CHS Work on OSH to Date

Audience and Visitor Experiences

14 June 04

• Generated audience profiles– Families, “Empty Nesters,”

Conventioneers, Tourists• Attributes from other places OSH could

adopt• Circulation issues• Content ideas• Teams generate ideal OSH experiences

What Did We Do?

• Could argue we we’re jumping the gun…• But:

Failing Faster to Succeed Sooner (IDEO)

• Visitor experiences are inventive, highly novel products

• Thus, it is hard to specify up front what is needed

Why Did We Do This? I

• We are not sure what we want/need• We are having difficulty stating all that we

know about OSH and what we want the visitor experiences to be

• Many of the details of what we want will only be revealed during development

• The details of it all are currently overwhelmingly complex

• As the project develops we will probably change our minds about things we currently think are important

Why Did We Do This? II

• Ultimately, this process has helped expose a lot of issues

• Will help us more effectively articulate and discuss what we now need to fully resolve

Why Did We Do This? III

Creating the Profiles

• Where are They– A nice house in Avon

• Picture of OSH?– Steward’s Museum/2 headed calf?

• Who is in Charge?– Kid driven, “It’s all about the kids”

• Why do Parents Decide to Go?– Valuable use of time for kids– Is it fun to do – especially for the kids?– how long it will take to do, is there more around

to do ?

Audience Profile – Families I

• What is the Trip Like?– Need to know where to park… – Perception that Hartford is scary/bad– “Am I lost? I’m not sure where I’m going

in Hartford…”– “I can see it, but I can’t get there?”

• Arrival at OSH– Do I park on the street?– Most of the family get dropped off, and

then car is parked elsewhere

Audience Profile – Families II

• Where are They?– A nice house in Glastonbury

• Picture of OSH– Perhaps know it is here, maybe have been

around it• Why do They Decide to Go?

– “Let’s do something…”, getting out is the thing

– Something to talk about later– New experience, not a return visit

Audience Profile – Empty Nester I

• When Would they Go?– Still a weekend thing– Not being open Sunday may be a problem

• What is the Trip Like?– Drive is probably OK on the weekend– They know the way; they’ve been

downtown before• Arrival at OSH

– Do I park on the street?

Audience Profile – Empty Nester II

• How Many Are There?– Not many tourists visit the Hartford area– Mainly go to Wadsworth and Twain House in

Hartford– Most tourists go to Mystic and casinos

• Who Are They?– Older (35-54)– Party size = 2 to 3 people– Generally travel without kids (except in

summer)– Live within a 4 hour drive (mainly NY and MA)

Audience Profile – Tourists I

• What Do They Do in CT?– Stay 1 or 2 nights, mostly in hotels– Likely visit for a weekend– Gambling, shopping, outdoor recreation (in

that order) favourite activities• Perception of Hartford

– Lack of parking, restaurants, and entertainment

– Downtown is a “tough sell”

Audience Profile – Tourists II

• Who Are They?– Almost impossible to predict– Might be like “empty nesters,” as they are w/o

kids• Where are They?

– Will they even leave the Convention Center/hotel?• Picture of OSH

– Probably no interest in Hartford beyond the conference

– Connecticut’s image (New England, Basketball, Judging Amy)

• Why do They Decide to Go?– Skipping sessions – need something to do? – Rental – an evening event might draw them over

Audience Profile – Conventioneers I

• How Do They Find Out About OSH?– Registration packet info – Hotel might have info (ie rack cards)

• When Would they Go?– Limited time – no real free time?– Visit (i.e. convention) is heavily organized

• What is the Trip Like?– Will they walk the 4 blocks, especially

across Columbus Blvd?

Audience Profile – Conventioneers II

• Shopping– Immersive trade/retail experience– Exhibit vs. shop – hard to tell where one

starts and the other stops?• Food

– Sit, relax, have a beverage– Unique snacks, not like everything else

available

Attributes from Other Places I

• Community Space– A community centre; a meeting place,

like it used to be– Reintroduce political process to OSH

• Video– An emotional video or movie (sad or

happy, doesn’t matter)– Ambience like a modern movie theater

(groups of people in lobby anticipating something)

Attributes from Other Places II

• Views– A nice view or vista (maybe from front balcony)– With cocktails (!)– Just looking out windows?

• Physical Activities– Indoor gym @ OSH (get people out of their offices)– Fun/funny, family oriented activity, no/limited skill

needed– Rock climbing or some other kind of contained

physical activity that you can’t always do– Discovery Zone/Jeepers

Attributes from Other Places III

• Outside OSH– Silhouettes (outside looking in to see figures)– Fountain (must have water, a la SonicRim)– Outdoor movies– Walking tours (what else is around here?)– Video projections on OSH– Lighting building in color (or windows); change colors for

seasons and events (a la Empire State Building)– A garden– Craft fair (or demos)– Contemporary artists' site specific installations with

historical 'twist’– Sitting and watching people (or sitting and eating lunch)– Outdoor stage for performances

Attributes from Other Places IV

Circulation Issues I

Many entries!

Which to use?

Appeal of entering via steps

New reception area?

Circulation Issues II

More entries!

Ed Ctr in gallery too far from rest of bldg to move school groups efficiently

Choke point (and loud!)

The Concept Wall

• Icons – Relationship to other Hartford icons – Colt, Mark

twain, insurance, State Capitol, Wadsworth, City Hall– How does OSH compare to other landmarks –

Empire State Building, the White House, etc• Hartford

– What are we famous for?– Why is Hartford here, and not somewhere else?

• The Building– Changes to the OSH – how, why, what’s original?

• Cities – We love the culture, art, and beauty cities produce – Where do cities come from?

Content I

• Place and Community– What is “place”?– Neighborhoods define cities

• Architecture– Features of the OSH architectural details – OSH looks like countless banks and schools, not

to mention Aetna and the Bushnell • Politics and Government

– The city is the first line of government for most people

• Geography and Nature– The geography of Hartford

Content II

• Why did the OSH get built? Why did they need it?• Why is this place (OSH and/or Hartford) so important?

– It’s/they’re old….• Why did the OSH get built here?

– In Hartford and not elsewhere, and here specifically?• How did Hartford become the state capital?• Is state government all that Hartford has?

– Is it just a temporary home for politicians?• What if OSH wasn’t here anymore?• How did all the stories about the place become myth

like? – Is there a kernel of truth to them?

• Why are there so few human interest stories at OSH?– That we know of…

• Why do we still need it?

Content II

• The building is not just about government

• OSH doesn’t exist without what is outside its walls

• Decisions and other things that happened at OSH affected the whole state

Content III

Team Concepts

Presenting the Concepts

Concept A – Families and Tourists

• Exhibit explores the relationship between civic activity and change: – Social– Cultural– Political– Economic– Physical

Concept A – Families and Tourists

Kitchen with running water

Ed Ctr

School group entrance

Concept AShop

Café

Cloakroom/lockers

Main entrance

Main entrance

Reception

Rentals

•On the Green – then and now signage with images•A visual hook that is unexpected – something that changes and looks fun•Outdoor interactive experiences

Concept A – Families and TouristsExhibit makes

reference to what happened in these rooms

Emphasize comparing the two rooms

What is a curiosity, then and now?

•Audio experiences – debates, etc.•Costumed interpreters

Concept B – Max Use of ArtifactsMain entrance

Main shop

Concept B – Max Use of Artifacts

Ed Ctr Shop

Ed Ctr

Concept B – Max Use of Artifacts• Governance/civics addressed in

historic rooms• Exhibit based on Hartford and CT

River• Three themes

– Making a Living– Building a Community– Home Life in Hartford

Concept B – Max Use of Artifacts

• Making a Living– Native Americans– First Settlers– A Riverport Town– Industrial City– Service Economy

in an Urban City– Hartford’s Future

• Transition points• Then/now

comparisons

Concept C – “Center of City”Community/political group office space

New washrooms

7 Themes in space:•Magic of cities•World of the streets•What is place?•Where do cities come from?•Politics & gov’t•Why people stay in Htfd•Myths & mythmaking

Timeline/traditional exhibit about history of:

•OSH•Site•Hartford

Integrated immersive media experience

Concept C – “Center of City”

Ed Ctr themed as Stewards’ Museum (artifacts moved to here too)

Spaces converted to washrooms for Ed Ctr

Washrooms converted to full kitchen

Painting area (wknd prgm?)

Coat/storage

Entrance in use

School group entrance

Concept C Main entrance

Main entrance

Reception

Screen from theatreShop

Shop stock

Cloakroom/lockers

Shop load in

Monthly sessions on political issues

•Self cleaning portable toilets outside•Exterior/windows illuminated in colors•Spotting scopes and exhibits at OSH and surrounding •Outdoor food and craft vendors

Concept C – “Center of City”Café (rental space or more seating above in 3R)

Café seating

Views

Videos X 4

OSH provides free Wifi access point

Concept D – Various Ideas I• Exhibition organized around three broad

areas of activity linked with site and surroundings:– Government– Commerce/Making a Living– Social/cultural life

• Topics and consequences related to each of the three areas are explored– Laws work for/against different groups– Wealth created– Inclusion/exclusion– Elitism/populism

Concept D – Various Ideas II• Exhibition organized around idea that

our history is shaped by specific decisions that people have made at different points in time

• Decisions can have both positive and negative consequences – Picking this spot – Revolution and Independence – Amistad – State/City Government Move On – Re-envisioning the City

Concept D – Various Ideas III• The OSH site and the buildings built on it have

been central to life in Hartford for more than 360 years

• CENTER OF THE CITY (physically and psychologically)– Order: Fundamental Orders & democracy– Revolution: Charter Oak and Revolution– Architecture: urban planning & surrounding

buildings• CENTER FOR PEOPLE (Central to City Life)

– Shopping: Markets & shopping (bootblacks, prostitutes)

– Entertainment: Hotels, taverns, movie theaters, restaurants

– Gathering: Protests and WWII, Americanization classes, bus lines

ConclusionStill stuck on what “the Big Idea”

is or could be…