March 2010
The whole experience
No transaction stands alone, isolated from what went before and what follows. When we want to examine an event more
closely, we should look at it in the context of what went before and what followed.
The context of before and after can be understood in five phases. These phases apply to experiences as diverse as shopping,
sports participation, educational events and leisure outings.
Five Phases
1. Anticipation
This phase involves thinking about and planning the outing. Key decisions are made here – when to go, how to get there,
how long to stay, what to take, what other things to do on the outing.
Our research explores decision-making in addition to describing the inner landscape of assumptions, expectations and attitudes.
2. Travel to
This phase involves travelling to the venue, parking, costs and access.
Our research describes modes of travel and expectations, as well as wayfinding and accessibility.
Travel time can be used as one measure of economic worth.
3. On site
This phase involves the whole visitor experience onsite.
We have measured many aspects of onsite experiences, including:
>Wayfinding – tracking & timing
>Visitor satisfaction – rating, likes and dislikes
>Engagement patterns – tracking & timing, rating
>Expenditure – reported spend
>Learning outcomes – range of measures, including MOLI
4. Travel back
This phase involves the return journey.
Our research describes modes of travel. We have also explored the conversations that take place on return trips.
5. Recollection
This phase involves the many ways that outings and events are recalled, shared and commemorated. For children, play is
an important form of recollection, while visitors to art exhibitions often find that the catalogue helps to consolidate
memories and recall them years later.
Our research has explored the way outings and events are recalled in timeframes such as: immediately after, 2-3 weeks later
and several months later. We have studied learning outcomes for museum visits.
The Five Phases were first proposed in 1966 by Clawson and Knetsch in the context of leisure activities.
January 2010
Walkability
Walking is good for us at all levels. At the personal level, our bodies evolved to move so that an active lifestyle
is important for health. At the community level, everyone benefits when lots of things are within walking
distance – lower car use reduces air pollution and carbon emissions, and local businesses thrive.
With growing evidence for the multiple benefits of walking, walkability is given increasing importance in city
planning.
A new online tool uses the Google Maps database to give a Walk Score for every address in Australia. When you enter an
address, it calculates your score out of 100, based on the facilities within a 1.6km radius.
Is your home a Walkers Paradise or seriously Car-Dependent?
Powerful new evidence of the dollar impact of the Walk Score emerged in Walking the Walk,
a U.S. study demonstrating that the Walk Score is associated with increases in home values to the
tune of $700-$3,000 per point.
The prospect of higher sales values will encourage councils and developers to plan for more walkable neighbourhoods.
Go to Walk Score to measure the
walkability score for your next development.
Check out this slide presentation of the Walking the Walk report.
October 2009
We see the 'green shoots' of economic recovery sprouting in the renewed enquiry from our housing developer clients.
One of our very useful tools that helps developers get their new housing plans right is Homezone. This is a tool we use in focus groups of prospective home buyers to help buyers discriminate between the home features they REALLY want. Homezone puts participants in the real life situation of having to choose between alternatives in a trade-off game.
We can put all kinds of features into the game – views, northerly aspect, balcony size, number of bedrooms, quality of finishes, and so forth. The range of choices is customised for each project so the report gives specific guidance for an individual development.
While past experience can give some direction for future developments, our clients find it reassuring to market-test their ideas with prospective buyers. This is especially important during turbulent times when tastes and incomes are likely to have changed.
July 2009
In Canberra recently, we took the opportunity to look through the new Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. It is a very stylish presentation of this topic and is likely to have strong appeal to schools.
At the National Museum, K-Space continues to excite families and kids. A group of Year 7 students
from Mt Isa were heard to exclaim 'wicked!', 'cool!' and 'that's ours!' as they watched the 3-D
animation of their space ships flying around.
Check out the discussion on Museum 3.0 about the RFID-enabled Touchwall – a new technology for wall-sized touch screens that respond to individual users who have RFID badges/tags.
And finally, we are taking our newsletter online. On a relaxed schedule of four times a year, our newsletter comments on topical issues related to projects or papers and presentations we give. We invite you to sign up for it today!
Click on the link in the side bar to read our July09 newsletter online.
June 2009
Phew! Teaching in the Museum Research Methods intensive course is over! Now there are just the piles of assignments to be marked.
We are starting a study that will generate some tourism development strategies for Parramatta City Council. The more I see of Parramatta, the more I like it.
Gillian will join Rachael Coghlan (from the National Museum of Australia) at the Forum on Visitor Research in Natural and Cultural Heritage Attractions in Brisbane on 13 July 2009.
John Falk and Lynn Dierking will give a seminar in Canberra about their current research in free-choice learning. As experts in museum evaluation and learning theory, they have a lot to offer at this free seminar for museum and gallery professionals.
2.30-5.00 pm | Thursday 9 July 2009
National Museum of Australia
Bookings essential on (02) 6208 5021.
We were interested in this article in the Sydney Morning Herald about Elaine Heumann Gurian, the American author of Civilizing The Museum and a highly regarded consultant to many of the world's leading cultural institutions. In June, she visited Sydney and gave a talk at the Powerhouse Museum on Museum as Soup Kitchen.
Retail Ecology
We have been looking at the dynamics of local shopping strips using a 'Retail Ecology' framework. This framework recognises the multiple connections and influences that create an ever-evolving pattern of responsive change.
A retail shopping strip is best regarded as an ecosystem because success depends on a combination of several mutually-supporting elements. If any one of them is missing, the whole thing limps along. But if all the elements are in place, the strip thrives.
Four aspects of retail ecology are:
Physical setting
Quality of street environment including paving, lighting, seating, trees & banners, protection from traffic. Business premises that are well-maintained and interesting to look into.
Perception/image
The shopping area is seen as safe, inviting, relevant, and easy to use.
Economic mix
There is a good range of businesses, which are located in complementary clusters that attract shoppers and encourage them to move between businesses.
Business & government
Local businesses, owners and government work together to coordinate activities and ensure that regulation is supportive and relevant.
Environmetrics can assist with strategies and plans to revitalise local shopping strips.
'Tab and Table' service
Our Tab and Table service is very popular.
Clients send us piles of
questionnaires and we do the rest!
You will receive neat data tables and the datafile.
Competitive prices and fast turnaround.
Contact Gillian Savage (02) 9954 0455 to discuss your needs and get a quick quote.
