The work for this museum project is based on the research of John H. Falk, who has done extensive research in the museum field about audience identity and how that identity impacts the museum visitor experience. This particular book is full of interviews from the California Science Center, but Falk is the kind of professional that finds opportunities to use his expertise in daily life as he experiences museums himself or while visiting with family.
We hope to use this research model to gain a better understanding of those who visit Philbrook Museum of Art. Rather than focusing on demographics, which Falk explains are actually rarely indicative of museum behavior in museums, we must focus on the core identity of each visitor to understand how visitors will behave and how we can effective engage our audiences. The goal is to offer exactly what our visitors need by identifying what is fulfilling or rewarding to them.
John Falk describes a few different types of identities that describe most museum visitors. Many visitors identify strongly with one identity group, but some identify with a few or all of the identity groups as well.
Explorer Identity: The explorer identity would probably describe himself as curious, inquisitive, or as a lifelong learner. He looks for anything that piques his interest in an exhibit. He may linger ten minutes in front of one painting but pass up other artifacts that don’t appeal to his interests. It’s easy to switch identity roles from a professional/hobbyist identity or a facilitator identity to an explorer if you’re curious.
Professional/Hobbyist Identity: The professional/hobbyist is exactly that. She has already gained knowledge about the content of the exhibit. She may be looking to learn something new about an artist she favors, or she may be looking at Impressionist paintings for new techniques to try in her studio. Maybe she’s a museum professional looking for lighting ideas or a hobbyist photographer looking for new angles. This type of museum visitor might head directly to that which she has already seen but wants to review or that which she knows will help her to refine her skills.
Experience-seeker Identity: The experience-seeker likely came to see the most famous artifact in the museum, and anything else he sees is interesting but not the main goal of the visit. Experience-seekers are usually tourists or one-time visitors. Experience seekers may also be traveling bloggers or social media-lovers, checking monuments and artifacts off of their to-see list. They take a photo, post, and move on. Any other information or viewing takes a back-seat to their main reason for visiting the museum.
Facilitator Identity: The facilitator is often someone showing his parents around while they’re in town or a self-proclaimed “good father” attempting to educate his children while they also remain entertained. The facilitator is focused mostly on how his guests are enjoying the museum visit and how well they are retaining information. These visitors often describe their satisfaction with their visit by how well their guests enjoyed the visit. Facilitators will hang back and allow the guests to wander with curiosity and ask questions to check for comprehension and engagement.
Recharger Identity: The recharger visits the museum to relax and get away from her hectic lifestyle. For the recharger, it’s not as much about what she sees as how she feels. If the museum visit was satisfying in that she felt relaxed and invigorated when she left, then her museum visit was successful and rewarding. She may stroll slowly through the galleries and gardens, taking time to look, but many times superficially. She is there to recharge her batteries. If she learns from her visit, it is a happy coincidence.
Soon, I will begin a preliminary phase of intercepting guests for information that will help us to get a general idea of which identity types visit our museum and when. I have drafted a generalized survey including the location of the interception, the time of day, the date, and the social makeup of the group I’m interviewing. I will ask:
-Have you visited Philbrook before? If so, when?
-What do you remember most about your last visit?
-Why are you visiting today?
-What about those things appeal to you?
I am excited to jump right in and get started! Let’s see what our guest interceptions reveal to us about visitor identities at Philbrook Museum of Art!
Philbrook Museum of Art: Museum Audience Identities and Motivations 