Developing Visitor-Centric Guidelines to Enhance The Future Experiences of Museum Nasional

Transforming the Museum Visitor Experience 

The Museum Nasional of Indonesia sought to transform museum management and visitor experiences, prompting a re-evaluation of long-standing issues. The project shifted from evaluation to an exploration of visitor experiences to uncover inspirations and opportunities. The main goal was to develop visitor-centric guidelines to be used for crafting museum exhibitions.

Exploring Visitor Needs and Motivations

The project began by benchmarking against national and international museums. Conversations with stakeholders and staff revealed their pain points and aspirations. Observations and interviews with current museum visitors were conducted, as well as in-depth interviews with non-visitors, to gather fresh perspectives. This approach helped in creating a framework that covered what visitors sought, their motivations, and their characteristics. Stakeholders and staff then explored the visitor framework in co-ideation sessions to identify areas for prototyping. Prototypes were tested in exhibition spaces, actively involving visitors.

Visitor-Centric Exhibition Guidelines

The resulting visitor experience framework was transformed into actionable guidelines that encouraged collaboration across museum divisions, such as curators, educators and front of house staff. The guidelines provide direction on how the museum should determine its central message, select collections, and present them. The guidelines also act as the first measure of success and can be used in other Indonesian museums.

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