Walker Art Center Visitor Experience Research

The Walker Art Center, a contemporary art museum in Minneapolis, sought to better understand first-time visitors’ journey through the museum by identifying elements of the environment that helped or hindered their experiences. We deployed interdisciplinary research tools to examine how visitors move through the space and to identify key visitor touchpoints. With that data in hand, the project team was able to outline a number of practical ways to improve the visitor experience and ensure a sense of welcome and inclusivity, especially for first-time visitors.

Agency

HGA

Practice Area

Client

Walker Art Center

Industry

The Challenge

Leaders at the Walker suspected there were steps they could take to make the experience more welcoming and to ensure visitors were confident they had seen everything the museum had to offer. The issue was, they were not sure where problems existed – they needed to better understand the pain points that hindered visitor experience. The Walker asked us to use data-driven methods to identify these issues and help create solutions.

Project Vision

The project vision was to create a comprehensive visitor-experience strategy for Walker Art Center that integrates spatial design, technology, organizational culture, and operational processes. To ground our recommendations in real behaviors and perspectives (rather than personas), we engaged visitors directly, equipping them with research tools to capture their real-time emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Finally, we convened an integrated charrette—bringing together HGA’s multidisciplinary design experts with Walker’s leadership and staff across departments—to co-develop and refine solutions that truly resonate and endure.

Study participants were able to record real-time reactions through an audio diary. These recordings gave researchers an in-depth understanding of the visitor experience.

HGA

Technology-based tools allowed precise tracking of user experiences and provided greater insights over traditional pen and paper methods. Smartphones were supplied to participants to ease privacy concerns.

HGA

Design + Execution

Research and Engagement Scope
Initial meetings occurred to frame the research and engagement. This study focused on first-time visitors to the Walker Art Center, aiming to pinpoint the moments in their visit that foster—or undermine—a sense of welcome and confidence. By prioritizing this audience, we aimed to uncover actionable insights that directly inform the museum’s visitor-experience strategy.

Methodology and Data Collection
We employed a mixed-methods design to triangulate findings across quantitative and qualitative streams. Approximately 140 first-time visitors were recruited at the welcome desk and consented to participate. Data collection tools included:

Indoor movement tracking (Situm Technologies) to map visitor pathways in real time

Remote ethnography via audio diaries, capturing on-the-moment reflections

Online reflective questionnaire (Qualtrics) to gather demographic information and post-visit perceptions

Analysis and Synthesis
Each participant received a unique ID, enabling us to link their survey responses with movement-tracking logs and audio-diary transcripts. We coded over 225 hours of audio diaries in NVivo, visualized movement patterns and survey data in Power BI, and synthesized insights into thematic statements. These “problem” and “asset” statements framed the subsequent ideation session.

Visitor-Centered Interdisciplinary Charrette
We convened a three-hour virtual charrette on Zoom, using an interactive Miro board to guide ideation. With HGA designers and Walker leadership collaborating, the team generated and prioritized short- and long-term solutions grounded in our visitor-centered data. The outcomes were compiled into a final report to support fundraising and implementation efforts.

The ability to link the audio recordings with tracking data from the app made it possible to pinpoint a user’s precise location when logging an experience.

  1. The Walker Art Center, a contemporary art museum, wanted data-driven solutions for improving the visitor experience.

    Paul Crosby

  2. Study participants were able to record real-time reactions through an audio diary. These recordings gave researchers an in-depth understanding of the visitor experience.

    HGA

  3. The ability to link the audio recordings with tracking data from the app made it possible to pinpoint a user’s precise location when logging an experience.

Project Details
Many research projects involve information-gathering and community-consulting phases. What caught the jury’s attention here was the innovative and digital way this process was done. As one juror said, ‘If only all museums would please do this.’
Juror 1
This thorough report uses some innovative methods to record and track visitors and stands to serve as a benchmark in the field for improving the museum experience.
Juror 2
Design Team

Adaheid Mestad (principal Researcher, senior design anthropologist)
Mahshid Jalalian (design researcher)
Aaron Kapphahn (data analytics lead)
Rick Firkins (digital technology)
Joan Soranno, Marc L’italien (designer)
David Goldstein (former, walker art center, visitor experience director)
Walker Art Center Leadership and Staff

Photo Credits

HGA

Open Date

July 2022

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