Outdoor entrance plaza has changed dramatically over the years
Outdoor thresholds to the aquarium’s front door
The aquarium offers 4 primary exhibit experiences within the main building
Concept idea – create a large touch experience to provide a dramatic contrast to the typical small bay experiences of the outer perimeter galleries
Concept idea – create an immersive, virtual underwater world with high-resolution LED displays on the aquarium’s two blank walls
LED display walls – inshore video plays on the west side while offshore video plays on the east side, creating the sense that the aquarium is actually underwater
From the outset, the New England Aquarium has placed education and research at the forefront, as evidenced by the original entrance photograph
Existing “Blue Planet Action Center” – reimagine as a the remote action center for tracking the activities of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life
Concept idea – consider introducing technology to let visitors choose their own adventure
Example of how interactive technology at other museums is being used to engage visitors and enable customized visit itineraries
Concept idea – use inexpensive technology to enable visitor-initiated customization of itineraries
Matrix showing where the 6 vision concept projects (plus Repairs) intersect with the 22 primary improvement components identified by staff

New England Aquarium Visitor Experience Master Plan

| Boston, MA

Overview: Enabled by a grant from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), the goal of this project was to develop a comprehensive Experience Master Plan for improving visitor interactions with the aquarium, across all touch points.

Process: BIA facilitated a series of workshops with aquarium staff to identify visitor issues and potential design responses. Out of over 200 issues identified as “important,” BIA was tasked with distilling and synthesizing these granular points into a “new vision for the aquarium.” The distillation of issues resulted in an Experience Master Plan with six primary focus areas:

Welcome > An exciting time awaits
Pre-Dive > A riveting sense of anticipation and orientation
Choreography > Rhythm and character of visitor experience
Underwater > Visitor journey beneath the surface
Observation/Action > Distinct platforms for observation and action
Discovery > Visitor initiated engagement

The Aquarium is now assessing priorities and determining a best course of action for the next steps in anticipation of their 50^th anniversary, which arrives in 2019.

Client:
Services:

New England Aquarium
Experience master planning, facilitation of workshops, presentations