BE HERE NOW (aka Meditorium)
Exploratorium, San Francisco

Funding: $1.75M NSF award
On museum floor: 2007 - 2012
User research: formative / summative  

How can we use an exhibit to help visitors explore the natural flow of their thoughts? I conceived and developed this timed, two-minute "minds-on" activity for a "hands-on" science center, creating what was, to my knowledge, the first experiential exhibit on meditation. In a private setting, visitors close their eyes, keep their attention on their breath, and press a handheld button each time they notice their attention drifting away. After two minutes, a gentle bell chimes, revealing a count of how often they caught their mind wandering.

This brief experience has been shown to enhance metacognition, even for those unfamiliar with meditation. Interestingly, a higher count of "mind wandering catches" can indicate progress in recognizing the flow of thoughts, highlighting the exercise's value in fostering self-awareness and a deeper understanding of one's internal mental landscape.