Experiential design concept in the built environment puts forward a strong prominence on emotional connection and engagement between users of space and the surrounding environment. In designing multimedia galleries for media arts and interactive content, this concept is applied to understand and improve visitors' perception and experience in navigating multimedia galleries. The engagement component creates a memorable and meaningful experience. If visitors are unable to connect with the space and its content, it is deemed that the space is not experiential. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate how experiential design elements influence visitors' emotions and engagement in multimedia galleries. This addresses the issue of visitors' unsatisfying visits to multimedia galleries. A survey was conducted at a local gallery where eighty visitors took part in answering the questionnaire during the three-day exhibition. This research focuses on the Visitors' Experience and the Open Ended section of the survey. Findings contribute to the framework design and design suggestions. The framework suggests an insight that acknowledges the inclusion of visitors' behaviour, engagement and emotions as components of experiential design. The limitation of this study lies in the choice and condition of the gallery space, content, tools and devices. The Experiential Multimedia Gallery Framework benefits curators, designers, artists and others in creating multi-layered spaces that feel connected to visitors. Due to the limitation, future works shall concentrate on investigating more diverse gallery spaces and exploration of interactive gallery content.

Currently, there has been a shift in the built environment in creating engaging exhibition spaces such as museums and galleries. This is a challenge nowadays as the creation of digital exhibition spaces depend largely on technological content and devices. Issues arise where visitors may not perceive the intended environment. It is seen that this sense of change needs further study on visitors’ perception and behaviour as users of the space. Experiential design deals with human interaction with the built environment. The objective of this study is to observe how visitors’ behaviour and interaction are influenced by the experiential design concept. A case study is conducted at a local gallery with selected visitor profile of young adults and adults with art and design background. The investigation is done based on the case study guideline, mapping out setting, and timing and tracking observation method to gauge visitors’ perception and action in a multimedia gallery. Eighty visitors were observed throughout the three-day exhibition from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Data collected answers the research question: how does the experiential design concept influence visitors’ behaviour and interaction in a multimedia gallery? The findings are beneficial to understand gallery visitors’ needs in achieving fulfilling interactive and engaging experience. From the observation done, it is identified that multimedia galleries incorporated with experiential design elements build meaningful experiences through the five senses, promotes a sense of place and well-being as well as the allowance for visitors to be more confident in approaching tools and devices that are unfamiliar to them. Curators, designers and artists will gain from this research in designing better interactive environment. The research limitation is the visitor age group which is the young adults and adults’ age group, as well as the single case study done.

Elements and Principles of Design are taught to undergraduate design students at the fundamental level. These design theories are the basis of foundation studies whereby they are introduced to design elements and principles before they are further taught design development methods and others. The students are from Fundamental Level or known as Alpha Foundation students from the Faculty of Creative Multimedia in Multimedia University. These very basic theories have been practiced around the world and usually taught in design departments including art and design, fine arts, graphic design, architecture and more recently to cater to multimedia students, which is a current domain that integrates art and design with multimedia applications.This paper aims to study on how the elements and principles of design can be taught through usage of multimedia applications such as the one minute animation video of motion graphics. This new introduction to digital attributes is an additional to the current syllabus which consists of mostly analogue exercises and outputs such as art works of painting and drawing. Principles of multimedia are introduced and the integration of digital method serves as an introduction to multimedia course in degree which the students will take upon completion of the foundation studies. By studying the current syllabus and enhancing with one design class of multimedia project in the third semester of their foundation year, a number of one hundred and forty one students were given the design project of one minute multimedia video. Assessment on their work is done based on the background research, process of design development and the final video. Some screen shots from students' works are presented and analysed.Findings from the study will benefit research of related areas in teaching and learning of art and design. A discussion is made on whether the objective of teaching basic theories using multimedia can be achieved and whether the students understand the subject can be derived from the video outputs that they have done.

The challenge of transforming an empty space into a gallery setting takes on the concept of place making. A place can be seen as space that has meaning when the setting considers space, surroundings, contents, the people and its activities. This research concentrates on investigating how visitors perceive the space by gauging their sense of place (sense of belonging towards a place). Galleries are currently facing changes in this technological era whereby multiple content and context, space and form, display modes, tools and devices are introduced in one single space. An observational study was done during the Foundation Studies Annual Exhibition held at Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University. The exhibition was curated and managed by staff and students of Foundation Year showcasing an array of design works. Analogue and digital presentations of paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography and video works were displayed.. The outcome of this research will contribute towards a better design criteria of place making which affects individual behaviour, social values and attitudes. Characterizing types of visitor experience will improve the understanding of a better design criteria of place making, acceptance, understanding and satisfaction.