Selected evaluation projects
Freelance assignments
As a freelancer, I have the great opportunity to work with a multitude of organisations. Many of them are museums, others are representing further cultural fields. The diversity of assignments also mirrors the diversity of institutions. Some projects were large ones, encompassing as many surveys as there were target groups to be reached, while others were smaller, but very fine evaluation answering a very specific question. They were all thrilling and instructive. I am very much looking forward to all other inspiring projects that lie ahead of me.
Here is a selection of the most striking projects I conducted – or worked on as part of the team – since 2008 on a freelance basis:
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Project eMotion – mapping museum experience St. Gallen (CH): part of the project research team in charge of the survey Research on the emotional and cognitive stimulation of visitors to an art exhibition. Individual sensors recorded the variations in skin conductivity and heart-rate as well as the exact position of the visitor in the exhibition. |
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ARAC (Rhône-Alpes Association of Curators) Preliminary assessment of the museums‘ interest prior to developing a trinational museums-pass in the border region in France, Switzerland and Italy. |
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Le Vaisseau Strasbourg (F): German (potential) visitors to the bilingual hands-on science centre Consisting in two on-site surveys of the German visitors (families and school classes), two off-site non-visitor surveys conducted in the German catchment area in the Upper Rhine Valley (here again families and school classes) and a qualitative survey. |
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Senckenberg Naturmuseum and its partner institutions Frankfurt (D): evaluation of two intercultural projects 1) the project Gemeinsam Natur erleben – interkultureller Austausch4 in Frankfurt, together with the Palmengarten (botanical garden), the Zoo and the StadtWaldHaus (interpretation centre for the forest); 2) the project Natur, Kultur, Architektur – für interkulturellen Austausch, together with the Museum of World Cultures and the German Architecture Museum. Both projects were monitored by a continuous survey of the trainers and teachers accompanying the participating groups. |
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Abbaye aux Dames Saintes (F): study of all the target groups of the institution Summative evaluation consisting in a survey of all participants to the summer music festival (classical music), a survey of the visitors to the abbey site, a survey of the hotel guests, a survey amongst the members of the supporting association and a non-visitor survey (image analysis) in the city of Saintes. The results of these surveys formed the basis to shape six personas. |
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Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt (D): large visitor study prior to a refurbishment of the exhibition – Summative evaluation consisting in a survey of each of the main groups of visitors: adults visiting without guided tour, adults taking a guided tour, school classes (pupils and their accompanying teachers). – Front-end evaluation consisting of a survey of adult individual visitors without guided tour, exploring their expectations for the soon to come refurbishment of exhibitions. |
Professional background in visitor research
Before settling as a freelancer, I had already gained much professional experience in visitor research. I have worked on or contributed to many projects. Though too numerous to name them all, the list below gives insight into practice and shows the diversity of topics and methods.
To start with, I was employed as an assistant by the University of Karlsruhe. Under the supervision of Prof. Hans Joachim Klein, I conducted the following surveys (selection):
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Association of the Upper Rhine Museums-Pass Evaluation of the launching of the Upper Rhine Museums-Pass, consisting in a survey of the pass holders, a survey of participant museums and a survey of visitors to member museums without passes. |
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Badisches Landesmuseum and Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe Evaluation of the double exhibition The late Middle-Ages in the Upper Rhine Valley, comprising a front-end evaluation for one of the museums and a summative evaluation (visitor survey) of both exhibitions. |
As the scientific director of the ZEB – Centre for Evaluation and Visitor Research, I conducted among others the following surveys and evaluations. Though I dealt with those projects mainly myself, I could also count on the support of my staff and assistants:
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Kunsthalle Würth Schwäbisch Hall (D): temporary exhibition Fernando Botero Summative evaluation of the art exhibition and analysis of the visitors’ book. |
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Völklinger Hütte World Cultural Heritage Site Völklingen (D) (in cooperation): temporary exhibition Genius I Summative evaluation. |
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Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe Karlsruhe (D): permanent exhibitions Summative evaluation of visitors to the permanent exhibitions, comparative analysis of visitor structures in times with and without temporary exhibitions. |
Furthermore, I worked freelance on several projects during that time, amongst others:
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Association of the Upper Rhine Museums-Pass Basel (CH): internal evaluation of the association’s structures by questioning the member museums. |
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Musée Suisse Group Zurich (CH), (on behalf of the ZEB – Centre for Evaluation and Visitor Research): Summative evaluation and comparative analysis of seven out of eight national museums of the Musée Suisse Group (visitors’ structure, visit behaviour, motivation, satisfaction). |
Nota bene: The reports of these evaluations and surveys are the property of the institutions which ordered them or of the organisations which carried them out. This applies to studies and surveys conducted on behalf of such organisations as well as on a freelance basis. Those reports have not been published and therefore are usually not available to the general public.
Go back to education and other activities
Go on with the bibliography