Early in the winter of January 2009, I successfully sold my no-nonsense husband on spending a day at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA.  We were both very excited; imagine it, a museum dedicated to innovation and the best that is coming out of the technology world! The name itself promised more fun and stimulation than the usual quiet academic museum would.  There was a visiting Leonardo exhibit at the time, but we decided to stick to the main or permanent exhibit—the heart of the museum.

It was a complete bore.  We wandered from workstation to workstation, each one looking more and more like a cubicle requesting time and brainpower for little reward in return.  A number of the stations only accommodated one person at a time, leaving us to hover behind someone like a nosey boss. I felt I should have been slurping a mug of coffee and asked the little kids for their TPS reports!  We snuck a peak into the Leonardo exhibit to see if we were missing the real fun. Nope, the coolest thing in that area was a pair of actors pretending to be Leo’s homies.

What happened to this institution that promised to show how creative technology really is?  One key reason must be that the exhibitions were designed by programmers who love what they do, but do not know how to translate and transfer their passion to a wide audience.  Having a small budget at the time of installation, however, is not a valid excuse.  There are small, two-room museums that have designed better and communicated better with a lot less.

Maybe some Museology 101 could help out the Tech museum? On day one of my own museum crucible, my wise mentor told me a truth that the Tech Museum has yet to learn: “You are competing with Disney Land—don’t you ever forget it!”  This statement is truer for the Tech Museum than other types of museums since Disney continues to add to and update Tomorrowland.

Yes a museum is a place to learn, but it’s also a place to have fun, a place to go with the kids on Daddy’s day off.  So why would somebody waste a day at a place that looks like the work or home office?  Best to save a few more bucks, and take the trip to Tomorrowland.

Still, the Tech Museum has taken some steps in the right direction. For example, the Genetics exhibition had several creative displays, such as the Talking Portraits and the nerdy-artistic, cookbook double helix.  And, I believe the Tech Museum has the potential to become an IDEO-like wonder lab for all ages.  Certainly, past and future donors can make a big impact in helping this museum reach its full potential.  Just make sure, donors & grant-givers, that they hire an industrial designer, an exhibition design specialist, and a curator with a great portfolio in Anthropology or Natural History museums.

Popularity: 50% [?]