This paper the development and success of an ambitious plan launched by the Philadelphia Zoo in late 1970's and early 1980s to streamline operating procedures, repair and replace buildings and exhibits, and evaluate and upgrade visitor services. A key part of this service strategy was a visitor survey, which aimed to identify weaknesses and provide regular feedback for operating staff and management. A copy of this questionnaire is included in this paper.
In this paper, researchers from University of Michigan discuss a major problem facing zoo administrators in major urban metropolitan areas: the relevance and attraction of urban zoos to inner-city minority residents. They present an overview of the methodology and findings from a study that examined zoo visitation to the Detroit Zoo by white and minority residents of Detroit.
In this paper, Elin Kelsey describes the planning and design process for the new "Arctic Canada" exhibit at the Vancouver Aquarium. Kelsey discusses a number of parameters whose consideration will provide a more reliable basis for making hte kinds of decisions that exhibit planners must make.
In this paper, researchers from Jacksonville State University discuss research related to educational efforts to increase the public's commitment toward conservation of animal species complicated by negative attitudes toward some of these species, such as snakes. The researchers report methodology and findings from their study that developed a device to assess attitudes toward snakes. The study had the following three purposes: (1) to validate a survey device the researchers developed that may prove useful in the evaluation of educational programs geared toward snakes and similar species; (2)
This paper explores the usefulness of children's drawings as tools for zoo exhibit evaluation. This paper presents preliminary analysis of children's drawings of completed exhibits at Woodland Park Zoological Gardens, which show they have promise as diagnostic tools, but require refinement and development by educational/behavioral experts.
In this paper, Florence Bramley of the Graphics Group presents a few "almost-true" stories about how zoos (or museums) design signage for exhibits. Bramley emphasizes the importance of having a strategy for signage design, evaluation, and execution.
This paper discusses the benefits of conducting long-term evaluations. It explains the rationale behind and methodology used in a study of "Bird Discovery Point," a group of interactive exhibits located in the Aquatic Bird House at the Brookfield Zoo. The author briefly describes the issues that were raised in each of the eight evaluation efforts, the lessons from both the evaluation process and findings, and how this study impacted the decision-making processes of the institution, staff perceptions, and exhibit development in other areas.
In this paper, researchers from the National Zoological Park discuss ways of incorporating visitors into exhibit development and the value visitors bring to the process, specifically during front-end evaluation. The authors cite examples from the development of "The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly: Attitudes Toward Animals" exhibit, which opened at the National Zoological Park in September 1991.
In this paper, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee discuss methodology and findings from a study designed to research the benefits of interactive learning devices for informal settings and test the effectiveness of a flip card question-answer system in label design. Researchers conducted this analysis at the lion exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Michael A. ArndtChan ScrevenDawn BenusaTracie Bishop
This paper is a summary of a 40-page report prepared for the Denver Zoological Foundation. The report detailed findings from an evaluation of the zoo's educational graphic system that aimed to give its visitors the opportunity to enter a world they probably have little experience with, and to wonder at the complexity and ingenuity of natural processes. This study analyzed visitors' response to a select group of graphics in the "Northern Shores" exhibit to determine the kinds of graphics that the zoo might want to invest in for future exhibits, and whether improvements were needed for the
This paper presents the methodology and findings of the formative and summative evaluation of the "Kongo Ranger Station" interactive interpretive displayed located in the new "Africa Rain Forest" exhibit at the Metro Washington Park Zoo. This display focuses on conservation, natural history and cultural issues in West and Central Africa.
This paper presents research methodology and findings from a formative evaluation of the "Habitat Africa! Thirsty Animal Trail" exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo. This exhibit intended to encourage visitors to imagine themselves as thirsty animals trying to gain access to a waterhole safely. The appendix of this paper includes copies of the interview protocol and the exit interview protocol.