The Visitors Behavior Study and an Experimental Plan for Reviving Scientific Instruments in a New Suburban Science Museum

Transcription

1 The Visitors Behavior Study and an Experimental Plan for Reviving Scientific Instruments in a New Suburban Science Museum Jeng-Horng Chen National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, TAIWAN chenjh@mail.ncku.edu.tw Acknowledgement: This study is supported by Ministry of Science & Technology, under project no. MOST S MY2. The author also thank Mr. CHEN, Kai-Sheng for his help on data collecting and analysis.

2 Introduction: The Problem Taiwan s government and civil sectors recently notice the special role of museums for improving science literacy as a kind of non-standard platforms to provide people with opportunities to enrich scientific literacy. Museums are aimed to break through the Taiwanese students rigid learning mode, correct the learning attitude, and provide opportunities to learn the latest scientific knowledge. However, is it effective? Will students follow this expectation? Is it possible for a museum to effectively change visitors learning mode, learning attitude, and learn some knowledge?

3 Introduction: Location Tree Valley Life Science Museum, Tainan City, Taiwan, combines natural history, cultural history and science history, due to its location at an archaeology activity area and nearby modern semiconductor industry. The permanent exhibition in "Science and Civilization Hall" exhibits a series of instruments and artifacts from Europe in the last several decades. India China Japan Tainan City Phillippinne s Downtown

4 Introduction: The museum Tree Valley Life Science Museum One site of "Science and Civilization Hall"

5 Introduction: Interaction In "Science and Civilization Hall", multimedia, augmented reality and display techniques, and rented tablet PC for guiding provide visitors with exciting experience. At present, visitors, especially children, prefer to interactive audio-visual software, floating projection, and other interactive operation units. Children using tablet PC for guiding Exhibition with display technologies

6 Introduction: Instruments Furthermore, visitors can learn scientific principles by operating two instruments, which are operational but cannot be directly touched. One is inductive, covered by a transparent shell for protection; the other is installed with a modern mechanism, such that visitors can operate it indirectly. Inductive instrument covered by a glass shell Operational instrument with modern structure

7 Introduction: Died Artifacts However, most historically significant instruments are only statically placed in the showcases and few crowds stop at them. Also, visitors spend more time at items using display technologies and browse artifact display as they walk through the gallery. To increase the ratio of interactive exhibitions, the museum intends to adopting operating style to reach the best exhibition efficiency of the precious cultural relics.

8 Introduction: Locked Instruments Few visitors pay attention to the static display. Complicated instruments lacked for interactivities.

9 Objectives At the beginning, some instruments were conducted under resurrectional operations and the experimental scene is reproduced. Unfortunately, the conditions from different parties failed to meet the requirements, so these instruments could not be adequately resurrected and displayed in front of visitors. Nevertheless, the present author and museum staff are still dedicated to successfully revive scientific instruments, which is an impressive subject for scientific and museum community.

10 Research Method: Methodology We used surveillance system data, on-site observation and visitor tracking observation to record visitors behavior. The analysis of these results provides a foundation of what and how scientific instruments will be revived. The observer randomly chose a (group) of visitor(s) and follow him/her/them without disturbance, by hiding in a remote position, and used a stopwatch to record the time. There were total 5 observation days in the period from late Nov to May 2015 in Science and Civilization Hall on the 2 nd floor of the museum.

11 Research Method: Observation The 2 nd floor of the museum is separated into 7 areas as indicated from A to G. We chose Area G as the fixed-position observation site (lasting time) because there is a potential reviving instrument over there. Cod e A B C D E F Items Entrance, 3D Projection Sextant, Scientific Instruments Aisle, Liquid-Cristal Screen Steam Engine, Firearms Medical Instruments Imaging Techniques G Voice and Image Recoding Floor plan of Science and Civilization Hall

12 Research Method: Lasting Time Lasting time: the time a visitor staying in front of an object, meaning there is enough time for the visitor to see it. There were total 87 persons recorded including 54 in family group type (62%), and 33 adults without children (38%). 76% of all visitors stay less than 10 seconds. Those who stay between 10 and 30 seconds are 12% and Lasting Time Number Ratio longer than 30 seconds are both 12%. (sec.) <10 10 ~ 29 > % 12% 12% Total % The Lasting Time of Visitors

13 Research Method: Lasting Time Possible reasons of short average lasting time: Area G is close to the exit and visitors are tired. Only title is contained in the object s label, but no commentary text. Group visitors are constrained by total visiting time. Those who stay more than 30 seconds: Parents describe and explain the characteristics of objects to their children. Children, usually adolescents, have strong motivation to learn, and the parents have to wait for them until they finish studying artifacts. Self-guided people are couples having interests and knowing related topics before visiting; and therefore they usually discuss the artifacts.

14 Research Method: Attraction Attraction: the comparison of lasting time between areas, meaning that an object is more attractive than others so that visitors tends to stay longer. Observer followed a visitor at a time to record the lasting time of staying in the showcases from Area A to G, and 50 visitors were recoded in total. Area G had about one minute of attraction, which was raised by very few visitors who did spend very long time to study the artifacts. The Lasting Time in Different Areas

15 Research Method: Attraction The top popular areas: Area D: Operational instruments attract visitors to use them even take pictures. Area E: Medical instruments attract specific visitors, but some still ignore them. The second popular areas: Area B: Visitors lost interest in sextant after touching it. Area F: Visitors showed short attention on LCD screen in the imaging exhibition. Area G: Visitors quickly pass through this area to leave the exhibition hall directly. The least popular areas: Area A: Most visitors only took a glance at the movie using limited time. Area C: It acts like a path so visitors would not stay.

16 Research Method: Surveillance Camera Another fixed position observation from the surveillance camera was analyzed for lasting time. Observed area having the possible artifacts to be revived (Area G) Two different days (June 27 Sat. and June 30 Mon.) were compared for weekend effect, while seasonal effect is controlled. The records in the mornings were analyzed because most visitors come according to past experience Total 9 groups of visitors and 26 people. A typical image from surveillance camera in Area G A typical image of visitor s behavior from surveillance camera

17 Research Method: Surveillance Camera Date Time Visitor (age) Behavior (In original Chinese) Father(40~50) 09:30:22 ~ The children stopped for a short time, but the parents Mother(40~50) 09:30:31 walked away after a look. Child(<10) 6/27 Sat. 09:45:24 ~ 09:45:55 09:49:06 ~ 09:52:43 10:09:08~1 0:10:47 10:18:15 ~ 10:19:30 Father(40~50) Child *2(<10) Father(40~50) Mother(40~50) Child *2(<10) Child *2(10~20) Mother(30~40) Child(10~20) Father(30~40) Mother(30~40) Child(<10) The father walked in the middle and did not take a look. Two children entered this area 15 sec. after the father s leaving. They were excited and ran toward the showcase, but only for 10 sec. The father and four children just walked through without looking. But the mother looked for a long time. Children came back to look for their mother and became interested and took a look. The mother took a glance when passing and then went close to look. Children were called by the mother to watch together. The mother even showed a gesture of operating machines. The mother stopped and took a look, but the father and children just went through until finding the mother watching, so they started to discuss. But the children were too short to look, so the father rose up the children. Camera Image Analysis (6/27)

18 Research Method: Surveillance Camera 6/30 Mon. 10:01:24 ~ 10:01:39 10:15:53 ~ 10:16:20 10:17:28 ~ 10:18:03 10:17:28 ~ 10:18:24 Father(30~40) Mother(30~40) Child(<10) Father(30~40) Child(<10) Female(30~40) Female(>60) Father(30~40) Child(<10) The mother indicated the artifacts by fingers and asked the child to take a look, and then she explained. The father was using mobile phone and only took a glance. The father carefully looked at the artifacts. The child was too short to look, so ran away immediately after a trial seeing. A young female took an elder s hand showing artifacts and explained. The father looked at sticker, and found related description to explain to the children. Camera Image Analysis (6/30)

19 Research Method: Surveillance Camera Influence by simultaneous users If one person is more interested in an artifact and then stays for a longer time, s/he would also trigger others to join in. This leading person is usually the mother for family group. Dates of observation Most weekday children visitors were pre-school age and thus showing less patience and lower interest. Parents had to accommodate this situation and the total visiting time was short. Entrance fee Visitors seems to have longer visiting time than free entrance, if they have to pay (the entrance fee policy changed in Feb. 2015). This difference is possibly caused by visitor selection effect or by the payment induced behavior.

20 Research Method: Interviews We collect information from different visitors and compare their opinions on the perception of the display planning. Two interviewees have led students visiting museums for many times and thus accumulate rich experience. Outline of the used questions is presented as following: How did you know this museum? Why did you be willing to visit this museum with your customers / students? What types of exhibitions were most customers / students interested in? What was the difference between the visiting behaviors of

21 Research Method: Summary of Interview Results Motivation of visiting this museum. Visitor A (traveling agency) We always look for educational sites. Some teachers are busy with schoolwork preparation. So they will specify conditions such as student grades or teaching purposes. Then we will give them a list of attractions accordingly. Visitor B (school teacher) The Ministry of Education held a conference of subsidizing outdoor education for schools in the remote area. Since Chiayi County relatively lacked for the institution of science education, we looked for the sites from other counties. The Tree Valley Museum is the closest to our school.

22 Research Method: Summary of Interview Results Visiting behaviors of different visitors Elementary students showed more interest in dinosaur and fossil exhibitions. Many girls felt bored about the scientific instruments. Junior high students mostly gave only a passing glance As for senior high students, a small number studied each item carefully others went to souvenir shop directly. Students from remote village are always excited. Senior students were more easily to understand the items they had learned in class. By demonstrating daily examples of these unfamiliar items, junior students could still get knowledge.

23 Result and Discussion: Reviving Instrument Selection The modification of reviving scientific instruments was designed according to the above observation result after careful evaluation of several possible proposals. These proposals include: a new simplified manual of an optical experiment, a newly designed game based on the same principle of a coding machine using the current setup of the machine. Abandoning ideas to treat an antique camera due to lack of staff, managing problems, and safety concern

24 Result and Discussion: Compound Lens System System Description An set of optical instruments for imaging, including a projector with a light bulb, a transparent picture as object to be projected, two sets of optical lenses on rotating wheels which can be moved back and forth on a straight rail, and a movable screen on the same rail. It was prepared since the opening of the museum, but has not been used due to inadequate display and explanation. Method of Reviving We fix the position of one wheel and encourage visitors to rotate the wheels for trying to find out the best combination of lenses. A panel is made to display the principle and the method to control the distances between wheels and the screen.

25 Result and Discussion: Compound Lens System A Compound lens system is a collection of simple lenses, and it is commonly found in camera, telescope, and other optical instruments. First, we place an object at a distance S larger than the focal length f 1 of a positive lens 1, to form a real and inverted image 1. Image 1 is acted as an object of lens 2. Image 2 is upright and real, which can be seen on a screen. For cases of S < f 1 or S < f 2, a virtual image is produced. This sort of image cannot be projected onto the screen, but can be seen by the observer. Also, the image generated by a negative lens is always virtual. The optical instruments for showing imaging principle The content of newly designed optical experiment panel

26 Result and Discussion: Coding Machine System Description It is not a good idea to let visitors to operate the real machine, because of the risk of damage and management problem. Hence, the real machine has to be kept in the cabinet. The coding machine (left) and its cabinet (right, arrowed)

27 Result and Discussion: Coding Machine Method of Reviving We design a simplified version of the machine, and a codingdecoding game still using the readings on the real machine. This game was put in front of the cabinet with a display panel to explain how to play. The newly designed coding-decoding game panel (left) and contents (right)

28 Conclusions In this study, the preliminary visitor s observation and analysis before instrument reviving is completed. Static instrument display cannot attract visitors attention; so interesting, playful, hand-on and interactive methods are essential for reviving these instruments. The observation results imply strong influence of entry fee, local touring culture, school teaching method and dependence of electronic devices in young generation. The effect of reviving scientific instruments will be evaluated soon after the reviving work is completed.