The Academic Program Assistants (AcPros) engage in work of academic teaching and curricular learning: Kaia Austin ‘26, Art History Major & Museums Concentrator; Jackie Walker ‘26, Psychology Major & Studio Art Minor; Nora Jones ‘28, American Studies Major & Museums Concentrator.
Mapping a Shifting Narrative at the Museum
Jackie Walker ‘26 is a Psychology major and Studio Art Minor. They have worked as an Academic Programs Assistant at the SCMA since 2025.
In February, the SCMA Academic Program Assistants (AcPros) celebrated the first complete iteration of the SCMA sensory map with mentor, Charlene Shang Miller, and the Education Department. In conjunction with the accessibility goals of SCMA’s current exhibition, Don’t mind if I do, the museum began offering more sensory-friendly resources. Work on the sensory map began in fall 2025, and was completed in early spring 2026.
Notes on locations of benches, bright lights, noises, videos, and interactive activities throughout the museum, drawn on an official map of the SCMA. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
A sensory map can make a museum more accessible by visually displaying the location of common sensory experiences such as bright lights, and accessibility features such as benches. By providing this information beforehand, visitors have the option to plan their walk through the museum and look for areas they may want to avoid before stepping into the gallery. The museum is currently working on a digital version of the map for visitors to view before arriving.
The information on the map is based on research conducted by Juni Anderson ‘26 who was a STRIDE research scholar at SCMA between 2022-2024 focusing on neurodiverse audiences in the art museum. She returned to SCMA, mentored by educator Gina Hall, to administer sensory surveys to museum staff and Smith students early last fall. Respondents evaluated all museum spaces based on light levels, sound levels, and other factors. We analyzed the results of this data to accurately label the sensory map.
Founding guidelines
Before setting out on making the sensory map, we first decided on a couple of priorities for the project:
- The final product would NOT have an industrial design. It should appear handcrafted, artistic, and creative.
- The final design should be a zine inspired by the Don’t mind if I do zines. (Zine refers to a small magazine that presents information as a small, digestible booklet)
- The primary audience should be college students coming to the museum, but any visitor may also find the map helpful.
Because a homebaked sensory map had never been done before (as far as we could tell), our first stop was the new zine collection in Hillyer Library. We looked at different page sizes, page lengths, printing colors, printing design, binding options, layout design, gloss vs matte printing and more. We also began by looking at sensory maps at major museums such as the Building for Kid’s Children’s Museum and Harn Museum of Art.
Layout and size
We also experimented with a couple different booklet designs, page progression, layout, and other basic design features. Deciding on page size and shape seemed like a logical first step. During this process, we landed on a handheld square shape with a flap that opens to display the map key next to each floor.
Early zine draft with three folds: left fold includes written notes about the floor, middle fold includes drawn map with sensory icons, right flap includes map key with a note to include map symbols. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
Initially, we also wanted to include a transparent layer over each floor map. The transparent layer would include the sensory details, and the map below would have detailed visual and directional labels. Towards the end, this idea had to be scrapped due to printing constraints and fear of crowding the page with too much visual information. The map and icons were reduced to fit on one page per floor.
Here is an image of an early mock up I created to combine the design elements we had decided on thus far. It included the square design, the map key flap, the transparent layer, and some potential icon designs and placements. At this point, we had our basics covered, and were ready to consider map design in greater detail, including the icons and color palette. Each page in the mock up included a slightly different color palette and style.
One page of the early zine prototype, including a potential color scheme with a blue map and different colored icons. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
Color palettes and icons
This led to the creation of our base color palette, effectively named, Don’t mind if I blue. We wanted to emulate the color scheme from the Don’t mind if I do exhibition, so blue became a central color, and we filled in the rest with a diverse selection of greys, mid tones, and darks. A muted, somewhat monochrome palette would allow bright colors to stand out.
Our next big decision would be icon design. These icons needed to denote seating locations, facilities, areas with bright lights, flashing lights, and sounds to name a few. Each of these symbols would have to communicate a unique purpose distinctly, effectively, and intuitively. Like the maps, they should also be hand drawn, while still appearing distinct enough to stand out against the background. Not to mention, each symbol would also have to be unique enough to stand out among the other icons.
Comprehensive image of icon drafts and notes. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
I spent another day making an exhaustive list of all the potential icons and designs we might use, grouped by color and hue. I drew far too many icons, and we reduced the list to fit on the page. As a team, we spent some time making color swatches and comparing the color palettes.
Notes from a team meeting about icons. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
Initially, we indicated interactive activities with a green puzzle piece, later changing the design to a green hand. The puzzle piece has historically represented harmful organizations, such as Autism Speaks, that intended to cure Autism Spectrum Disorder as if it were a disease. Because the puzzle piece communicates a lack of inclusivity, which contradicts our goals, we removed it from our project.
Final icons chosen from this page of designs and color swatches. Image credit: Jackie Walker.
After narrowing down the list of icons, at last we had to decide on a font. Though we liked the Dyslexie font, a font for dyslexic readers, we wanted something more original to our process. In the end, Kaia drew up a couple different alphabets, and decided on a finalized version based on readability and personal touch. Kaia’s handwriting was used throughout the entire map, except for the cover page.
Final touches
With that done, the final step was to put everything together. Because this was done during winter break, we used Canva to isolate the icons and maps, and organize them on the same page, as well as complete the page order and layout. Upon returning to campus, we fixed a couple smaller design issues with Adobe Illustrator, and thus the map was ready for printing.
All too often, accessibility concerns are addressed only as a requirement, rather than genuine interest in accommodating their visitors. Don’t mind if I do changes the narrative for museums and accessible spaces, not just by improving the overall accessibility, but by building a space that prioritizes disabled and neurodivergent audiences first.
We hope the SCMA sensory map is only the first of a changing narrative; rather than just fulfilling the bare minimum, accessibility resources should be made with care and thought.