IKEA Museum
Led research sessions, designed prototypes and conducted live testing to develop a visitor experience strategy for the IKEA Museum, in Älmhult, Sweden.
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THE CHALLENGEThe IKEA Museum asked us to help them move from being a corporate institution, to becoming the flagship museum for Democratic Design.
“Democratic Design is rooted in a tradition of functionalism and humanism, and our playful attitude towards challenges, we want to infuse the museum with this vision” – JUTTA VIHERIÄ, Exhibition Manager
We spent six weeks with IKEA museum management, co-workers, and two exhibition design partner firms to structure and run design and prototyping activities, live with museum visitors.
We prototyped apps, immersive stages, interactive boots, thematic walks and podcasts with the goal to define a new collaboration, a framework and a roadmap of exhibition ideas that resonate with the identity of the museum: Democratic Design.
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THE OUTCOME︎︎︎
A Method of Collaboration
We’ve set out an approach for YOKE and Expology to conceive, test and design current and future visitor experiences in the museum. Delivering a set of frameworks and tools for them to use beyond the project, onto future exhibition design partnerships.
See below a diagram with our project structure and here an instagram created to update in real time both the IKEA Museum stakeholders and the public.
Img 01-02. Design process and questions
We’ve set out a rigorous process to identify a combination of research questions from both leadership, partners and IKEA Museum staff to set off live prototypes with visitors.
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A Project Mascot to help with the design process
I’ve designed a project mascot called ‘Olof’ – inspired by Swedish labour politician Olof Palme, as an homage to social democracy in Sweden, and democractic design.
During the research and design sprints, we’ve used this mark as an ever present ‘Microsoft Clippy’ to premeptively clarify jargon terms, and further explain the small print of prototypes.
The Olof glasses have been used as prompts in meetings, for people to raise them when unclear about the process, offloading the shame of not knowing to Olof.
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Design principles
We’ve set out five principles as overarching guidelines meant to support the exhibition team in creating coherent experiences across the museum. They were the results of over 20 interviews, and the testing insights from 16 prototypes across the six weeks period.
Img 03 - 1/5 Design Principles: ‘Use play to engage’.
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Signature Experiences
We’ve identified key engagement opportunities along the visitor journey in creating memorable and unique IKEA Museum moments. Built on prototyping research insights and are guided by the design principles. We’ve also mapped both the IKEA staff and visitor’s journeys upon which to apply the signature experiences. Together, they provided a framework, and a roadmap to shape the identity of the museum into the future.
