Design research faces growing challenges from multifaceted developments, which traditional methods and lab settings often struggle to address. New approaches are needed to bridge the gap between controlled lab settings, field studies, and these complexities. Exhibition spaces offer opportunities for dynamic, real-world studies beyond lab-based research’s limitations. This study explores a hybrid ‘exhibition-experiment’ format by examining a design exhibition on biophilic workspace design. Participants visited different design exhibits (experimental conditions) within the experiment while a suite of passive measurement devices measured their emotional and physiological responses. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of ‘exhibition-experiments’, provide insights into the usage of technology-driven tools, and discuss them as a hybrid approach between lab and field studies.
