The Art of VIsitor Experience
Screw Latin Names.
Latin names have no place in popular writing and programming. Once upon a time I was a bit of a tedious pedant.… Read more
Are you a champion of change?
I do a lot of planning workshops, including a lot of small-group work with front-line staff and their immediate supervisors. I love… Read more
Marketing: An Interpretive Approach
As a visitor experience advisor, I find that a lot of my work revolves around helping parks, historic sites, and museums do… Read more
Understanding Audiences: The Downside of “Falk Types”
About twenty years ago, Dr. John Falk and Dr. Lynn Dierking did a body of research on why people visit museums and… Read more
What is your theory of change?
A theory of change is a roadmap to the future that you want to see. It is plausible, feasible, and testable. And… Read more
Why is your e-newsletter so boring?
As a visitor experience advisor, I’m a fairly big fan of using email to build relationships with your members and prospective visitors.… Read more
Bang for the Interpretive Buck
What happens when you have more ideas than you can handle? I just completed a really productive ideation (brainstorming) session with a… Read more
It’s time to give the objects back.
Virtually all arguments against repatriating Indigenous objects are rooted in white supremacy. Hey reader, did you ever have your bike stolen? I… Read more
Let Your Data Tell A Story
Those of you who have followed my writing for a while know that as an interpretive planner, I’m a strong believer in… Read more
Stakeholder is not a dirty word.
(Editor’s note, April 2023. Since I wrote this article last year, the topic has heated up a bit. Please read through the… Read more
The Nonprofit Membership Conundrum
Nonprofit memberships aren’t what they used to be. Is your organization struggling with its nonprofit membership program? Are you having a tough… Read more
Mining Online Reviews for Fun and Profit
As an interpretive planner and visitor experience advisor, I’m a big believer in evidence-based decision making. When I start a new project,… Read more
Consultation: Some Lessons Learned
In the last two years, virtually all of my projects have taken on a consultation component. At some point in an interpretive… Read more
Visitor Experience and Problem-Space Thinking
What is the way to your visitors’ hearts? Understanding their problem spaces—and imaging solutions—is a first step. Read more
Interpretation, Good Writing, and Sensory Experience
Once upon a time… …if you wanted to learn about a historic site or park—or the contents of a museum or aquarium—you… Read more
Level Up Your Guided Walks
Those who fail to learn from the 1970s are doomed to repeat them… …and I’m old enough to tell you it won’t… Read more
Interpreters in the Experience Economy
Every great travel experience has three parts: the anticipation, the realization, and the recollection. Those of us who deliver interpretive programs—guided walks,… Read more
A swing and a miss: NAI’s new definition of interpretation
If I didn’t already know what interpreters do, this definition wouldn’t tell me. The National Association for Interpretation has released their newly-updated… Read more
Interpretive Storytelling and the Problem of Appropriation
“Can I tell this story?” As an interpretive planner and writer, I find I’m hearing this question more and more often: how… Read more
Interpretive Signs: Don’t Neglect the Base
If you’re not investing in the 3D elements of your interpretive sign, you’re missing a powerful opportunity to connect people to your… Read more
Do you need a Visitor Experience Strategy?
About ten years ago, when I was an employee at Parks Canada, we identified a need for more holistic planning. We already… Read more
Can this sign be saved?
This article is an excerpt from the course Interpretive Signs: Attractive, Brief, Clear. I’m offering the course online starting May 4, 2021.… Read more
Representation Matters.
Heritage sites communicate a dizzying array of signals and messages that either welcome or discourage the visitor based on their identity. Read more
Taking It All Online
One Year Into the Pandemic It’s hard to believe we are now a year into this COVID-19 world. We got ourselves past… Read more
Do your staff represent your community?
What are some common barriers to staff diversity in the heritage sector? “We only hire the most qualified people, and they just… Read more
A Community Advisory Group
It is becoming a well-known—dare I say best—practice in the heritage sector for each organization to assemble a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and… Read more
It’s time to silence the cannons
Historic weapons demonstrations are popular; I get that. Big old guns are cool, and special events where visitors can not only hear… Read more
Staring down the rabbit hole of change
I am an interpretive planner and visitor experience advisor. I work with museums, historic sites, zoos, aquariums, and parks helping them evaluate… Read more
Do interpretive signs change behaviour?
Understanding the impact of signs requires us to delve a little bit into the psychology of public behaviour. Read more
Evaluation: The Fuzzy Side
Qualitative or Subjective Evaluation In my previous post, I outlined some quantitative or data-based criteria for evaluating interpretive products. Many of us,… Read more