Towards an audience focus: using insight from audience research to inform decision-making in museums & heritage Emma Parsons & Marge Ainsley
We work with arts and heritage organisations across the UK to help them understand their audiences. Turning information into insight so that it’s strategically useful.
How do you make decisions in your organisation?
What’s in our toolkit? Paper surveys, online surveys, voting boards and polls, fulfillment maps, accompanied visits, visitor observations, online journals, comment books, comment cards, photos, mystery shoppers, graffiti walls, chalk-boards, light-boards, white-boards, perception maps, mind maps, mood boards, depth interviews, postcode profiling, learning diaries, consultation groups, journey mapping, vox pops, visitor tracking, model-making... we could go on!
Here’s seven strategic examples that show a direct link between research and decision-making.
The Wordsworth Trust Question Grasmere, UK What sort of tours do visitors want in Dove Cottage?
Approach 5 different types Train staff in Offer choices of of tour trialled + observational tours based on short survey & research & tour domestic life, observational content, paper literature, poetry, research survey political context Method Resources Decision
Silverstone Heritage Experience Questions What should the Silverstone, UK attraction be called? Which objects would encourage a visit?
Approach Roaming kit box Marquee, Centre named at British Grand ‘scrappy’ voting Silverstone Prix + marquee. kit, outdoor wear, Heritage iPad survey, tablet, archive Experience, star voting board & jar collection display object displays Method Resources Decision
Archives+ Manchester, UK Question How can we engage young people? Should there be a cafe?
Approach Creative drawing Long rolls of Zoned spaces session: what paper, pens, (loud, quiet, could an archive stickers, study, play). Main centre look like? magazines space cafe with Survey in MSM interactive tables Resources Method Decision
Tottenham FC (Museum) Question London, UK Which stories must we include in the museum and tour?
Approach Popcorn paired Flipchart, Secret! Ideas idea generation + post-its, dot directly informing voting for top stickers, pens, content of new three ideas plenty of space, museum and stopwatch stadium tour Method Resources Decision
Manchester Jewish Museum Question Manchester, UK Which content themes and events will motivate non-users to visit?
Approach Object handling Handling box, Storylines in box event at four curator time, displays, food city museums programming and music as with structured teams, museum common themes feedback space for programmes Method Resources Decision
Manchester Art Gallery Question Manchester, UK How can we develop our teacher CPD opportunities?
Approach Journey mapping Wallpaper rolls, Repeat CPD to share project magazines, which includes highs, lows, key newspapers, personal return learning points glue, pens, to art study for scissors teachers Method Resources Decision
St Helens Cultural Hubs (Libraries) Question St Helens, UK How can we get more low income families to come to our programme?
Approach Depth interviews Digital recorder, Changed with parents and notebook, pen marketing mix carers at four soft play centres in St Helens Resources Decision Method
Takeaway tips Know your ethics ➔ Recruitment takes longer than ➔ you think Be ready to adapt ➔ Create your own researcher kit ➔ bag Get scrappy ➔ Photograph & record (with ➔ permission) Use the data ➔
Right method. Right audience. Right decision.
Get in touch Emma Parsons ejp123@hotmail.com @emmajaneparsons Marge Ainsley marge@margeainsley.co.uk @margelicious
Q&A provocation ● How do you use audience data to inform your decision making? ● Do you have success or failure stories to share? ● Is the audience always right?
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