequently
there is a number next to the object, and this refers to a panel with
explanatory text. This is OK for small objects where there is no room to
add captions next to the objects, but frequently it is employed for large
objects, where the aesthetic value of the object is often seen as more
important than its meaning.
Unfortunately this makes it very difficult for people with dyslexia to enjoy
the exhibition, because by the time they have transferred their gaze from
the exhibit to the interpretation panel, they have forgotten the number, and
have to go back again. I myself am not dyslexic but frequently have this
problem anyway! My husband has dyslexia and hence finds this kind of
labelling very tiring. In one museum we visited, there was a costume
exhibition, and the distance between the numbers and the explanatory text
was so great that a lady who was both short- and long-sighted had to change
her glasses each time.
The solution is simply to place a short explanatory caption next to the
object (e.g. 14th C English spoon), and a longer piece giving the context
below or beside the display case.
I hope this issue is relevant and of interest to members of this list -
whilst it does not strictly relate to data standards, I am sure you can see
that it is in a neighbouring area.
Regards
Yvonne
--
Yvonne Aburrow
Web Developer, Computing Services, University of Bath
+44 (0)1225 38 6022
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http://people.bath.ac.uk/ccsya/
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