Essential Tips for Interviewing Museum Visitors

Interviewing visitors is a valuable way to gain insight into what they think of your museum, either during or as they finish their visit. Their feedback can also help shape the development of future exhibitions and programs. I’ve had the opportunity to interview many museum visitors onsite at museums, and I personally really love chatting with them. I get to meet a lot of great people and hear so many unique and diverse perspectives. To help out anyone interested in trying out interviews, I would like to share a few tips as a seasoned interviewer!

Consider your invitation

Think about how you will approach visitors to invite them for an interview. Using kindness and enthusiasm works best. If a visitor declines to be interviewed, don't take it personally; instead, thank them for their time and focus on asking the next person you come across.

Location matters

Before you begin conducting interviews, decide on the best location. For example, if you are interested in knowing what visitors who have finished their visit think about the museum, the best area to approach them may be near the museum’s exit. If you are interested in visitors’ thoughts and opinions about a specific gallery or exhibition, it may be best to approach potential interviewees near the gallery exit. 

Foster a welcoming and comfortable environment

While speaking with visitors, treat them with the same attitude and grace as you would want someone to use with you. It's important to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for interviewees. If visitors feel at ease, they are more likely to open up and share their honest thoughts and opinions. Additionally, try to provide at least one or two chairs available where visitors can sit during the interview. Oftentimes, visitors may not have had the chance to sit down much during their visit and would appreciate a seat during their interview, even if the interview only lasts five minutes.

Be an active and responsive listener

Engage in active listening as interviewees respond to questions and take care not to cut them off as they finish their thoughts. Interviewees sometimes give quick, short responses to questions, but this doesn't always mean that they have nothing to share! One great way to get interviewees to open up more about a response they haven’t shared much detail about is to ask: “Could you tell me more about that?" However, understand that sometimes a question may make a visitor feel uncomfortable. It's important to be mindful of their boundaries and let them know that their participation in an interview is completely voluntary. Don't push a visitor to answer a question that they don't want to. Any questions can be skipped at their request, or the interview can end immediately if they so choose.

Make sure to say thanks 

At the end of the interview, be sure to thank the interviewee for their time. Consider giving interviewees a token of appreciation for their time, such as a museum tote bag or a gift card. Additionally, they may ask what the interview is for or what the results may be. Answer to the best of your ability and be honest about what you’re researching. I recommend having a few business cards of whoever is leading the research on hand to give to visitors who are interested in learning more information.

Enjoy the experience!

Finally, have fun! I often find myself laughing and smiling alongside visitors as they share their experiences, and I’ve even had visitors have so much fun during interviews that they’ve asked to take a picture with me afterward! Conducting interviews is a great form of feedback for a museum, but can also be very rewarding as an interviewer.