Social Design in Museums: The Psychology of Visitor Studies

This major two-volume 900-page collection of essays distils the exceptional insights and advice of one of the worlds leading thinkers in the field of visitor studies Stephen Bitgood a pioneer in the field of social design. Spanning both theory and practice Social Design in Museums is guaranteed to have museum and heritage professionals thinking afresh about the fundamentals of their organisations interface with the public. Its contents are crucial to an understanding of the learning process within these institutions - and an essential step towards enhancing their effectiveness. Social Design in Museums brings together a selection of Stephen Bitgoods key essays complete with contemporary updates resulting in a practical comprehensive reference handbook for professionals in those specialisms which contribute to effective museum communication: including design learning curatorship visitor studies and marketing. Dr Bitgood is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Jacksonville State University USA. A founder of the Visitor Studies Association and of the Visitor Studies Conference and co-editor of Visitor Studies: Theory Research and Practice he has spoken and published widely and has undertaken extensive research in exhibition centres (museums science centres and zoos) focusing on how to increase the impact of exhibits by applying psychological principles. The two volumes include practical down-to-earth advice on topics such as: how best to check the readability of exhibition texts and how to formulate questions and sample your audience to get useful results; as well as time-saving summaries of the key results from important visitor research studies.