GROW LAB - Project Design & Management
Organisation
JSW - Museum of Solutions
Team
Content & Exhibits
Role
Design & Management
Overview
GROW LAB is a permanent exhibit space at the Museum of Solutions (MuSo) focused on the theme of “growth”—not just as a biological process, but as a lens to understand patterns in nature, ecosystems, and forest life. Designed for young visitors aged 5–12, the space invites children to touch, observe, imagine, and play their way through a world inspired by the deep intelligence of natural systems.
GROW LAB isn’t a display; it’s a living system. With tactile surfaces, organic forms, and exploratory storytelling, the space encourages children to think like gardeners, fungi, or trees—learning by inhabiting the systems themselves.
What I did
I led the experience design and creative direction for GROW LAB, working closely with educators, scientists, and fabricators. My role spanned:
Developing the core experience arc and spatial storytelling framework in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team.
Translating educational ideas into tactile, sensorial, and exploratory environments
Leading design sprints and prototyping sessions with collaborators
Aligning stakeholders across ecology, pedagogy, and fabrication disciplines
Ensuring the experience stayed accessible, open-ended, and ethically grounded in ecological values
Methods
Design for Children, User Research, Visitor Experience, Stakeholder Collaboration, Project Management, Design Vision, Tactile Design
Design Goals
Translate complex enterprise workflows into clear, user-friendly interfaces
Support multiple user roles with distinct permissions and data needs
Ensure compliance and traceability across procurement and asset operations
Build a consistent and scalable design framework for enterprise-wide adoption
Key Challenges
Balancing Nature and Design Intervention
The biggest challenge was designing without overdesigning—letting nature be the teacher.
Required tuning the space to feel alive and open-ended without rigid storytelling structures.
Every decision had to honor ecological authenticity and child-led exploration.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Worked with permaculturists, nature educators, content creators, and fabrication vendors.
Facilitated design reviews and workshops to align learning goals with exhibit outcomes.
Ensured all elements were safe, natural-material-friendly, and educationally effective.
Testing & User Study
Conducted informal observational studies with children to understand movement, engagement, and attention patterns.
Insights influenced tactile elements, pacing of space, and flow of interactions.
Phases of Project
Defining the Experience Arc - We began by identifying growth not as a linear path, but as an ecosystemic process—branching, looping, decomposing, and regenerating. This inspired the spatial plan: no rigid routes, but zones that children could discover and connect through their own patterns of play.
Concept Design & Material Language - I led the translation of natural themes into physical design: from canopy-inspired installations and mycelium-like pathways to zones reflecting root networks and forest layers. Materials were selected to feel earthy, durable, and rich in tactile quality—encouraging lingering and interaction.
Collaboration with Experts - I worked with permaculturists, nature educators, and fabricators to ensure the experience reflected real ecological systems, not metaphors. These collaborators brought in key ideas—from how mushrooms communicate to how trees adapt—that became embedded into both design elements and storytelling cues.
Feedback & Iteration - We prototyped textures, interactive components, and flow maps with children and facilitators. I ensured that we refined based on not only engagement but emotional response, dwell time, and collaborative behavior. The result was a space that supported both independent and shared exploration.
Outcome & Learnings
GROW LAB opened as a living ecosystem of play, offering a rare balance of awe, calm, and curiosity. Children move through it like pollinators—absorbing patterns, connecting ideas, and returning to their own roots of imagination. The exhibit stands out at MuSo as an example of design that’s both intuitive and systemically grounded.
Good spatial design doesn’t instruct—it invites, supports, and steps back
Ecology is not just a theme—it’s a way to structure interactions, relationships, and story
Interdisciplinary collaboration is more than coordination—it’s listening for resonance across worldviews
Children don’t need to be told how nature works—they just need to be let in
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