Capturing Visitor Experiences for Study and Preservation

Studying Visitor Experiences

To date, the evaluation of exhibitions has largely been based on attendance numbers, with very little attention given to actual visitor behaviours within gallery environments. Traditionally, where visitor behaviours have been observed, methods for achieving this have been based on pen and paper recording using methods such as those developed by Space Syntax (Space Syntax, 2010). Capturing this data in digital form will allow a more thorough and formal analysis of the ‘success’ of exhibitions by permitting the replay in both time and virtual space of visitors’ behaviours and their interaction with staff, other visitors, and gallery exhibition materials. More specifically, we are concerned with:

This information makes possible an analysis of how visitors explore exhibitions that is not preconceived but observed. Anonymous representations of visitor behaviours can be offered back to the gallery prompting curatorial assumptions to be validated or, where appropriate, reconsidered in light of evidential data about real patterns of visitor behaviour. This, in turn, can have important implications for maximizing public engagement within exhibition contexts and ensuring efficiency of interaction between staff and visitors, as well as other aspects of social and economic exchange. Using geovisualization techniques to generate the interactive maps based on individual experience raises questions about how possible it is to produce and manage the documentation of human behaviour.

Technological and Methodological Issues

Ideally, visitors would be totally oblivious to the data capture process or at least, such technological means as are necessary for capture would be non-intrusive. The demands of the research problem require high fidelity of location, orientation, and behaviour making the technological issues more complex than simply determining approximate location. Borriello et al. (2005) report that GPS systems do not work reliably inside buildings, wi-fi systems require calibration and achieve accuracy of only about 3 metres, and others require infrastructure installation. This is rarely possible in protected buildings such as the Courtauld, especially on a temporary basis. Consequently, the method described below was developed (related approaches will be discussed in presentation).

A pilot study was carried out prior to the main observation period in the Courtauld’s Frank Auerbach exhibition (Courtauld Gallery, 2009).

Data Capture Method

The method used is predominantly based on field observation in two forms. These approaches are influenced by the observation methods used by Space Syntax, a company with an established history of evidence-based design and evaluation for buildings and urban spaces. Space Syntax observations are undertaken using pen and paper.

The first method involves a human observer tracking the movement pattern of visitors around parts of the gallery in order to observe particularized routes specific to individual visitors. This is facilitated by the use of Tablet PCs and custom-developed software which displays an editable floor plan of the gallery, divided into map tiles based on the gallery rooms. In the case of the Courtauld, the map tiles are 610x365 pixels. The actual room size in the pilot is approximately 1290.5cm x 772cm = 12.9x7.7m. By moving the digital pen around the image the pathway of an individual can be recorded on the map and the movement documented with an x,y pixel reference and a timestamp. Duration and location are recorded both when the visitor is moving and stationary. Additional coding concerning, for example, the activity undertaken at any given moment, such looking at a map or signage or taking a photograph, can also be coded against points on each pathway.

The second method involves participants being asked to complete an exit questionnaire detailing their familiarity with the specific gallery and exhibits as well as more general experience of exhibition environments. This information is cross-referenced to the trace of each visitor’s pathways.

A screenshot from the software can be seen in Figure 1, showing a gallery floorplan with a partial trace. Figure 2 shows the simple comma separated values (CSV) data produced by the trace activity in realtime (the fields being X, Y, timestamp, visitor activity, and map file used). The system defaults to tracking movement as the pen is drawn across the screen, however, the observer can simply switch the “mode” of the current point by selecting one of the buttons to the right. Where data about interaction with an exhibit is necessary, the point of the observee’s interest can be noted by simply pointing at it on the diagram after selecting either “Sign” or “Exhibit” as the object of interest. The final system was developed in Borland Turbo Delphi with early prototyping undertaken in Processing.

For the Courtauld case study, the maps are scaled such that 1 pixel is approximately 2cm2 of real gallery space. The maps are converted from architectural plans and the location and size of furniture in the gallery included from measurement in the galleries themselves. Visitor location is recorded as a relative pixel position from the top left corner of the image. After capture this data can be transformed to generate real visitor positions in the room for subsequent visualisation.

• Boriello, G., Chalmers, M., LaMarca, A. and Nixon, P. (2005). 'Delivering Real-World Ubiquitous Location Systems'. Communications of the ACM. 48(3): 36-41
• Courtauld Gallery. 2009.. http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2009/auerbach/index.shtml (accessed 3rd March 2010)
• Kraak, M.-J. (2008). 'Geovisualization and Time - New Opportunities for the Space-Time Cube'. Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications. Dodge, M., McDerby, M. and Turner. M. (eds.). London: Wiley
• Space Syntax. 2010. . http://www.spacesyntax.com (accessed 3rd March 2010)