on Tue, 27 Sep 1994 Guy Hermann <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>That said, I agree that the WWW is the way to go. The Web appears to be the
>future of network technology.  As we move that way, more people will have
>access over time.  More important to me than access, is the still seldom
>mentioned issue of audience.  It is great to put stuff on line, but we need
>to begin to think more about _who_ we are putting it on line for and what
>those people really want.  I wonder if anyone has done a focus group for an
>online exhibit yet?
>
>Lacking that kind of input, I am arguing from ignorance, but my bet is that
>the "general" audience we want to reach will be much more likely to spend
>time at a WWW site than they will be to use Gopher to download documents.
>If we start developing WWW exhibits now, when access comes, as it will, we
>will be ready to take advantage of it and deliver the material people want
>in a form tat is attractive and easy to use.
 
We have conducted several studies (>1000 interviews)  of visitor
interaction with the software-based exhibits in Human Biology & Evolution
(at AMNH) and in Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast (a traveling
exhibition we developed). The latter is the subjuct of continual summative
study during its tour of NA.
 
Based in part on these studies, we are now developing a prototypical Web
interface for use by the public in an exhibition that is now under
development. Our intention is to use a graphical Web browser interface to
provide access to both Web and Gopher servers.
 
Based on our findings to date, software exhibits are more popular with
younger vistors than with their parents (or other older visitors), but it
is also found that some younger visitors approach software exhibits in a
manner similar to that used in video arcades.
Older visitors seem to be intimidated by computer exhibits, or view them as
video-arcade analogies (and hence, not worth the time their children spend
using them...)
 
The content of our present software exhibits is, of course, programmed. But
most include many layers of information, and some include modest
cross-linking between distinct programs. Our studies indicate that some
visitors get "lost" trying to navigate among different programs. We are
presently redesigning interfaces to address this problem in our existing
exhibits.
 
Assuming we can develop an interface that makes sense, I'd guess the second
problem will be developing an appropriate "fire-wall" both into and out of
the Museum. For example, can we enable vistor URL input?
 
Summaries of our visitor studies of these electronic exhibits (not of the
Web interface) are available upon request, by writing to me or to Ellen
Giusti (exhibit evalutaor), at:
 
Exhibition Department
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024
 
regards,
 
Kevin Coffee
Manager of Exhibitions
American Museum of Natural History
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