Patterns in Visitor Research (Update on Museum Visitors Page)

[Alistair Jones]

Hi All,

I did some thinking today: As we move into new interations, lets not forget
about our museum visitors page!  It is a big read, so now I've added an
introductory section which pulls out some noteworthy patterns we are finding
in the research.

http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/fluid/Museum+visitors

Here are 4 points worth keeping in mind:
*
Approachability of Museum Staff:*
Visitors feel that museum staff does not care much about them, and are not
approachable for help and advice. This is especially true for people with
disabilities.

*Museum Prestige:*
Visitors see museums as very prestigious and believe the content of the
museum is very trustworthy. This is great, but it also means that visitors
will find it difficult to question and challenge the museum, and soliciting
this kind of feedback and interaction is generally challenging. This is
especially true for students and younger museum visitors.

*Interactive Exhibits:*
Museum visitors love to be engaged and love interactive exhibits. It is
important to engage all the members of the family, even at children's
museum, where engaging parents is overlooked. Engaging visitors is not so
straight forward though; For example, if it requires reading direction, they
are notorious for failing to do so, choosing instead to copy the person in
front of them.

*Desired Experience:*
Visitors work all day and don’t wish to take on a greater cognitive load.
They desire “a multifaceted experience involving both physical relaxation
and intellectual exploration.”  Stimulating emotions, and thought, are also
important. What emerges is a need for personal identification with the
stories and with the methods adopted in terms of narrative and interaction.


So hopefully that is more easily digestible.  If you come across an
interesting article on museum visitors, please feel free to add it, or send
it my way!

Thanks,
Alistair
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