You can gather a lot of information about visitors, without ever talking to them. A common observation method used in visitor studies is timing and tracking which – you guessed it – involves timing how long visitors spend in certain areas and tracking where they go.
This common method can appear intimidating because of the (often) covert nature of data collection or folks aren’t sure when to use it. Think of this post like you are on a speed date with this method – keep reading to learn more about timing and tracking. Maybe you’re a good match, or maybe she’s not for you. There’s only one way to find out!
Timing and tracking is usually covert.
Timing and tracking works best when the visitors do not know they are being observed, so they are less likely to alter their behaviour (for more on this topic see my previous blog post about cueing for surveys). If you are the person collecting data for timing and tracking, try to blend in with the other visitors and be as discrete as possible with your timing and tracking tools. And definitely don’t stare directly at the person you are tracking for a prolonged period of time. That will creep them out.
The ethics of timing and tracking people without their consent are tricky, to say the least.
Adding signage at admissions or in front of the exhibit being studied that says something like “Visitor research taking place in the museum today” is a great way to inform visitors they may be studied. If this concerns them, they can ask staff for more information about the research or opt to visit a part of the museum not being studied. In my experience, most visitors don’t read the signage and / or they don’t care. This is fine, but providing signage is still a great way to do research more ethically.
Another way to make timing and tracking more ethical is to avoid collecting any personally identifiable information (PII). This is usually pretty easy with timing and tracking, since you’re not interacting with the visitor directly, but don’t take any photos, record video or audio without their consent. And if someone happens to read their social insurance number out loud, don’t write that down.
You’ll also want to be especially mindful if you’re observing children. Remember that you are an adult, likely holding a clipboard, watching a child. Be prepared to transparently answer questions from parents and guardians (and kids!) if they give you a curious look or ask you what you’re doing. And if they are visibly uncomfortable, or ask, stop the observation and if you’ve collected data on their child, offer to destroy it for them.
Always check with your organisation before starting any research to make sure you are meeting (or exceeding) ethical standards.
Timing and tracking is a great way to measure visitor behaviour.
Despite the ethical trickiness of this method, it’s a fantastic way to better understand how visitors use the area you are studying. You can see how visitors are using your museum, where they go and how long they spend there.
This is far more accurate than asking visitors what they did and how long they spent. People are pretty notorious for not paying attention to boring details like what time they entered a specific exhibit or how long they spent standing in front of the intro panel. But this is stuff you might want to know.
Timing and tracking works particularly well in smaller areas, like a single exhibit as opposed to a whole museum, because you can only track one visitor at a time. When I’ve done timing and tracking in a single exhibit I’ve seen visitors stay for as long as 20 or even 30 minutes. That’s not everyone or all the time, but it can happen. My sample size (number of visitors tracked) is usually around 50, so that can add up.
If you’re interested in using timing and tracking but are not sure you can commit the time to use this method, try spending some time in the space you want to study to get a sense of how long most visitors spend there. Or ask the staff who work in that space how long they think visitors are spending.
A final word of wisdom: tracking one visitor at a time is key. Trust me, I’ve tried to track multiple visitors at a time because ‘one of them is moving so slowly’ and then I often end up with two unusable timing and tracking samples, because the slow one started moving faster and I lost track of both of them.
Planning for this method is critical to ensure it’s done as ethically as possible, but don’t let that put you off. With the right resources and knowledge anyone can use timing and tracking to gather accurate data on visitor behaviour.
Learn more about this, and other methods in the Foundations of Visitor Studies course. Registration is currently open for April 1, 2025.
To learn more about how to analyse the data collected through timing and tracking take Analysis and Presenting the Data. Registration is currently open for March 7, 2025.
More course information and future dates are shared here.
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