This front end evaluation report for the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition is composed of visitor interviews on the museum floor and surveys conducted with visitors to a previous exhibition. Most visitors interviewed had heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls and were interested in learning more about them and the scientific processes involved in interpreting and preserving them. About half the visitors knew approximately when the scrolls were created, but very few had any notion of the vast number of scrolls that have been found. Fortunately for The Science Museum of Minnesota, most visitors were not
Roto, an exhibition design and production firm, contracted Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A) to conduct a front-end evaluation of Speed, an exhibition being developed for The Science Museum of Virginia (SMV) in Richmond, Virginia. RK&A explored visitors’ thoughts, perceptions, and understandings of exhibition concepts related to speed, defined as change over time. How did we approach this study? RK&A worked closely with Roto to identify the goals and objectives for the Speed exhibition. Findings from the front-end evaluation were designed to help Roto and SMV find common ground between
This document outlines front-end and formative evaluation findings including baseline use; improving attraction and holding power and interactions; and improving interfaces. While we found that people like the globe and will stay and interact especially with the redesigned kiosk, there is still room for improvement in support for information transfer and meaning generation, as well as opportunities for retaining user choice and control while adding usability features such as narration.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Shawn RoweKatie StoferCéleste BarthelNancee HunterHatfield Marine Science Center
The purpose of this front-end evaluation study was to inform design decisions about the development of an interactive learning system focusing on Earth and planetary science. The design team was led by the Institute for Scientific Research (ISR), and the project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The aim of the Advancing Content Through Interactive Virtual Environments (ACTIVE) Project is to create an interactive learning environment that allows exploration of the solar system through several senses including touch, sound, and sight. Developers will incorporate NASA Earth and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Carey TisdalThe West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation
This report presents the findings from a front-end evaluation for Stormy Weather, a major traveling exhibition on severe storms. This exhibition is being developed through a collaboration among the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, National Museum of Natural History, St. Louis Science Center, and National Severe Storms Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The purpose of conducting a front-end evaluation is to better understand visitors' perceptions and their baseline knowledge regarding a particular subject--in this case, severe storms. The
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Randi KornSmithsonian InstitutionSusan Ades
This report presents findings from a front-end evaluation of Texas Prehistory: How Do We Know?, under development by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) planning grant. This 10,000 square-foot permanent exhibition, with accompanying traveling exhibition and educational programs, focuses on current archaeological and paleontological fieldwork taking place in Texas and explores how scientists are able to piece together the past.
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
This report presents the results of a front-end evaluation for the upcoming exhibit entitled, "Electric Space: The Sun-Earth Environment" at the National Air and Space Museum. Front-end evaluation is often conducted to provide exhibit planners with information about their audience during the planning stages of an exhibit. This front-end evaluation was designed to determine visitors' familiarity with, knowledge of, and misconceptions about the make-up of space between the sun and the earth.
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.National Air and Space Museum
This report presents the findings from a front-end evaluation of the Draper Museum of Natural History (DMNH) that is being developed by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC) in Cody, Wyoming. For this study, Randi Korn & Associates (RK&A) conducted focus groups and interviews to help the exhibition development team better understand the target audiences - tourists and residents - and find common ground between the content, themes, and interpretive strategy of the DMNH and its potential visitors. Data were collected in March, April, and May 2001.
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Buffalo Bill Historical Center