Surgeon’s Hall Museums Exit Survey

Case study: Surgeon’s Hall Museums Exit Survey

Background

Surgeon’s Hall Museum approached Scotinform to conduct a pilot exit survey to gather visitor feedback on their experience at the museum. The purpose of the pilot was to assess the effectiveness of the museum’s exhibits, services, and overall visitor satisfaction, and to test the organisation’s capacity to run an Exit Survey. The survey would serve as a valuable tool for enhancing visitor engagement, understanding visitor demographics, and improving the museum experience.

The pilot was conducted from May to September 2024, with the results providing critical insights that helped in refining the visitor experience. Given the success and actionable insights from the pilot, Surgeon’s Hall Museums decided to extend the project for a full-year survey starting in 2025.

Purpose

The project aimed to capture detailed insights into the visitor experience, including feedback on exhibit content, service quality, and museum amenities. It also focused on gathering data about visitor demographics, such as age, origin, interests, and frequency of visits. Additionally, the survey sought to identify areas where the museum could improve to enhance overall visitor satisfaction. Finally, it measured brand awareness, assessing how well the museum’s branding and messaging resonated with visitors.

Methodology

A well-structured, easy-to-complete exit survey was designed, incorporating a mix of quantitative questions, such as Likert scale ratings for satisfaction, and qualitative questions, including open-ended prompts for specific feedback. The survey was managed by front of house staff at key exit points throughout the museum, with participation encouraged after their tour. Scotinform provided staff with a briefing for the administration of the surveys, and ongoing technical support throughout.

Data was collected from May to September 2024, with a focus on high-traffic days like weekends and school holidays. To ensure a broad range of perspectives, a randomized sampling approach was used by the staff, and an impressive sample size of over 300 respondents was achieved during the pilot period. This bodes well for the future, year-round sample!

Impacts

The pilot project provided the Surgeon’s Hall Museums team with insight and understanding of its visitor market. It helped to answer some key questions and confirm or challenge organisational assumptions to further develop marketing and communications.

Due to the success of the pilot project, Surgeon’s Hall Museums decided to extend the exit survey initiative for the entire year of 2025. The extended survey will allow the museum to:

  • Track visitor satisfaction trends over a longer period.
  • Collect deeper insights into the impact of any new exhibits or events launched throughout 2025.
  • Continue improving the visitor experience with a focus on sustainability and digital engagement.

Scotinform will continue its role in analysing the survey data and providing monthly reports to ensure the museum stays responsive to visitor feedback.

 

“We are excited to be working with Scotinform on our year-long visitor survey to provide us with an evidence-based approach that will better inform our understanding of current audiences and also to identify potential new audiences. The critical analysis by Scotinform of the data will help us to best meet the needs of all visitors in our quest to continually improve the visitor experience”

Thomas Elliott, Head of Museum Learning and Interpretation, Surgeon’s Hall Museums

Why Scotinform?

We understand the importance of testing the methodology and welcome the opportunity to undertake a short pilot as an initial research stage. Through the pilot exit survey, Scotinform successfully helped Surgeon’s Hall Museums gather invaluable insights into visitor experience and satisfaction. The pilot’s positive outcomes and the museum’s commitment to continuous improvement led to the decision to extend the project, ensuring ongoing development and a better experience for future visitors.

We provide full training to your staff for Exit Survey administration, including technical support where required.

Our monthly reporting format allows for quick access to the data as it emerges, ensuring that clients can respond as the project progresses and don’t have to wait until the formal report is issued at the end of the project.