Participatory design and environmental education in visitor centers: A case study from Nepal

Abstract

Creating behavior change to mobilize transitions toward sustainability is a significant challenge of our time. To change behavior, people, first of all, have to be informed. Visitor centers, especially in areas of natural beauty and ecological significance, may offer an effective strategy for expanding climate literacy. However, many visitor centers still focus on raising awareness through information dissemination, which is unlikely to lead to behavior change. This paper discusses how environmental education in visitor centers can be enhanced through participatory design approaches in theory and through a design project. Participatory design provides useful methods and tools to capture visitors' diverse needs and backgrounds. This allows to design exhibits that highlight environmental consequences relevant to the visitors' contexts. Overall, acknowledging visitors as participants in an interactive experience setting may contribute to improved lifelong environmental learning and pro-environmental behavior.