Expectations and interests of the potential visitor

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Expectations and interests of the potential
visitor

• Interests

Knowledge
Associations
Expectations
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Front-End Evaluation

• Front End, Evaluation ?

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When Front-End Evaluation?

• After the concept is identified

• And primary take-home messages are defined

• Ask the right questions!

• Never ask just what people want to know, that
  will always end up in familiarity
• Never ask just what people are interested in,
  that will only reflect their knowledge on a
  topic, not per se an interest

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What type of research should Front-End evaluation
be?
Qualitative questions (open-ended)

• Focus group

• Guided interview

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What to do with results?

• Guidance in the exhibition concept, themes and
  communication
• Discuss the expected interest in the exhibition
  in the projectteam
• It might help matching the targetgroup and the
  exhibition

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Case Study X-tremes (workingtitle)

• Animals and plants living in Extreme Environments
• How plants and animals have adapted to extreme
  living conditions
• International Travelling Exhibition
• Opening in fall 2006 in Naturalis
• Partners
• Naturalis (Dutch Natural History Museum)
• Natural History Museum in Belgium
• Experimentarium, Science Centre in Denmark

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The Evaluationin Naturalis

• 2 students of Museology, 1 taperecorder
• On various days
• Chosing various Naturalis visitors
• Guided interview
• Pictures as props
• 36 respondents

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Questionnaire

• Topical Framework
• First questions with only a short explanation of
  the concept
• Following questions while showing pictures

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Main results and remarkable responses

• Interested visitors, but difficult subject
• Examples of extreme environments
• Desert, Deep Sea, Poles
• Remarkable responses Pollution, city, enemies
• Remarkable in Denmark Mars and Jungle
• Adaptations to extremes
• Familiar things (not surpisingly)
• Ramarkable protective coloring

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Questions while showing the pictures

• Animals that live there
• Familiar answers again polar bear, pinguin etc.
• Plants that live there
• Remarkable many think plants can live almost
  anywhere, especially moss
• Can a human survive here, and with which
  adaptation?
• Yes, many think humans can survive
• With fur coat, flash light, boat (esp. Dutch and
  Danish)

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• Most interesting environment
• Mountains (familiar)
• Soda Lake (unfamiliar)
• Would you like to visit the exhibition?
• 81 yes!
• Remarkable frequent Museum visitors are likely
  to go, those who consider themselfs as non
  visitors are not likely to go
• Would you bring (your) children?
• 50 NO, too difficult, or decide themselves

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• What would you expect to see in the exhibition?
• See which animals live where and how they adapted
• Film, pictures, examples, feel
• Comparison between animals and humans
• Lots of hands-on (esp. Experimentarium)
• Want to be surprised (!)

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Considerations for the exhibition

• Use familiar as well as unfamiliar environments
• Decide how to talk about adapted plants
• Two sidethemes in the exhibition, to trigger the
  visitors mind
• The City as an extreme environment (from nature
  point of view)
• Mars why not life there?

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• For communication in exhibition, and external
  communication
• Surviving has a temporary meaning to people,
  where biologists mean permanent
• Adaptation as well
• Main targetgroup from an age of 12 years
• Exhibition not so easy to promote (subject rather
  difficult to tell)
• Titles have to be tested in an early stage

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Funny Quotes

• What animal lives in the mountains?

Answer Yeti

• What animal lives near the Soda Lake?

Answer raccoon (washing bear)

• What plant grows in the mountain?

Answer Edelweiss, hihi!
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Front-End Evaluation worth it!

• Makes a varied exhibition team aware of the
  visitors mind
• Gives input for concept development
• Forces a team to have a well-thought concept and
  take-home messages

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But

• Should be well planned and well thought through
• Tell the whole team how to use the information!