ABSTRACT
Visitor attention is deeply intertwined with orientation and circulation. Consideration of visitor orientation and circulation by decision-makers should be a critical part of the functioning of any museum. If visitors do not read or understand the navigation messages, orientation and way finding will not work effectively. Conceptual orientation allows visitors to better plan their visit and to understand what they will encounter during their visit. At the St. Louis Science Center, Carey Tisdal and author found that when visitors were given museum guides with maps of the facility and brief descriptions of the exhibit areas, they stayed longer and rated their overall visitor satisfaction higher than visitors who did not have a guide with a map. Visitors at the Birmingham Zoo were tracked from the time they entered until they exited the zoo. Several pedestrian patterns are consistent with the fewest-steps principle; these observations are consistent with the visitor studies literature.
