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We are completing our first-ever extensive visitor observation for a
special exhibition that pilots many new interpretive tools including
video kiosks, illustrated tabbed booklets, flip labels, audio tours, and
touchable examples. One of the ways we are capturing how people are
using each exhibit is through observing security camera footage and
recording the amount of time visitors spend looking at the art,
conversing with each other, reading labels, audio tours, and interacting
with special interpretation.
 
We are all very excited to learn as much as we can from the data and
I've been analyzing it in a number of different ways. A couple of
questions for those who have done this type of evaluation:
 
1. Are there any benchmarks out there for the amount of time people
typically spend engaging with works of art and special interpretation?
2. When calculating the raw data of the amount of time people spend,
say, reading a label, do you measure the mean average, median, or mode?
For example, one analysis I found for an exhibit was: 53.3% read the
wall label and spent an average of 31 seconds doing so. I got to 31
seconds because most people spent between :11 and :29 seconds, but one
person spend 1:30 which raised the mean average. Thoughts?
 
Thank you!
Leah
 
Leah Fox, Director of Public Programs
Currier Museum of Art
150 Ash Street
Manchester, NH 03104
603.669.6144 x119
 
Visit our Online Curriculum for Educators at
http://curriculum.currier.org.
 

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