Beginning to Measure Meaning in Museum Experiences

There are many lenses through which we can measure the value of a museum experience. There is the satisfaction factor: Did visitors have a good time? Were they engaged? Do they want to return? There are learning outcomes: Did visitors learn something new? How much did they learn? How did their experience compare to other types of learning experiences? And there is also meaning-making: Did respondents have a meaningful experience? A memorable one? A connective experience that made them want more? While all three of these lenses (and many others) are important, meaning-making is perhaps the toughest to measure. Yet it is, quite possibly, the one that best begins to assess the deepest impact of museums in the lives of individuals.

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