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Meeting Visitor Needs
Abstract
This manual was devised to help overcome the professional isolation often experienced by staff working in Australian VICs (Visitor Information Centres). It is specifically designed to facilitate the sharing of ‘best practice’ approaches to information dissemination, customer service, staff training, sign and exhibit design and evaluation. Material is based on research in the areas of visitor studies; interviews with thirteen VIC managers; and surveys conducted with approximately 407 visitors at 18 VICs in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The manual is written in a non-academic style and is designed to be used by managers, staff and volunteers. It includes photographs, discussion questions and checklists to enable you to evaluate and improve your services and facilities. The manual concludes with four case studies designed to describe examples of ‘best practice’ in more detail (see Appendix A).
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This paper presents the findings and recommendations from a study of the potential of e-learning to contribute to the operation of Visitor Information Centres in Queensland. These centres, staffed by mostly small teams of paid staff and volunteers, are located throughout urban, regional and remote areas of Queensland, and play vital roles in the tourism industry and the local communities. The study involved a self-complete questionnaire sent to staff of the 50 members of the Queensland Information Centres Association (QICA), followed by in-depth interviews with managers of nine centres. Important findings from this study were reported as follows: * Paid staff typically use computers at work regularly, whilst volunteers’ use of computers is generally rare. * Whilst both paid staff and volunteers reported similar levels of experience with computers, paid staff claimed to be more proficient in their use of computers. * The most important barriers to e-learning were lack of time (most or second most important factor nominated by 52% of the sample), lack of computer skills and insufficient computers. * The preferred methods of e-learning were CD-ROM (most or second most important method nominated by 48% of the sample) and accessing materials via the internet (40%) – which would allow learners to work at their own pace in quiet times at work or in their own time. * Computer facilities and internet access vary widely – some larger centres are wellequipped and could easily accommodate e-learning, whereas other larger and many small centres either do not have computers or have insufficient or unreliable technology. * Whilst centre managers generally appear to think that the older volunteers lack the necessary computer skills and interest in e-learning, computer competency amongst the volunteers was reported to be relatively high and volunteers generally expressed very positive attitudes towards enhancing their computer skills and e-learning. * Given the disparity in technology availability and capability, and the need for flexibility to meet the diverse needs of staff and volunteers, a blended training approach that combines online instruction with materials in a printed, CD-ROM and/or video format would appear to more suitable than relying solely on web-based instruction. * Given the lack of technical and learning support in remote and rural areas, it is important that online training products are simple enough to ensure that constant technical support is not required.
Interpretive signs are used extensively in tourism and leisure settings to convey important messages and concepts to visitors. While the installation of signs ensures information is widely available and can be repeatedly accessed by large numbers of visitors, their static and inflexible nature means interpretive signs have to be particularly well- designed if they are to interpret topics in a manner that visitors find attractive, interesting and meaningful. This paper provides suggestions for how the six key features of interpretation can be successfully incorporated into signs, and arises from research conducted while developing a website to illustrate 'best practice' design of signs and exhibits. The paper concludes with the Interpretive Signs Checklist which consists of a set of criteria against which interpretive signs can be judged. This checklist is designed to be used 'in situ', and provides a systematic, objective tool for designing new signs as well as evaluating and improving existing signage
Interpretive signs help visitors understand and appreciate important aspects of our natural and cultural heritage. But, to do this, they need to be designed in an effective, user-friendly way. This comprehensive guide provides a series of principles froe effective sign design, with instruction based on research, the latest in educational and psychological theory, real-world examples, and practical guidelines. A must-read for interpreters, Designing Interpretive Signs includes valuable information about choosing sign locations, attracting and keeping visitor’s attention, organizing information so the visitors can easily follow it, and generally improving signs for a wide range of sites.
Museums are at a critical moment in their history. In order to ensure survival into the next century, museums and galleries must demonstrate their social relevance and use. This means developing their public service functions through becoming more knowledgeable about the needs of their visitors and more adept at providing enjoyable and worthwhile experiences.
Visitor Information Centres (VICs) in Queensland play an important role in the rourism equation, particularly from a regional perspective, although their influence on the flow and distribution of visitors tos and within queensland and their impact on subsequent travel and expenditure in the region have been unclear. This study was therefore undertaken to provide an exploratory insight into these influences from a Queensland perspective, and to provide a consumer-based perspective on Queensland’s VIC Accreditation Program.
Broadly speaking, the study found that the VICs surveyed do generate a modest, net increase in visitor nights and expenditure in their regions. Their influence in the trip-planning process prior to leaving for the trip appears to be minimal; however, once in the region VICs play an important and influential role in assisting visitors to decide what to see and do. Visitors were highly satisfied with the products and service provided by the VICs used in the study.
This paper presents original research from a scoping study of visitor wayfinding and information needs at UK forest recreational sites. The starting point was dissatisfaction with road signs and information boards at Forestry Commission sites. The methodology recreated the first-time user experience, and combined semi-structured interviews, route and spatial analysis, and an audit of signs and environmental cues. Results indicated that wayfinding problems were related to the context and location of signs, rather than the materials and details of sign design, and encompassed broader issues such as site promotion, visitor expectations, wayfinding preferences, and the accessibility of information. Signs are costly to design, construct, install and maintain, and a crucial concern must be to provide the minimum information for maximum benefit, based on what the user needs to know at each stage. A signage model is proposed, and a toolkit is currently being developed to enable site managers to assess visitor information and wayfinding needs.
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