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I can't give you a statistics, but perhaps one of the reasons they  
overestimate it is because the interfaces are often confusing and  
they can't figure out how to make the stuff work.  They then assume  
the interactive is broken.  My only support for this is anecdotal,  
but I heard it enough times over the years to put some faith in it...
Beryl
On Feb 21, 2007, at 5:32 AM, Sarah Hunt wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> ********************************************************************** 
> *******
>
> I recall a query on this listserve some years ago about what  
> percentage
> of exhibits visitors *perceive* to be broken compared to what  
> percentage
> are *actually* broken. I think there was some conclusion, based on
> research, that visitors always overestimate the percentage of broken
> exhibits. I have searched the ISEN-ASTC archive but cannot find  
> anything.
> Can anyone help me locate an accurate statistic (rather than an  
> anecdotal
> estimate) please? I *have* got the general information from British
> Interactives Group website
> http://www.big.uk.com/knowledgebase/exhibits/broken-signs.htm and also
> have a Randi Korn report from the Tech Museum which makes a  
> reference to
> visitors' reaction to broken exhibits (Summative Evaluation of four
> permanent galleries, dated Feb 2000). Many thanks for your help Sarah
>
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Beryl Rosenthal
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Dir. of Education and Public Programs
MIT Museum
265 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617)452-2111 (t)
(617)253-8994 (f)



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