PetroSains Field Study group photograph.

On the 12th of February ’19, a field study was conducted at PetroSains, KLCC as part of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) module, led by Dr Marina Ng, the module convenor and accompanied by Dr Amr Ahmed, the Head of School. A total of 33 Year 2 undergraduate students from the School of Computer Science participated in the field study which allowed them to gain experience in integrating the theoretical perspectives of interaction design learned in the classroom with experiences gained in the field. Students assembled by 8am to leave via bus and were greeted by Dr Daniel Loy, PetroSains’s Director of Innovation and Learning upon arrival at 10am.

Petrosains is a Science Discovery Centre that uses a fun and interactive approach to tell the story of the science and technology of the energy industry. It is housed in the PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur. Occupying level 4 and 5 of both Tower 1 and Tower 2 of the Twin Towers, Petrosains covers a total exhibit area of more than 7,000 square meters. Using innovative methods of presenting ideas, Petrosains showcases its exhibits and displays in an engaging and exciting ways. It serves as an excellent venue for students to study user interactions with exhibits and learn to use novel ways to engage visitors with interactive technologies. Students also came to understand how factors such as the physical environment and context of use are important design considerations in user experience (UX) design.

At the start of the visit, students had the opportunity to listen and learn from Dr Daniel Loy as he shared about the many challenges involved in designing public interactive exhibits as they need to cater for group experiences and visitors of all ages. The talk and also a tour given by Dr Daniel Loy allowed them to truly understand ‘what visitors want’ and ‘what works’ on the science floor. At the same time, Dr Daniel Loy presented students with 3 ‘problematic’ public exhibits that were less popular with visitors as their Design Challenge for coursework. Students will attempt to propose and develop new prototypes to improve/re-design these exhibits over the course of the module. A ‘pitching’ session will be held in April, where PetroSains staff will be invited to our UNMC campus to give feedback on students’ design ideas and present prizes to the winners of the UNMC-PetroSains Design Challenge. Good luck to our HCI students!