Scale Ladders: Communicating Size and Scale

General Description:

A series of interview studies was conducted to determine how museum visitors interpret scale ladders that focus on the nanoscale. These studies look at different versions of an example scale ladder in order to: a.) Iteratively develop a scale ladder that may be used by other informal science institutions. b.) Formulate guidelines to inform the design and use of other scale ladders.

Major Findings:

• Most visitors thought the scale ladder showed the (relative) size of objects.
• Less than half of the visitors looked closely at or thought deeply about the nanoscale portion of the scale ladder poster.
• Removing the ruler from the scale ladder did not have a measurable effect on visitors’ interpretation of its main message or their definition of nano.
• When reading a scale diagram to determine the size of a nano-sized object, visitors looked more at the objects that bracket the nanoscale category than at other objects on the ladder.
• Most visitors found the scale ladder helpful in understanding an exhibit about nanostructures, but some visitors felt that the scale ladder was confusing and / or superfluous to the exhibit.
• Visitors were more likely to see the scale ladder’s relevance when it included items specifically mentioned in the exhibit.
• A more diverse (and possibly more familiar) set of objects did not lead to a better understanding of the nanoscale.

Type of product(s) studied:

Media

Method(s) of data collection:

interviews

Documents:

scale_ladders_-_communicating_size_and_scale.pdf

Author(s):

Joyce Ma

Associated product(s):

Scale Ladder

Scale ladders are diagrams that can quickly convey the size of the nanoscale by showing how objects are related by size. Using existing research on understanding size and scale, the Visualization Laboratory carried out a series of experiments to develop effective scale ladders as well as guidelines for their design and use. This diagram can be dropped as is into an exhibition graphic or used as a template and adapted for different content or graphical contexts. To inform designers wishing to build a different scale ladder, guidelines gleaned from the research are also made available separately.

Guidelines for the Design and Use of Scale Ladders

To understand why the nanoscale is different, we need to appreciate just how small it is. One common way to represent the nanoscale visually relies on scale ladders, diagrams that show how objects are related by size. Using existing research on understanding size and scale, the Visualization Laboratory carried out a series of experiments to develop a scale ladder and guidelines for their design and use. These guidelines are based on several rounds of formative evaluation, and provide insight into what aspects of a scale ladder are most critical in communicating with visitors, and how they might be used most effectively in educational settings.