The rise of multisensory-immersive technology has transformed visitor experiences in museums, yet a notable gap remains in distinguishing between immersive and traditional exhibitions. This study examines the added value of immersive exhibitions over traditional formats, specifically how sensory intensity influences experiential satisfaction. A survey of 356 participants who visited either a digital immersive exhibition rich in visual and auditory stimuli or a traditional art museum exhibition with limited sensory inputs (mainly by eyes) reveals that immersive experiences significantly enhance attention, experience, and overall satisfaction. The findings also suggest that visitor attention is a valuable extension to the experience economy model, with esthetic, entertainment, and escapism dimensions substantially contributing to satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of integrating sensory inputs to capture visitor attention, thereby extending the experience economy framework through an exploration of cause-and-effect relationships. Practical implications for museum management are discussed, offering insights for optimizing visitor engagement.

In this reflective article, the evaluation team for the NASA-funded SciAct STEM Learning Ecosystems project discusses the process we used to study four exemplar STEM learning ecosystems in regions across the US using culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) methods. We expected to follow a linear path for each of the study’s three inquiry cycles but found that this process needed to be fluid because of the culturally responsive evaluation methods employed. These methods meant we shared control with the project team in ways we had not before and had to rethink study validity and rigor. Beyond the evaluation team, this article shares reflections from the project team as well as the study’s external evaluation advisor about what it was like to participate in a study that used CRE methods.

For a long time, Visitor Studies has been closely identified with institution-specific, applied research, such as museum evaluation and audience development, and focused on contexts of “informal learning”. This paper reflects on the evolution of Visitor Studies in primarily museum settings in the US and the UK influenced by researchers from education and psychology. It considers how the study of visiting in other heritage settings developed relatively independently of Visitor Studies, and with different priorities. It then looks at recent issues and challenges that are common across heritage settings and makes the case for a unified field of Visitor Studies that spans all heritage contexts that provide designed experiences and interpretation for visitors. Broadening the scope of Visitor Studies from informal learning to heritage contexts would enrich the field, advancing our understanding of the complex relationships between people and heritage.

How do we move from capacity building to skill building? While these may seem like one in the same, internal capacity to conduct research and evaluation primarily benefits museums, while developing skills of emerging museum professionals opens the door for a more diverse set of individuals to join us. This paper will discuss how we can evolve existing evaluation capacity building (ECB) strategies to support the next generation of Visitor Studies professionals. By presenting examples in practice from museums, we will discuss how ECB strategies and approaches can support skill-building and highlight the need for additional evaluator competencies.

In recent years, museums have begun to think more about the value of creating ‘quiet spaces’. However, there remains little systematic discussion in the literature regarding their definition, characteristics, and purpose. This exploratory study examined perceptions of quiet spaces in museums from the standpoint of both museum educators and visitors. Through semi-structured interviews with 40 participants, it was determined that educators and visitors similarly perceive museum quiet spaces as restorative, inclusive, varied, situated, and spaces to process emotions. Furthermore, the outcomes demonstrated that the meaning of quiet spaces are contextual and mediated by the interplay between the individual’s context and the environmental characteristics of the quiet space itself. These spaces hold the potential to afford enjoyable, memorable, and even transformative experience that supports learning and are, at times, a necessary part of the museum experience for many visitors. The study also speaks to the potential of quiet spaces to be integral to psychological restoration within the museum experience for individuals to exercise their visitor agency and well-being. This study provides valuable insights about the importance and significance of these often neglected or unconsidered museum spaces for visitors and educators alike.

Although educators have argued that traces of identifiable individuals of the past (TIIPs), such as photographs and first-person accounts, can “bring history to life,” there has yet to be a systematic consideration of what visitors do with TIIPs. This article is based on a qualitative study of 12 visitors’ experiences in an exhibit on the California Gold Rush that foregrounds TIIPs and minimizes curatorial interpretation. Participants “thought aloud” while wearing a GoPro camera, and they were subsequently interviewed. A framework is constructed to account for how participants used TIIPs as means of interpersonal connection and as sources for gathering facts. The framework is then used to characterize varying ways in which participants made interpersonal connections with and gathered facts from TIIPs, and in-depth portraits of four participants are explored. Questions are raised about the potential benefits and drawbacks of using TIIPs, and implications for several learning environments are discussed.

This article describes the Collaborative Practices at Interactive Engineering Challenge Exhibits (C-PIECE) Framework, a new engineering design practices framework for informal exhibit settings. It outlines the development of instruments to document these practices and presents findings from a study of visitor use of engineering practices at design challenge exhibits. The work was conducted as part of The study of collaborative practices at interactive engineering challenge exhibits (the C-PIECE Study), and addresses two aims, (1) develop indicators and methods of measurement of engineering design practices exercised by visitor groups within an engineering exhibit context, and (2) speculate on those practices’ associations with the exercise of beginning, intermediate, and informed engineering proficiency levels within an exhibit context. The framework is intended to be used to inform the development of informal engineering education experiences, not to assess individual performance.

Science museum educators’ perceptions of the relationship between their professional practices and visitors’ expectations affect the formulation of their self-identity and their educational practices as museum education professionals. Situated in the sociocultural context of Chinese science museums this phenomenological study explored the perceived contradictions between museum educators’ and visitors’ expectations from the educators’ standpoint. In this study, 23 museum educators from five Chinese science museums participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Informed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) the outcomes suggest four thematic contradictions within the activity systems composed of museum educators and visitors. This study demonstrates the sociocultural complexities of educator-visitor relationships and offers suggestions for building a collaborative learning community for museum education in Chinese science museums. Moreover, the outcomes have relevance for other museums situated in similar cultures around the world where science museums and museum education are a relatively new and developing enterprise.

For people with visual impairment, environmental features create barriers to inclusion and participation in public places such as museums. This study gathered direct feedback on accessibility from people with visual impairment to inform a major renovation at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. This study used a participatory action research design. Data collection included a guided walk and semi-structured interviews. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative thematic analysis were used to summarize the results. Twelve participants were assigned to three categories of visual impairment: low vision, legally blind, and totally blind. The primary barriers to accessibility included inaccessible signage, lack of multi-sensory information, and staff training. Suggestions for improving accessibility include adding assistive technology and increased staff involvement. Identifying barriers to accessibility requires involving people with visual impairment in the decision making process. Understanding the unique needs of people with visual impairment will promote inclusion and participation in museum settings.

This qualitative study analyses conversations among teens during a visit to AquaRio, the Marine Aquarium of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aiming to elucidate how they engage, participate and what interests them the most when having this experience. Twenty teenagers, divided into groups, were invited to visit the aquarium in an out-of-school context and answer pre- and post-visit questionnaires to characterize their sociocultural profiles, interest in Science and Technology issues, opinions on their experiences during the visit. Their visits were recorded with a subjective camera, and the videos were later coded using a research protocol focused on conversation content. We found that the most frequent conversations revolved around: the exhibit itself (function, design, and experience); their visit and observation of the animals and tanks with links drawn to the teens’ universe; and associations with prior or personal knowledge. They commented on the experience while observing exhibit elements, lighting, and signage texts. Movies, cartoons, related fictional characters, and elements of daily life came up repeatedly during their conversations. According to our findings, there is evidence that the adolescents enjoyed the visit and were highly engaged, as expressed in their delight over the animals and the exhibit environment. Finally, we argue that a great challenge for aquariums staff is to design circulation paths, exhibits, and activities that meet adolescents’ interests and thus provide conservation education experiences that are perceived as enjoyable and engaging.