Mapping Museum Visitor Experience from Entry to Exit Using Visitor Journey Map and Service Design

Abstract

Enhancing museum visitor experience requires museums to shift their services from product-centric to visitor-centric by understanding the pre-, during-, and post-visit experiences. Most previous studies use surveys as post-visit feedback, which often miss the actual occurrences experienced by visitors during the visit. Therefore, museum studies should explore a more holistic way to understand visitor experience in designing better services, which can support their sustainability and elevate their popularity in cultural tourism. This study aims to explore the best way to capture and understand the during-visit experiences using the Visitor Journey Map (VJM), adapted from one of the service design tools, the user journey map. Five visitor personas were identified using the Personas Identification Instrument (PIIN), which was developed in earlier pre-studies based on Falk’s identity-related motivations for museum visitors. Shadowing, service safaris and post-visit interviews were conducted at Malaysia National Museum (Muzium Negara) on these five personas during their museum journey to understand their during-visit experiences. Data were collected in the form of Museum Route Maps, videos, photos, and post-visit interviews. All data were later coded in ATLAS.ti and visualised using the VJM to recognise their emotions, touchpoints, and goals during their museum visit. The analysis has revealed both shared and persona-specific patterns, including navigation difficulties, inconsistent engagement with digital and augmented reality (AR) features, and varying emotional responses across different museum phases. This approach offers a new way to understand museum visitors and improve their overall experience. The findings also provide practical insights for museum management to identify service gaps, prioritise improvements, and work towards designing a more sustainable and visitor-centred services.