So, you want to do a visitor study. Maybe you want to do this as part of planning a new exhibit, to help bring in more visitors, or because you are worried your visitors aren’t connecting with your latest interpretive product.
You suggest doing some kind of evaluation, and your colleagues express some interest, but it never seems to go anywhere. Then, something more urgent comes up and the idea of doing a visitor study gets put on the back burner.
Sound familiar?
Here are a few ideas on how to get out of this rut.
Identify the barriers to doing a visitor study at your site
Barriers – plural. Yes, there are usually more than one. There are the classic barriers like lack of money, time, and people. But barriers also include getting buy-in from site supervisors, management and directors. All of these factors overlap, compound and change.
The first step to lowering barriers is understanding them. What do you think is the biggest barrier at your organization?
Clarify your definition of visitor studies
If you are advocating for evaluation at your site, it is important to make sure everyone is on the same page. Not everyone is familiar with visitor studies, but basically it’s a type of research. It is a field of study and a profession – see the Visitor Studies Association, based in the US.
I define visitor studies as a tool to help organizations:
- understand more about their visitors (demographics, motivations, behaviours, etc.)
and/or
- evaluate the effectiveness of their interpretive products, programs and experiences
Lower barriers through education
Help your colleagues, supervisors, board members, and/or community stakeholders learn more about the visitor study process. Share examples of what kind of questions a visitor study can answer. Ask them what information they wish they knew about their visitors – and talk about how having that information would change their work.
For example, if a curator knows that most visitors have a high level of knowledge on an exhibit’s topic, they can match that by diving deeper into the subject matter. Or, if the marketing manager knows that most children who attend school programs want to return with their family but very few actually do because of the cost of admission, they can explore ways to lower the cost for those families. Or, if the visitor services department knows that most visitors are skipping a gallery, because there is poor wayfinding and a lack of seating, they can fix those issues.
Doing a visitor study does take resources, but a well-planned study will reveal information that will save time and money in the long run.
Bust the myths
“Evaluation is not a form of punishment nor is it the exclusive practice of a secret cult – nor the final examination you take just before losing your job.”
– Serrell and Yellis (1987)
A visitor study is not personal. It is not a critique of the individual who designed the exhibit or program being evaluated. If the results of a visitor study show that an exhibit or program is not working as intended, that is important information. Take the opportunity to understand why things are not working and make changes as you are able.
A visitor study does not have to be big, complex, and packed with mathematical calculations. You can gather ample useful data that is relevant to your site using simple techniques.
A visitor study does not need to be done by a specialist. If you are doing a small-scale study at a site with basically no budget, you can make it work. You don’t even have to do a full-on study, you can start by experimenting with asking a question and collecting data to answer it.
My only (obviously biased) caveat is that by working with a visitor study consultant you may save time and money, especially if you are new to the process. I’ve made some terrible survey questions and created horribly inefficient data processing tools. Working with someone who has already made some common mistakes, can save you from making them yourself.
Embrace flexibility
Visitor studies are flexible. You can start small and simple. You can also consider applying for funding to get support running a visitor study. Talk to your peers and colleagues at other organizations to learn about any research they are doing. Remember, most people are likely in the same boat; they want to know more about their visitors but don’t know much about visitor studies (yet!).
If this sparked your interest in learning more about visitor studies, take a look at my Courses and Services. Reach out if you have questions or want to chat more about what setting up a visitor study might look like at your site.
Serrell, B., & Yellis, K. (1987). Evaluation: What’s the Point? The Journal of Museum Education, 12(1).
TM Visitor Studies 