The document discusses the importance of audience research in planning effective public programs for museums, emphasizing the need to understand visitor demographics, motivations, and behaviors to enhance their experiences. It outlines various research methods, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, that organizations can use to gather data on visitor needs and preferences. Additionally, it highlights key factors such as visitor learning processes and the importance of creating engaging, accessible, and relevant museum experiences.

1. Using visitor research to plan quality public programs Lynda Kelly, Head of Audience Research

2. What is audience research? How is it done? What has it told us? How do we use it? Coverage

3. Purpose of audience research: Who uses audience research What have they done What have they used it for Feedback/questions Exercise 1

4. It gives us data about: leisure patterns: who , where, why what people want from a visit what they do when they visit prior interests and knowledge satisfaction what they learn and take away Why do audience research?

5. Find out visitor mix: locals, tourists (Austn, O/s), age, social grouping Visiting patterns: weekdays, weekends, seasonal helps to plan programs, opening hours Track advertising and marketing

6. For use in: promotion and marketing grant applications grant acquittals decision making programming improvements and change seeking funding (e.g. Councils, Ministry, Federal agencies, others)

7. Before embarking on anything there are a number of questions we need to ask… Doing audience research

8. What information do we already have? What are the gaps in our information? Who will use the information? What will the information be used for? What will be the consequences if we don’t get the information?

9. Who do we need to get the information from? How can we get the information? What methods will we use? How much will we invest : cost vs. benefit Then ask …

10. What does this mean for your institutions?? Implications 1

11. Methods: What types of audience research are you aware of/used? Feedback/questions Exercise 2

12. Structured surveys, questionnaires Usually closed questions (e.g. yes/no, rating scales, agree/disagree) Results often presented as percentages, frequency counts Gives statistical measures : extrapolate to general population trend data : over time and across programs and/or venues Quantitative research

13. demographics where else they visit how they find out satisfaction what stood out things they’d tell others messages retained, meanings made Visitor surveys

14. Focuses on people’s own recounts and meaning s ma de Through : in-depth interviews case studies observation/tracking focus groups community consultation Results are interpretations Qualitative research

15. What research methods might be suitable? How can it be done effectively and efficiently? Implications 2

16. Visitor Motivation: Why do people visit museums? Who visits your institutions - profiles Exercise 3

17. more highly educated education quals in arts, humanities aged between 30 and 50 OR primary school aged children visit with families, other social groups higher socio-economic class visited museums as children Museum visitors …

18. most open to new ideas value social experiences value learning extroverted “ museum kinds of people”

19. they visit them to learn … Why visit museums?

20. a worthwhile leisure activity do something with family, group being challenged actively participate in new experiences personal satisfaction and self esteem fun and entertainment Motivations also include

21. 77% visit to experience something new 71% visit for entertainment 71% for learning 70% for interests of children/family 64% worthwhile leisure 57% special events I must see or do 56% recommended by others AM research found

22. How will you factor visitor motivation into programs and services? Implications 3

23. Visitor needs: What do visitors want when they visit a museum? Exercise 4

24. People have strong views about what they want from a museum visit … Wants

25. Experiences that are : hands-on, active sensory memorable, with something to take away Learning that : goes from familiar to unfamiliar concepts is controlled by them cater s for all levels and styles is new They want

26. Exhibit s : to touch and explore not overloaded with words & information that can get up close to with staff there to answer questions that are realistic relaxing spaces to ‘take it all in’ that encourage talking/sharing amongst groups

27. AM research has found that visitors have specific interests and information needs about collection items Collections

28. What is it made of? How is it used? What is it used for? How often is it used? What is the symbolism of it? How old is it? Is it still used today? If not, what is? Who were/are the people and what are their stories? Anthropology collections

29. What is it? scientific name everyday name/description Where did it come from: and when was it found distribution The ‘museum’ things: how is it preserved why is it in a museum? what is it used for? What is it related to that’s familiar to me? Natural history collections

30. How will you factor these needs into programming? Implications 4

31. Visitor behaviour: What have you noticed about how visitors behave in your institutions? What data do you have to support this? Exercise 5

32. What do people do when they visit a museum? unfortunately, the news is not good… Visitor behaviour

33. spend little time at exhibition components seldom read labels stop at less than half of exhibits use trial and error for interactives children use interactives attention decreases sharply after half hour Visitors typically

34. visitors do what they want to do they skip many elements: visit about one-third… and spend usually less than twenty minutes in exhibitions Timing/tracking data shows…

35. showcases and dioramas attractive live material most attractive visual strategies key in retaining information items other than text panels stopped at use many different examples for small number of messages AM research shows …

36. How will you factor visitor behaviour findings into programming? Implications 5

37. Visitor learning: What is learning? What theories are currently in use in museum learning? How do you think people learn? What data do you have? Exercise 6

38. unique to an individual & shared dependant on context lifelong & lifewide immediate & happens over time active process of reflection chosen based on interests & preferences shaped by prior knowledge & experience making meaning & new connections creative & innovative enjoyable Learning defined

39. Learning is an essential part of being human; linked to our identity & sense of self: we all have an intrinsic desire to learn Learning is about change: surface learning (new facts, skills) deep learning (changing as a person)

40. PLACE school museums, galleries, cultural institutions libraries internet environment/nature life MUSEUM LEARNING: PARTICIPATION PROCESS “ doing something” hands-on objects & tools cognitive & physical surface & deep PURPOSE motivation interests enjoyment change choice PEOPLE family friends, colleagues, work accompanying adults community professionals: museum staff teachers PERSON prior knowledge, experience role gender cultural background lived history personal interest personal change meaning making seeing in different way PRODUCT facts & ideas short & long-term linking outcomes meaning making change

41. PERSON Expanding your knowledge, a new aspect on life (Interview #11) Finding your place in the world. Engaging with the world in a way to discover more about it and make sense of things. That’s the big picture (Interview #40) Being able to put pieces of information together [to] draw conclusions (Interview #71) New things that add to your body of knowledge (Interview #78)

42. THREE ROLES PLAYED Visit manager Museum expert Learning-facilitator

43. Visit manager Liz . Let’s look down the back; check if there’s anything down there we need to see. Liz . Shall we go and have a look back there? We might find something that you like Paul.

44. Museum expert Rox . How do they catch them, Mum? I wonder what they put them in a bottle for? Mary . So you can see them, ‘cos the backs are white, so you can see them better. Tara . Eoww, disgusting! Look at the little bugs … with a needle through them. Liz . Well that’s just to hold them in place. Art . That’s from India again. Dot . I know, I wonder where they find them. Just walking along? Art . I don’t know, probably dug up from somewhere. Caves, mines, it doesn’t say.

45. Learner-facilitator Kay . Come and look at this. What is that? Where’s that from Zeke? Zeke . Bali. Kay . Yes, good boy. Zeke . I knew that. Kay . How did you know that? Zeke . Because it has all these on it “Javanese and Balinese” [reading from text] in the second line. I’ll tell you why I knew it was Balinese, because I saw those little gold things in Bali.

46. PURPOSE Obviously [learning is] something that’s not boring, something that’s not passive, so it’s more of an active thing … Something where you choose to be involved, that you’re interested in doing. (Interview Transcript 3.1, 22/11/00)

47. PEOPLE … sometimes we’d bounce off something of interest to ourselves, then we’d look at it a bit more, wander off. Then we’d come together a few times to have a look at things. … I also learned a bit more about my friends. I didn’t know they had an interest in [tattoos] either, and you sort of learn more of what they’re about as well . (Interview Transcript 3.4, 24/02/01)

48. SHARING LEARNING Rick . Hey Kate look at these ones, how’s that for a shell? Kate . That’s an unusual one. Toni . That’s beautiful. Kate . Were shells alive, are shells alive? Rick . They’ve got things inside them. Toni . Molluscs in them. Kate . But are the actual shells alive? Toni . No. Rick . They’re a shell. Toni . I think the shell is the shell of the mollusc that originally lived in them, like a snail. Kate . So they’re part of something? Toni . They’re part of something that was, yes.

49. Libraries Museums, galleries, other cultural institutions University, school, formal education Internet Holiday destinations, the environment PLACE

50. Ed . Look at the seahorses. Cath . Like the one in the salt water. Bree . They’re just so cute and they swim along… Ed . I’d hate to be bitten by these fish, look at the teeth! Cath . But they don’t normally attack. … When we go to Port Stephens next week we should go and find the white seahorses. Wouldn’t that be mad if we see one and we go, that’s a white seahorse. The guy’s going to just look at us [and go] how do you know that! PLACE

51. PROCESS Opening the mind to new experience (Interview #4) Acquiring new knowledge and applying that (Interview #5) Expanding your knowledge about an area by a variety of means (Interview #11) A hands-on experience where [a person] can be involved with something, must be experiential (F3) Growth, development, change (F2)

52. PRODUCT A new way of looking at something – new facts, an interaction (Interview #28) The application of knowledge to new circumstances (Interview #55) Enhancing my understanding of the world and acting on that understanding (C5) Taking in what you see around you and using that in your everyday life (C4)

53. Deep change … You have this stereotype about people who’ve got tattoos and it really gives you a different perspective on it … I probably just thought it was an abuse to your body, sort of, beforehand ... And since then, like, when people have piercings I just look at it, not stare at it, and think about where they got it, what sort of thing they had done . (Interview Transcript 3.4, 24/02/01)

54. Linking to past, present & future life experiences Kate . Are they stick insects? Toni . Some of them are. That’s at the end of Lord Howe Island, Ball’s Pyramid. Kate . Did we sail past that? Toni . We didn’t sail past that but we flew nearby. You could see it from the top of the mountain Daddy climbed. Look at the frogs. Look at the size of those. Not like our piddly little ones. Kate . Like that small one? [points] Toni . Ours would be like that.

55. What aspects of museum learning will be useful / used by you in programming? Implications 6

56. Planning quality public programs: Five takeaways Feedback/questions Exercise 7

57. All audiences want … Respect for them as individuals Choice Welcoming atmosphere from trained, aware, friendly, knowledgeable staff: both front & back of house See themselves reflected in programs, exhibitions, collections & staffing: the “work” of the museum Active & varied learning experiences: group-based & individual Involvement A contemporary experience: in communication & interpretation modes content/issues that are relevant & current

58. http.//www.australianmuseum.net.au/amarc/