Co-designing shared experiences for and with deaf and hearing museum visitors

Shared experiences between deaf and hearing museum visitors are often hindered by sensory gaps, emerging from differences in sensory perception and interpretation. To better meet the needs and expectations of sensory-diverse visitors museums increasingly co-design exhibitions together with them. Which design practices support egalitarian co-design between deaf and hearing participants, however, remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted two co-design workshops focusing on shared experiences in a museum context with 18 deaf and hearing participants. To create an egalitarian setting between the participants, the use of oral and signed language was intentionally prohibited as both are considered exclusive forms of communication. Our qualitative thematic analysis of surveys, participant-generated materials, and observed behaviour showed that excluding oral and signed language encouraged more equal collaboration and joint exploration, but also slowed down the co-design process. While craft materials supported non-verbal communication during the workshops, expressing embodied experiences remained challenging without the use of oral or signed language. Our data further revealed that deaf participants often led interactions, suggesting stronger skills in body-based communication. Based on these insights, we draw four conclusions with respect to design practices that support egalitarian co-design between deaf and hearing participants and developed six recommendations for facilitating such co-design.