Interpretive Planning for Museums by Marcella Wells Barbara H Butler Judith Koke

Author:Marcella Wells, Barbara H Butler, Judith Koke [Marcella Wells, Barbara H Butler, Judith Koke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611321579
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2013-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Analyzing Demand

In analyzing demand, visitor perspectives are central to team thinking and deliberation. The following questions may be useful for shaping these discussions.

• Has visitation increased, decreased, or stayed the same over time? What implications does that have for future exhibitions and programs?

• Is visitation to this area changing in other ways—for example, by season, by day of the week or time of day, by type of experience, by age or race, by activity, or by behavior? How might that influence our planning?

• Does the demand inventory suggest there are daily, weekly, or seasonal expectations that provide unusual, unexpected, or perhaps exciting opportunities for visitors? How might our planning accommodate this?

• Are there particular visitor groups or visitor characteristics that should be segmented or perhaps targeted with specific programs or services? How might this influence decision making? (For example, young adults are less likely to attend a museum that does not allow cell phone use. Is a “no cell phone” rule still a necessity at our museum?)

• Are visitor expectations being met (or not)? For example, if inventory information was captured in a front-end evaluation effort related to visitor conceptions or interests, how might that influence interpretation at our museum? What do frequently asked visitor questions or complaints indicate about visitor needs or desires?

• What are the perceptions of our members? Do our new members respond or react differently to our exhibits and services than long-term members?

• What new visitors, or new audience segments, would we like to see in our museum? What barriers preclude their visiting? What might they expect? How might we reach them?

• What other reasons might people have for not coming to our area? How might we best invite them to take advantage of the opportunities here? Are there any partner or regional collaboration opportunities we could take advantage of?

• What new ideas have emerged about potential outcomes and impacts for visitor experiences at this site?

As we have stated before, the intent of this analysis is to provide logical linkages to eventual recommendations for exhibition and program plans. The Botanical Gardens plan again is instructive, as seen in the example that follows.

Demand Inventory and Analysis

Excerpted from the Education and Interpretive Master Plan for Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG 2008)

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