Methods

• Introduction
• Exhibition Evaluation
• Visitor Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Tracking and Observation

Introduction

Audience research, also known as visitor studies, evaluation or market research, is a discipline of museology that seeks to uncover information about visitors to cultural institutions, including demographics, behaviour, satisfaction, leisure habits and learning outcomes. Audience research has a long history of practice in museums, and there is a large body of literature and methodologies that have been developed for use in a wide range of contexts.

Some introductory online resources include:

• Conducting Audience Research by Linda Ferguson
  http://www.amol.org.au/craft/publications/
  mus_methods/section7.asp
• Studying Your Visitors: Where to Begin by Randi Korn
  http://www.randikorn.com/index.html

Exhibition Evaluation

Exhibition evaluation is a four-step process, with opportunities at each stage to test the effectiveness of the messages and interpretive approaches.

• Exhibition evaluation (PDF 136k)

Visitor Surveys

• Guide to Conducting Visitor Surveys
  http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/marketing/az1056/
  For tips about conducting visitor surveys prepared by Julie Leones, University of Alabama (US)

Focus Groups

Focus groups are a qualitative method of social science research widely used in marketing and commercial sectors for product testing, as well as in sociology, political research and management planning and strategy. Focus groups are in-depth discussions usually lasting one to two hours with small groups of eight to ten people who are carefully selected based on a set of criteria.

For a brief introduction to what is a very specialised and complex research methodology download the focus group's information sheet. This recommended that further reading be undertaken and a list of texts and websites have been provided at the end of the sheet for this purpose.

• Focus Groups Information Sheet (PDF 112k)

Tracking and Observation

Tracking and observation studies are undertaken to obtain data about visitor behaviour for the purposes of:

• reporting on program outcomes
• making changes and improvements
• comparing behaviour to other exhibitions/programs
• undertaking trend analysis, both over time and across programs

Information is used to gain a better understanding of visitor behaviour, experiences and learning; supplementing other research (surveys, interviews, focus groups); making changes to exhibits; exhibition refurbishment; amending signage; fixing interactives, as well as pointing to further research needs. A presentation about Tracking and observation studies was given at the 2002 Museums Australia Annual Conference.

• Tracking and observation studies (PDF 444k)

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