In-context design ethnography
American Museum of Natural History
For an assignment for a Service design class at Pratt IXd with a partner, I visited the American Museum of Natural History to assess the services the museum provides and create a customer journey map of the visit. I specifically considered the front-stage services which all visitors interact with. During our visit, we took turns shadowing each other while taking notes on the iPhone note app. And after exiting the museum, we interviewed each other to understand positive and negative interactions better.
A visitor's experience of the site starts long before the tour begins; The first touchpoint to interact with the service starts by visiting the website to plan the trip to the museum. Visitors have to purchase a timeslot ticket before their visit. The touchpoints would differ for particular visitors, such as local residents or tourists. In our case, we were interested in NYC Pass tickets, where locals can pay as they wish for their visit. This interaction could have been more explicit as there were too many options on the site, and the pay-as-you-want-to option needed to be explained clearly, so my partner was under the impression that it was free entry.
Upon exiting the subway cart, on 81st street, there are beautiful tile works with animals that indicate the visitors are close to their destinations. There's a door to enter the museum from the subway station directly. On the day of our visit, this door was only open to museum employees, and it was clearly stated with "employees only" and "do not enter" signs.
In the journey map, I have identified touchpoints, user actions, pain points and highlights, and possible solutions for a better visitor experience.
The most significant pain point from the visit was wayfinding within the museum. The Museum of Natural History has more than 40 exhibition halls, and there's a lot to see. If the visitor has a goal of visiting a specific exhibition, they might find themselves lost and frustrated.
Currently, the museum offers visitors maps in a brochure and digitally, ground stickers directing to resting areas, and wall maps next to elevators.
They also offer an Explorer app with interactive maps, which, unfortunately, we only saw the billboard as we were exiting the museum. One solution to enhance the visitor experience is to advertise the Explorer app in critical moments when visitors interact with the service.
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When they're planning the visit, on the website and the email confirmation they receive for tickets. This will allow them sufficient time to download and familiarize themselves with the app.
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At the entrance door before entering the museum.
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At the ticketing counter, as they're waiting in line or purchasing their ticket
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In the brochures with a QR Code.
After our visit, I downloaded the app to further look into the features they're offering; a map with turn-by-turn directions to exhibits and amenities, customized recommendations for what to see, and the option to learn deeper about the shows. The app has many opportunities to amplify visitors' experience!
Another major challenge from the visit was the amount of reading/ content presented by the museum. One recommendation is to use the app to curate paths for visitors to follow with audio options. For example, one path could include Asian nature, animals, and people. This would allow for an exclusive experience and help visitors make sense of what they're viewing into a cohesive learning experience.
From this assignment, I learned that journey maps could be a useful tool for improving visitor satisfaction and providing direction to the organization; it is essential that they are built based on research and observations.