Visitor Behavior and Experiences in the Four Permanent Galleries at The Tech Museum of Innovation

This article presents a few salient findings from Phase I of an evaluation conducted at The Tech Museum of Innovation. Phase I focused on articulating visitors' behaviors and experiences in each of the four permanent galleries. Observations showed that visitors are spending about the same amount of time in the galleries as they spend in other museums' nondiorama exhibits, but they visit fewer components. Because some galleries performed better than others, this manuscript provides a rationale for the range of behavioral data by examining behaviors at various component types. In-depth interviews provide another perspective on the visitor experience. They showed that in some cases visitors are not grasping the individual messages of the galleries. Observation data suggest why visitors failed to obtain the galleries' big ideas. The challenge for The Tech is to consider the unique behaviors that the exhibits promote and to rework their exhibits so they more strongly reflect and convey each gallery's big idea.