Engagement at the Brooklyn Museum: A Case Study of Use Rate and Lessons Learned

Abstract

From interactives to apps, from labels to comment areas, museums spend a great deal of time and money planning a variety of digital and non-digital approaches for visitor engagement onsite. Best practice dictates that we offer a variety of ways for visitors to find relevance and make meaning and that we cater to different learning styles, abilities, and interest levels. However, not all these approaches garner the same amount of interest or use by our visitors. The Brooklyn Museum has a unique data set of use rate metrics from a variety of engagement projects, digital and non-digital, spanning ten years. When examining these use rate metrics, an interesting trend emerges. Certain engagement opportunities share an average use rate of 2%: our audio guide, our ASK app, question and answer kiosks in special exhibitions, a digital guestbook, and even guided tours. However, other projects have garnered much higher or lower use rates: an avatar interactive in Vishnu: The Blue-Skinned Savior (28%), a sticky-note activity outside of Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe (11%), or a video response opportunity with The Black List Project (0.37%). Is there a reason for the shared use rate among certain opportunities and much different use rates among others? And if so, how might that inform engagement strategies and evaluation needs for the 21st-century museum? By examining the use rates of these engagement approaches in combination with anecdotal evidence, the author will examine lessons learned about digital and non-digital engagement opportunities including what these past projects can tell us about future planning and the limitations of quantitative data such as use rate in understanding visitor behavior.