Designing Museum Experiences

About the Book

Designing Museum Experiences is a comprehensive, practical guide to creating visitor-centered museum experiences — from first concept through opening day. Published by AAM Press in 2021, it covers the full arc of exhibition and experience design: audience research, interpretive planning, spatial design, interactive technology, fabrication, and evaluation.

The book is used by museum professionals, exhibition designers, architects, and graduate students in museum studies and design programs worldwide.

The Designing Museum Experiences Process

The book introduces the DME Process — a structured methodology for experience design that keeps visitor needs at the center of every decision. Templates and frameworks developed for the book are used by Museum Planning LLC in every engagement.

Visitor-Centered Design

The core argument of the book is that great museum experiences are not designed around collections or buildings — they are designed around visitors. Understanding who comes, what they need, and how they experience the museum is the foundation of every design decision that follows.