Last fall Susie Wilkening was
invited to guest lecture for a museum studies class at Tufts University. Upon
learning that students were asked to "mystery shop" the visitor
amenities at a local museum, and write up reports, she invited the authors of
the best papers to write up their experience on our blog. Welcome to our
guest bloggers, Tufts students Jeanne Koles and Sarah Marcoux.
The mission: Visit the Currier Museum of Art, located in Manchester, NH, incognito
and secretly analyze their visitor services. Is it easy to find? Does it
make you feel welcome? Is the staff nice? Are the restrooms clean?
The Currier Museum of Art passed our secret test with flying colors. Its use of architecture and exhibition design make visits
fun and enlightening, the staff is friendly and welcoming, and yes, the
bathrooms are clean.
Secret shoppers are notoriously
nitpicky, so in the name of over-analyzation, we have a few (very minor)
complaints because greater awareness of visitor comfort, interests, and
knowledge, specifically for its constituents who may be less at ease in
museums, would make any museum visit even better for everyone.
Getting to the Museum
Getting to the museum by car is easy, with excellent signs
and directions. The parking lot can fill up, but there is some on-street
parking as well. If you prefer public transportation, bus service is
infrequent, so plan ahead.
Facilities
The Currier provides many amenities
to make visiting easy and comfortable. When we think of ease and
comfort, we think of three things: restrooms, food services, and seating.
The two main bathrooms available in the lobby are handicapped accessible “family bathrooms”.
While clean and fully stocked, one
did not have a changing table and it was a challenge for one surveyor to change
her one-year old’s diaper.
For visitors ready for a break, the
Currier operates the colorful and visually exciting Winter Garden Café, a
casual and comfortable in-house restaurant that offers vegetarian and
kid-friendly options at affordable prices.
Seating in the galleries was spotty,
however. Constant standing is uncomfortable and may be a deterrent to
lengthy visits, especially for the elderly, handicapped, or those who are
simply tired; the museum should consider adding more seating.
Staff
The Currier provides a high level of
customer service. Most staff persons
with whom both surveyors interacted behaved in an incredibly welcoming and
friendly manner. The front desk employee greeted visitors with eye
contact and a smile. Security guards, while an obvious presence, were
unobtrusive and pleasant. In fact, during one evaluation, more than
one security guard held the door to walk into the galleries. There
was only one sour note concerning the staff. A tour guide did not
introduce herself, spoke quietly even after a visitor asked her to talk louder,
and did not take off her sunglasses during the tour. This was the
exception in an overwhelmingly polite and pleasant group of people, who should
be commended for their attention and thoughtfulness.
Presentation of Information
The visual identity of the Currier is simple, strong, and consistently
used in the website, in printed materials, on signage, and more. The
visual identity is much like the museum itself: creative and professional
without being stuffy.
The Currier’s website
is a fantastic introduction to what the museum has to offer. It is easily navigable and has a wealth of useful
information–everything from hours and driving directions to an online database
of its collections. The website also includes a family guide with suggestions
for how parents can make their visit exciting and less stressful.
Inside the galleries, the object
labels are well lit and generally easy-to-read. On the negative side,
several of the more detailed labels are full of jargon and technical art
terms. For example, the labels include vocabulary like “organic or
geometric forms.” Omitting a simple explanation in favor of a more complicated
one may appear off-putting and difficult, or hold no significance for the
visitor.
The Verdict
The Currier Museum of Art strives to offer a positive experience for its visitor before, during,
and after the visit. An appreciation for comfort,
education, enjoyment, and inspiration is reflected in the design of the
building, the warmth of the staff, and the exhibitions, programs, and amenities
on offer. Yet even a great museum can always be improving, and continue
to be conscious of the difficulties of cracking the museum code. The
museum should continue to value visitor feedback and implement change as practicable
in response to this feedback, thus keeping the savvy and critical visitor
satisfied.
Overall, the Currier's commitment to
a welcoming, enriching, fun museum experience should be applauded. The
verdict from these secret shoppers: two thumbs up!
- Sarah Marcoux and Jeanne Koles
