Session title: Surveying the Gap between the Digital and Physical Visitors
Brief Abstract:
It's no longer a surprise to museums that online visits outpace physical ones, but how wide is the gap between the online and physical visitor? Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. has studied both virtual and physical museum visitation and found patterns that suggest differences in visitors' motivation for engagement in each context. Our physical visitors often visit our sites for logistical information, and our online visitors may have no intention of visiting the museum. This conversation includes RK&A's study of visitor trends at the National Gallery and more recent research at other museums. How do our online strategies emerge when we look at the needs of the virtual visitor? We will break off into small groups to discuss how visitors' motivation to engage online and/or in person may differ by context, institution, etc. and what we might do to serve the needs of visitors in both contexts.
Session Info
- Type: Round-table
- Keywords: audience, research
Speakers
- John Gordy, Web Manager, National Gallery of Art
- Emily Skidmore, Research Associate, Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.
- Jessica Heimberg, Senior Developer, Dallas Museum of Art
Emily Skidmore is a research associate at Randi Korn & Associates, Inc., a full-service museum planning, evaluation, and research firm based in Alexandria, Virginia with offices in New York and San Francisco. Emily is interested in studying and understanding human behavior and learning experiences in museums, supported by her undergraduate degree in biological anthropology and anatomy and graduate degree in Museum Education from The George Washington University. As an evaluator, she uses both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to probe the nuances inherent in the informal learning environment and uses the power of evaluation to help museums create the best possible experiences for learning and meaning-making.
John Gordy is the Web Manager at the National Gallery of Art. In addition to his duties at the Gallery he leads the efforts for vogel5050.org. He also serves on the American Association of Museum's Media and Technology committee. Prior to his work at the NGA he served at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Freer Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian.
Jessica Heimberg joined the Dallas Museum of Art in 2005 with over ten years of experience in application development, Web systems architecture, and project management. As Senior Web Developer, she oversees all related application and interface development at the Museum and plays a primary role in the planning and implementation of the Arts Network infrastructure and applications. Visitor studies sited in presentation: http://DallasMuseumofArt.org/FEA
Comments (2)
Leonard Steinbach said
at 11:25 am on Sep 13, 2010
I notice that other speakers are tba. I was wondering whether this important discussion could be informed by how major retail businesses compare their online vs in person visitors, e.g. the extent to which these visitors are targeted or overlap, and how/if these businesses see a need to bring online visitors into their stores. (e.g. Macy's, Gap lines, etc.)
johngordy said
at 2:21 pm on Sep 13, 2010
Good point Len. If you know of any specific studies or papers, please pass them along
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