Did you miss the presentation by then-Audience Researcher Madeleine Adamson during the 2019 National Volunteer Week? Cara-Lynn Nisenbaum sat down to chat with her to better understand the importance of Audience Research work at the AGO.
As AGO volunteers, we work to improve and enrich our visitors experience at the gallery each day. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes, gallery wide, to support the same effort. The role of an Audience Researcher at the AGO is to gather data and provide analysis of our visitors’ experience, to understand learning outcomes and to work towards developing and implementing innovations in the gallery.
Gathering credible data by tracking, observing and interviewing visitors is done to measure the impact of the AGO and its special exhibitions on our visitors. Madeleine explained that in her role as audience researcher, she interviewed 210 gallery visitors per month looking for pattern in their feedback. During a special exhibit, Madeleine would collect data from a few hundred visitors by asking questions, observing individual guests, noting the works they select to view, for what length of time and whether they choose to read the accompanying text. Madeleine explained sometimes we may be very surprised at the findings. It can take 2-3 months to summarize the extensive data collected, at which time it is shared with marketing, logistics, curators, exhibit designers and interpretive planners to celebrate successes and find opportunities for improvement.
The research findings, insights and conclusions are valuable towards building the best possible visitor experience. It is also interesting to know the AGO is one of only a few cultural institutions in Toronto who engage in a visitor experience program to better identify the factors shaping the interaction and engagement with its visitors. While Madeleine has since moved into a new role at the AGO (Development Coordinator, Donor Programs), she continues to believe that Audience Research has an essential role to play in understanding AGO visitors.
Written by Cara-Lynn Nisenbaum, Volunteer