Rescuing the Lunar Cycle
Interactive Exhibit Design
A hands-on museum experience blending storytelling, science, and interaction to teach lunar phases and their impact on Earth.
Role
UX/UI + Interaction Designer
Tools
Figma
Timeline
3 weeks
Skills
UX Research
Interaction Design​
Wireframing
Prototyping
The Problem
I was challenged to create an educational and engaging interactive experience that teaches 5th graders about a specific topic in a physical space. It was crucial to consider how this age group learns best, what types of interaction they respond to, and how to ensure the content was both accessible and memorable.
How do you teach 5th-grade students about the lunar cycle in a way that sticks? While the concept is foundational in earth and space science, it’s often abstract and hard to visualize. I chose to design an interactive experience that made the phases of the moon tangible, memorable, and age-appropriate.
The Goal
Design a physical learning environment that makes the science of the moon engaging for 5th-grade students. The experience should be intuitive, visually appealing, and structured to meet specific educational outcomes while keeping learners active and curious.
My exhibit will be created to help 5th graders understand the lunar cycle, ensuring the experience aligns with curriculum standards while using interaction and play to reinforce learning.
Research & Discovery
Zoe Martinez, 11
Proto-persona
User Statement
Zoe is a 5th grade student who is a social and active learner and thrives in environments that incorporate movement and teamwork.
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Technical Usage
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Frequent computer user in classroom
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Familiar with laptops, smart phones, tablets, tvs
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Enjoys animal documentaries and competition shows/YouTube videos
Behaviors
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Social student
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Asks a lot of questions, sometimes irrelevant ones
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Competitive, energetic, loves challenges
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Loves playing sports like soccer and basketball at recess and after school
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Enjoys math, specifically chart problems and patterns
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Loves puzzles but doesn’t like to do them alone
Challenges
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Wants to work on assignments with friends
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Not necessarily to work on them together but to socialize
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Thinks long blocks of text are boring, struggles slightly with reading comprehension
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Fidgets often, uses fidget tools and toys to keep focused
Ideation
For ideation, I explored the lunar cycle from multiple angles, researching its scientific, environmental, and cultural impacts. To design for 5th graders, it was necessary to understand what they likely already know and what might be confusing.
By researching Michigan science standards for upper elementary students, reviewing lesson plans, and studying how other children’s museums teach space concepts, I gained valuable insights to guide my project. I brainstormed interactive scenarios— hands-on models, gamified quizzes, and collaborative experiments—while considering movement, rewards, and social engagement. This iterative process helped me narrow ideas to those that were both fun and educational.
Proto-Persona
I created a proto-persona based on Zoe Martinez, an energetic 11-year-old 5th grader who thrives on movement, teamwork, and socializing. Zoe’s love for sports, challenges, and puzzles guided the design, ensuring the space encouraged interaction, engagement, and hands-on learning while accommodating her need to move and fidget.
Task Flow
The task flow was designed to guide Zoe through an interactive, engaging experience where she rearranges scrambled moon phases to restore balance on Earth by answering questions correctly.
This process uses both physical interaction (exhibit) and digital feedback (touchscreen) to reinforce learning. The task flow was necessary to structure the experience logically, helping Zoe connect her actions to the consequences and maintain engagement.
PROBLEM:
The moon’s cycle has been disrupted and the phases have been rearranged. The moon is now shifting unpredictably and it’s causing chaos on Earth.
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Ocean tides are out of control
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Learn about how tides are tied according to moon phases
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Nocturnal animals are lost
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Learn about animals that rely on the moonlight to see
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Plants and crops are struggling
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Learn about how the moon can affect plant growth
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GOAL:
The moon phases must be rearranged correctly to save the Earth for the moon to return to its natural cycle and save the tides, animals, and plants.
I. Introduction​​​.
a. Physical Space
i. Interactive exhibit station in the museum with a large touchscreen display
b. Digital Space
i. Animated introduction on the screen
c. Interaction Type
i. Individual or collaborative
1. The screen plays a short introduction where the moon cycle scrambles, causing the chaotic problems on Earth (flooded beaches, confused animals, struggling crops)
2. Zoe receives her mission: Rearrange the moon phases correctly to restore balance
II. Interactive Challenge​​​.
a. Physical Space
i. Touchscreen interface in the museum exhibit
b. Digital Space
i. Q&A puzzle game
c. Interaction Type
i. Individual or collaborative
1. Zoe is presented with eight scrambled moon phases in a Q&A interface
2. She must answer the questions to rearrange them in the correct sequence (New Moon → Waxing Crescent → First Quarter → Waxing Gibbous → Full Moon → Waning Gibbous → Last Quarter → Waning Crescent)
III. Real-Time Feedback & Adjustments​​​.
a. Physical Space
i. Exhibit screen reacts with animations.
b. Digital Space
i. Feedback after submission, correct or incorrect order
ii. Does not specify what is incorrect/correct
iii. Chance to retry
c. Interaction Type
i. Individual or collaborative
ii. If correct, the screen animates the moon phases aligning
iii. If incorrect, the screen offers feedback
IV. Final Challenge​​​.
a. Physical Space
i. Touchscreen interface & physical motion interaction (e.g., pressing a glowing button)
b. Digital Space
i. Final animated sequence
c. Interaction Type
i. Individual or collaborative
ii. Once the moon phases are correctly arranged, a button appears on the screen
iii. Presses the glowing button to "activate" the fixed lunar cycle
iv. Final animation sequence
Visual & Interaction Design
Wireframes
My wireframes supported supplemental digital elements where students could test their knowledge by dragging moon phases into the correct order.
Museum Room Layout
Touchscreen Interface
Moodboard
Visual Element Study
I experimented with playful color palettes, typefaces, and iconography that would be legible and engaging for 10 and 11-year-olds. I tested icons for the moon’s phases and studied which ones clearly communicated waxing vs. waning.
Color Palette
Moodboard
I drew inspiration from celestial colors and retro characters to evoke a fun, immersive space feeling. I explored visual styles from children’s books, educational apps, and museum exhibits to find a balance between playful and educational. The moodboard helped establish a cohesive aesthetic for the interactive exhibit, guiding choices for the visual elements.
Typography
Iconography
Design Compositions
Final static comps showed the digital interaction in use, where I ultimately had to go back and adjust the static comps to reflect the change in the direction of my digital interaction. This would have the interaction focus more on a quiz format rather than a simple drag and drop so the children could be engaged more so in their learning.
Prototype
The final interaction taking place.
Key Takeaways
This project taught me how to translate scientific content into engaging, age-appropriate experiences.
I learned:
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How to design with physical space in mind
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How to prioritize clarity and fun without sacrificing educational value
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To think beyond screens
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To consider how kids naturally learn
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To design interactions that feel intuitive and exciting
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Most importantly, it reinforced the core idea that educational UX depends on meeting learners where they are and guiding them, step by step, toward deeper understanding.