New museum design cultures: harnessing the potential of design and ‘design thinking’ in museums

What is the current status of museum design research? How has the field progressed and how might we characterise contemporary museum design research? What are the barriers to the ongoing development of museum design and what role might research play in enabling museums to harness their physical, designed forms towards the production of meaningful, active, ethical and ongoing visitor experiences as well as the tangible manifestation of mission? This paper explores one very specific piece of research undertaken with colleagues from the Imperial War Museum North in the early months of 2014. The project proved highly productive, prompting a whole range of questions and generating new insights about the future of museum design research and its ability to make a positive and meaningful contribution to the ongoing transformation of museums into visitor-centred organisations. Most significantly, the project showed the value of design thinking and a research-led approach to museum development; harnessing the possibilities of museum design for a more fundamental thinking through of the visitor-centred visions, values, missions and making of museums.