The most important pre-design question

When you’re starting out on a new visitor experience product, everyone knows there’s a lot of groundwork to cover. Before a single display aspect of it is designed, we need to get the basics down: identifying goals, defining success, figuring out who we’re reaching, and what exactly we want to say and do. This is what we call pre-design. And one of the first steps in pre-design, for product development professionals like you and me, is to sit down with the project sponsor (the person who calls the shots and signs the cheques) and get background on what the assignment is. What are we trying to accomplish with this exhibit or program or experiential adventure?

But there’s one question that we sometimes forget to ask—a question that can make or break the entire project:

What promises have you made to your funders?

Why is this so important? Well, before a client gets to the point where they can even think about bringing in someone like you or me, they’ve had to jump through some hoops—sometimes big ones. Funding doesn’t just appear out of nowhere; it’s secured by compiling mounds of unpleasant paperwork like grant applications, statements of visitor requirements, spreadsheets, various kinds of corporate approvals, or donor pitches. And to get the green light, they’ve often had to lay out some lofty goals in writing. We’re talking mission-level promises here: pledges that developing this product will inspire, activate, or empower whole communities—and sometimes make tons of revenue.

Here’s where it can get tricky.

In order to secure that all-important funding, they’re often required to complete a logic model or a theory of change. This is where they may have committed to sweeping outcomes—often with the pressure to position the product as a transformative experience that will leave no visitor untouched. But as interpretive planners, we know that “empowering entire communities” sounds great in a proposal but doesn’t always line up with the actual impact one visitor experience product (exhibit, program, event) can realistically achieve.

And here’s another wrinkle: sometimes, our clients make different promises to different funders—promises that, let’s just say, don’t always play nicely together. And the most delightful plot twist of all?

They sometimes fail to mention any of these promises to us…

…hoping that with that particular magical thinking some managers excel at, we’ll somehow stumble our way into creating the perfect product that ticks all the boxes for them.

So, as we’re getting started, we need to have an open conversation with our project sponsors about what’s been promised. Because if those expectations are sky-high and out of sync with what we can deliver, it’s our job to bring things down to earth (gently, of course). After all, a visitor experience product that promises to solve all of society’s ills is bound to disappoint. But an exhibit that’s grounded in realistic, achievable goals? Now that’s the kind of success we can measure, celebrate, and replicate.

Asking about promises made to funders early on doesn’t just help manage expectations—it can actually sharpen the product’s focus and improve the entire process. Because when we know what the real goals are, we can tailor our work to meet them head-on. And when we’re clear on how success will be measured, we can aim to hit those targets precisely.

So, next time you’re in the pre-design phase, don’t forget to ask the most important question: What promises have you made to your funders? It might just be the key to keeping your project on track—and your clients happy.

Here are a few more questions to help round out the checklist:

Questions to ask your project sponsor before you talk to anyone else

1. Is this product fully funded? If not, what does that mean for interpretive planning and design?
2. What do you see as our greatest obstacle in realizing this product?
3. Is there anyone internal who might oppose us in unexpected ways?
4. Are there external stakeholders who may present challenges?
5. Are you willing to share the actual funding applications, theories of change, and cases for support you’ve distributed?

Good luck. Let me know how this resonates with your experience.

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