The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) doesn't have a museum of its own — so when its newest exhibition opened at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, they had a question: who's actually showing up, and how are they experiencing it?

In 2024, it had been several years since the Capitol Visitor’s Center’s (CVC) last year-long visitor study, and they were eager to better understand their current audiences and the onsite experience at the Capitol across seasons. We focused on two key audiences: general public visitors and school groups. The study centered around understanding the whole onsite visitor experience, from planning the visit through the time they left the CVC.