1. Expectations and interests of the potential visitor Interests Knowledge Associations Expectations

2. Front-End Evaluation Front & End, Evaluation ?

3. When Front-End Evaluation? After the concept is identified And primary take-home messages are defined Ask the right questions! -Never ask just what people want to know, that will always end up in familiarity -Never ask just what people are interested in, that will only reflect their knowledge on a topic, not per se an interest

4. What type of research should Front-End evaluation be? Focus groupGuided interview Qualitative questions (open-ended)

5. What to do with results? Guidance in the exhibition concept, themes and communication Discuss the expected interest in the exhibition in the projectteam It might help matching the targetgroup and the exhibition

6. Case Study: X-tremes (workingtitle) Animals and plants living in Extreme Environments –How plants and animals have adapted to extreme living conditions International Travelling Exhibition Opening in fall 2006 in Naturalis Partners: –Naturalis (Dutch Natural History Museum) –Natural History Museum in Belgium –Experimentarium, Science Centre in Denmark

7. The Evaluation in Naturalis 2 students of Museology, 1 taperecorder On various days Chosing various Naturalis visitors Guided interview Pictures as props 36 respondents

8. Questionnaire Topical Framework First questions with only a short explanation of the concept Following questions while showing pictures

10. Main results and remarkable responses Interested visitors, but difficult subject Examples of extreme environments: –Desert, Deep Sea, Poles –Remarkable responses: Pollution, city, enemies –Remarkable in Denmark: Mars and Jungle Adaptations to extremes –Familiar things (not surpisingly) –Ramarkable: protective coloring

11. Questions while showing the pictures Animals that live there –Familiar answers again: polar bear, pinguin etc. Plants that live there –Remarkable: many think plants can live almost anywhere, especially moss Can a human survive here, and with which adaptation? –Yes, many think humans can survive –With: fur coat, flash light, boat (esp. Dutch and Danish)

13. Most interesting environment: –Mountains (familiar) –Soda Lake (unfamiliar) Would you like to visit the exhibition? –81%: yes! –Remarkable: frequent Museum visitors are likely to go, those who consider themselfs as non visitors are not likely to go Would you bring (your) children? –50%: NO, too difficult, or decide themselves

14. What would you expect to see in the exhibition? –See which animals live where and how they adapted –Film, pictures, examples, feel –Comparison between animals and humans –Lots of hands-on (esp. Experimentarium) –Want to be surprised (!)

15. Considerations for the exhibition Use familiar as well as unfamiliar environments Decide how to talk about adapted plants Two sidethemes in the exhibition, to trigger the visitors mind: –The City as an extreme environment (from nature point of view) –Mars: why not life there?

16. For communication in exhibition, and external communication: –Surviving has a temporary meaning to people, where biologists mean permanent –Adaptation as well Main targetgroup from an age of 12 years Exhibition not so easy to promote (subject rather difficult to tell) Titles have to be tested in an early stage

17. Funny Quotes What animal lives in the mountains? Answer: Yeti What animal lives near the Soda Lake? Answer: raccoon (washing bear) What plant grows in the mountain? Answer: Edelweiss, hihi!

18. Front-End Evaluation: worth it! Makes a varied exhibition team aware of the visitors mind Gives input for concept development Forces a team to have a well-thought concept and take-home messages

19. But: Should be well planned and well thought through Tell the whole team how to use the information!