WHO WE ARE: We are artists, designers, craftspeople, and engineers and we take projects from start to finish. These projects range from individual exhibits to entire spaces filled with exhibits. In every case we generally follow a process that includes research, design, prototyping, fabrication, installation, and support. PROTOTYPING: The intersection of the material world and the social world is an exciting place for us. Our shop is set up to encourage research early in the design process. We can try out exciting ideas that would be difficult if we relied on another firm for fabrication. We are constantly creating new devices and testing people's reaction to them in our shop and in public places. The visitor feedback we get from this early research helps us identify subtle factors that can enormously influence how people eventually experience the exhibits we create. The unique machines we create for this purpose don't go to waste. Many of them have been included in juried art shows. Prototyping is essential to our design process and we divide it into two stages: in the first stage we invite the public into our facility to try out exhibit ideas that are still gestating. Because the prototypes are right in our shop, we can observe how people use them and quickly make changes. After several iterations of this process we begin to have confidence in an exhibit idea. At that point we bring the prototype to a children's museum or science center and set up the exhibit for the public to use. A trained observer watches and interviews visitors as they use the prototype. EXHIBIT DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: Our approach to exhibit design begins with an appreciation of the visitor. Visitors to museums vary widely in their age, background, educational preparation, and in the time and interest they can devote to each experience. Many people will visit a museum in family or other groups - groups that include a great variety of ages and interests. For this reason we try to make exhibits carry more than one message and permit more than one level of involvement. The ideal exhibit will appeal to all ages, with each person getting something out of it. It can be experienced to a limited degree by a visitor with only 30 seconds to spend, but might also engage another visitor for 15 minutes or more. It can stand alone as an exhibit but can also be used by program staff in flexible and exciting ways. When we design groups of interactive exhibits, we try to create an environment rich in tools that visitors can use by themselves or with museum staff to better enjoy and understand their world and their own abilities. This means we emphasize exhibits that can be used in more than one way, depending on visitors inclinations and the availability of museum staff. Because we have worked as museum staff ourselves, we know what sort of exhibits will support exciting and empowering visitor activities. When we design the space in which exhibits appear, we consider the sequence and pace at which visitors encounter each experience, the placement of exhibits to encourage group interaction, the unfolding of sightlines, and the way in which different learning styles are addressed in every area. FABRICATION CAPABILITIES: When it comes to fabrication, our 12,000 square-foot shop offers an array of in-house capabilities: complete wood and metal fabrication; CNC routing and CNC laser cutting; TIG, MIG, and gas welding; a large spray booth; extensive capabilities in custom electronics; machining of metal and plastics; and programming of interactive computer exhibits. We generally have the same team that fabricates a group of exhibits install them. This way the installers are familiar with the intent of the exhibit and can make meaningful adjustments to conditions found on-site. The designers and fabricators are also the people who will be available to support the exhibit in the future. We offer a one year warrantee and continue to support our exhibits beyond that period.