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Front End Evaluation Before You Build
Front end evaluation asks the audience what they know, expect and want before design starts, so an exhibit team can avoid building on guesses.
Museums and Culture
Evaluation Methods
How teams find out whether an exhibit works.
Interviews and Focus Groups for Exhibit Feedback
How interviews and small group discussions give deeper exhibit feedback than forms, and how group dynamics and sampling can bias what you hear.
Measuring Dwell Time at Exhibits
Dwell time shows how long visitors stay at an exhibit, but not why. Learn how it is measured, what it can suggest and where it misleads.
Observing Visitors in the Gallery
Learn how to watch how visitors move, what they touch and where they hesitate, using simple, respectful observation methods in a gallery setting.
Prototype Testing With Real Visitors
Testing rough exhibit versions with real visitors early finds design problems while they are still cheap to fix. Learn how to plan and run simple tests.
Reading Exhibit Analytics Carefully
Usage logs from interactive exhibits can help, but small numbers and unclear definitions mislead. Learn how to read exhibit analytics with care.
Remedial Evaluation: Fixing What Is Already Open
Remedial evaluation uses findings from a running exhibit to make small, targeted fixes. Learn how to choose changes, test them and avoid breaking things.
Setting Goals You Can Evaluate
Vague aims like 'inspire visitors' cannot be checked. Learn how to write exhibit goals that point to observable evidence and can be fairly evaluated.
Summative Evaluation After Opening
Summative evaluation judges an open exhibit against its original goals. Learn what it involves, which methods fit, and how to report results honestly.
Writing Good Visitor Surveys
Poor wording and biased sampling make feedback forms misleading. Learn how to write clear survey questions and avoid common sampling traps at exhibits.
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