About

Hi! My name is Ed Rodley. I’m a Co-Founder and Principal at the Experience Alchemists, an experience design firm serving the cultural sector. I am a museum professional with over thirty years experience, and in that time, I’ve managed to accumulate a unique set of qualifications, broad expertise and deep experience in museum practice. My work is deeply influenced by constructivist learning theory, but I’m no zealot. I love the creative tension that’s at the heart of of the design process, be it for a book, exhibition, or application.

I am a passionate believer in the informal learning that is at the heart of the museum experience. During my career, I have developed major exhibitions on the Soviet space program, Leonardo da Vinci, Egyptian archaeology and Star Wars as a way to look at new technologies. I’ve done audio tours, multimedia tours, websites, contributed to books like Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination and Mobile Apps for Museums: The AAM Guide to Planning and Strategy. Also, I cook.

While many of my colleagues can say they’ve grown professionally in museums, I have literally grown up in museums, from my first volunteer position at age 11, through summer jobs and internships, and entry-level, front-of-house positions. I’ve been the new kid in the department, and one of the guys who’ll have to die before anybody moves up the seniority ladder. I’ve worked with directors, trustees, Academy Award winners and multi-million dollar donors. I have also taken tickets, asked visitors to please stop touching that, and led gaggles of six year-olds on tours. My experience is deep and deeply rooted in practice.