NS is a senior Art History major at Williams College who spent a summer working at WCMA and now continues to work part time for them. She is an interesting subject because she represents both a visitor and stakeholder of the museum. We met in the WCMA lobby, and I asked her to just wander the museum exactly as she normally would. At first it was difficult to convey to her that it was not a formal interview, but rather a type of extended observation; however, I was able to explain the format and eventually we fell into a rhythm of wandering and chatting occasionally.
Our first stop was the exhibit immediately to the right of the front door, where she explained to me that she was drawn to it because of its proximity and the intrigue of the menthol scent and music accompaniment. We also used this space to discuss the difference between a work of this nature and a gallery of paintings. Where the paintings suggest a natural, sequential progression, sculptures require a departure from an implied path in order to walk around and view them completely. Our walk continued around the first floor, then up to the second floor where we started with the Dance We Must exhibit, which again brought me to ask about her chosen path. The exhibit is laid out somewhat irregularly due to the free-standing costumes in the center of the room. She explained to me that in an exhibit of this nature, visitors tend to create their own path where they “bounce around” from central sculptural pieces to the works on the walls.
In the Dance We Must exhibit, we also began a conversation regarding the wall texts that accompany the art. I noticed that she was looking very closely at them, and she stated that it was because they were difficult to read, given both their position and color scheme. While we were on the topic, I asked if she ever finished reading wall texts and felt like she still wanted to know more. She immediately responded yes, and when I prompted her about whether it was meaning she was seeking in the text, she said yes, but also acknowledged that she often feels her judgement of a piece being swayed by the text. Additionally, she noted that the wall texts often fail to note why the exhibit is being displayed, and that they can sometimes (such as with Dance We Must) be somewhat controversial and unsatisfying in their acknowledgement of said controversy.
As we were wrapping up our visit, she sat down in the reading room, as she says she always does, and we discussed her knowledge of the museum as an employee. Obviously, she was very aware of the museum’s extensive collection, but I wanted to know if she thought other visitors were aware of it. She said no, but interestingly, highlighted public art and the architecture of the building as the two aspects of the collection that go most unnoticed. I think this point could be particularly interesting to examine in the context of our project, as we could consider incorporating information about the two unknown entities in our design. Finally, I asked about what kind of art she is drawn to, and what she thinks other visitors may be drawn to. In describing the art, she used words like “eye catching”, “unique”, and “extra-visual”, which are more abstract than the words we were thinking of using to help users define their preferences. Additionally, she noted that these types of pieces naturally draw you in, so maybe we would want to consider a function that draws your attention to pieces that could be missed without such a natural pull.
I think in future interviews, it will be very important to establish the format from the beginning, and convey that we want the interviewee to act as normal as possible. Additionally, I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information I could gain from NS. Part of this was certainly due to the duality of her role at the museum, but I think in future interviews, we should come in with a clearer focus. Of course, this will also come with time, as the more interviews we conduct, the more focussed our actual project will be, and the more clearly we’ll understand what information we’re missing.