• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.25
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• pp.227-240
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• 2016

This study aims to examine how visitors in science centers interact with gesture-based exhibits from embodied cognition perspectives. Four gesture-based exhibits in two science centers were selected for this study. In addition, we interviewed a total of 14 visitor groups to examine how they perceived the property of gesture-based exhibit. We also interviewed four experts to further examine the benefits and limitations of the current gesture-based exhibits in science centers. The research results indicate that the total amount of interaction time between visitors and gesture-based exhibits was not high overall, implying that there was little of visitors' immersive engagement. Both experts and visitors expressed that the current gesture-based exhibits tend to highlight the novelty effect but little obvious impacts linking gestures and learning. Drawing from the key findings, this study suggests the following design considerations for gesture-based exhibits. First, to increate visitor's initial engagement, the purpose and usability of gesture-based exhibits should be considered from the initial phase of design. Second, to promote meaningful interaction, it is important to sustain visitors' initial engagement. For that, gesture-based exhibits should be transformed to promote intellectual curiosity beyond simple interaction. Third, from embodied cognition perspectives, exhibits design should reflect how the mappings between specific gestures and metaphors affect learning processes. Lastly, this study suggests that future gesture-based exhibits should be designed toward promoting interaction among visitors and adaptive inquiry.