Bringing together a good team to participate in the VisitorBox activity is important. The activity works best for 4-6 people, or a larger team divided into groups of 2-4 people.
Why a team?
The VisitorBox activity could be carried out by a single person, but having multiple participants tends to produce ideas that are more innovative, and more resilient to potential issues.
In addition, some stages of the activity are designed so that different members of the team play different roles.
Who should be in the team?
Anyone from your institution can be involved in the activity, but our experience suggests that a mixture of perspectives is most useful. Try to choose people with different roles who can bring different experiences and skills to the table.
A varied team might include …
- A member of your exhibition programming or design team
- A member of your community engagement or outreach team
- A member of your learning or education team
- A member of your marketing team, or person responsible for social media and other forms of wider public engagement
- A curator, archivist or collections manager
- A member of your IT or digital team
- A member of your volunteering network, or person responsible for managing this network
- If you are targeting a specific audience: an audience representative, e.g. a member of a visitor panel, a friends group, or a local community group
Who should not be in the team?
It is tempting to include visitor representatives in the VisitorBox activity. Participation in the early stages of designing new visitor experiences can be valuable, e.g. to help challenge stereotypes about the capabilities, motivations and barriers for audiences.
However, participation by a member of one audience can also prematurely focus the design process on that particular audience. If this is the goal, e.g. if funding has been secured to engage with that particular audience, then include a representative in the process. If a target audience is not already clear, avoid including a visitor representative: the first few stages of the VisitorBox activity will help you to specify your audiences and choose a target.