Interpretation is a “communications process” with a start, middle and end. Many people jump straight in and decide exactly what media they want, without really thinking about...
What it's trying to achieve, for whom and why?
Have you ever come across a panel in the wrong place or facing in the wrong direction..? Or maybe you've been bored or befuddled by an exhibition that had no clear message..? both of these are good examples of bad interpretation planning...there are unfortunately many more.
The most important question is...Who is your audience and what do they want to know?
Also think about how accessible what you want to do is. Small print or pages of text can be hard to read, even if you are sat at home in comfortable conditions. Think about how easy it is to read standing on a windy hill or in bright sunlight. What about people with sight problems? Can you make your media more accessible?
Having thought these questions through thoroughly, you should feel confident to move on to chose your media...will it fulfil the objectives you have set above?
In thinking this through you should also consider How you will manage and maintain it? Also, how will people know its there?
There's many a good leaflet left stacked in boxes because how to distribute it was overlooked. I've seen many panels covered in leaf mould or made illegible by vandalism. How are you going to manage your media once it's been produced?
The last question you need to ask may take some time to draw conclusions on, but it is vital you ask it and it's “Have I achieved what I set out to do?”
Be critical, are people using your media the way you expected them to? How many people came on your walk? Would they come again?
So you can see there is quite a lot to getting it right. The good thing is, there's lots of information available to help you.
The "Useful toolkits and advice" page is full of hints and tips that will help you prepare interpretation that has your audiences asking for more. Please select the link.