The Art of VIsitor Experience

Special events can bring in big crowds — but that doesn’t mean they’ll build a lasting audience. Research suggests that repeat visitation… Read more

Subject knowledge matters—but it may not be the most important thing to look for when recruiting volunteer interpreters. Research suggests that communication,… Read more

An interpretive writer experiments with ChatGPT-generated museum audio tours — and discovers that A.I. is already disturbingly good at reproducing the safe,… Read more

A posted start time is a tiny social contract. Breaking that agreement in the first sixty seconds is a strange way to… Read more

Interpretation is not decoration. It is not something you add once the “real work” is done. In moments like this, it is… Read more

In my work as an interpretive planner, I’m often expected to assess the visitor experience as it exists today. And let me… Read more

A big part of my work these days is doing interpretive planning and content development for exhibits—in museums, zoos, historic sites, parks,… Read more

Borrowing from Keith Bontrager’s famous cycling maxim—light, strong, cheap: pick two—this essay argues that visitor experience planning faces the same constraint. Reach,… Read more

Want your pledge wall to actually change behaviour? Here’s how to design one that feels personal, hopeful, and worth caring about—based on… Read more

Ever assign one task to two people and think, “They’ll figure it out”? They will—but you’ve just made them do your job.… Read more

What happens when you turn your training session into a dialogue about being an interpreter? Here’s how a few well-chosen questions sparked… Read more

A hook is a short burst of surprise and delight—something that makes your visitors sit up, take notice, and silently say, OK. I’m… Read more

June 5, 2025 10:00- 10:30 AM Pacific Time Interpretive signs can do more than inform—they can influence behaviour. …but changing visitor habits… Read more

Let’s talk about content matrices. They’re not flashy. They’re not sexy. But they might be the single most useful tool in your… Read more

Writing for the real visitor—who may be tired, distracted, disinterested, or just along for the ride—is an act of generosity. Read more

A visitor persona is a fictional character based on real-world data. It gives you a face and a name for a whole segment of… Read more

If you read my posts regularly, you’ll know that I do a lot of community engagement. When doing interpretive master planning or… Read more

In project planning, “capacity” has become a catch-all term to describe the resources we have to work with. But what does it… Read more

For a while there, everyone was all about targeting Millennials. Fast forward to today, and suddenly, it’s all about Gen Z. Millennials?… Read more

Interested in finding out how your community really feels? It’s all about asking the right questions. Here are a few of my… Read more

Imagine a future where your site’s standards—from signage to equipment repair to cleanliness to visitor services—are not just good, but exceptional. That’s… Read more

One of the key principles of interpretive planning is that it works within other planning contexts. It works in harmony with other… Read more

First: A definition of interpretive planning Interpretive planning is the process of crafting exhibits, programs, and events that connect visitors to heritage sites, landscapes,… Read more