Rethinking the museum audio guide: Why a single script fails the 5 types of visitors

Jun 16

Picture a busy museum corridor on a Saturday afternoon.

One visitor stands captivated, reading every exhibit label. Another drifts past, laughing with friends, taking selfies. A parent crouches beside their child, trying to explain how dinosaurs worked. And someone else? They're just taking it all in, quietly, maybe even reverently.

They're all here. But they’re all here for very different reasons.

“And that’s exactly why the future of museum education must move away from designing for “the average visitor.””

— Podego team

Because there’s no such thing.

The 5 motivations of museum goers & why it should be the core of a modern interpretation strategy

Museums aren’t neutral spaces. We enter them with expectations, emotions, and goals. A core concept in public history and visitor engagement, Falk’s identity-centered framework reveals five distinct motivations, or “visitor identities,” that guide how museum goers learn. Understanding these visitor learning objectives is the first step in designing interpretive exhibits that truly connect.

1. The Explorer

Driven by curiosity and the thrill of discovery.

Think of someone who visits a museum just because they saw a poster or had a free afternoon. They’re motivated by “what’s in there?”, not necessarily by what they already know.

Example: A teen wanders into a science museum, stumbles on a brain exhibit, and ends up fascinated by how neurons fire.

2. The Facilitator

Focused on someone else’s experience.

Usually parents, caregivers, teachers, they’re not there for themselves. They’re there to make it a meaningful visit for a child, a partner, or a friend.

Example: A mom helps her daughter interpret a modern art sculpture, asking questions to spark her thinking (even if she herself isn’t particularly into art).

3. The Professional or Hobbyist

These are the deep-divers.

Whether it’s a science teacher looking for new ways to explain genetics or a Civil War buff checking out a battlefield exhibit, these visitors come with knowledge and expectations.

Example: A biology student listens closely to how evolution is explained and critiques the clarity of the diagrams.

4. The Experience Seeker

They’re here for the “I was there” moment.

Often tourists, their motivation is about collecting life experiences, checking off the must-see sites, and maybe snapping a photo along the way.

Example: A couple on a European city break wanders through the museum because it was on TripAdvisor’s top 10. They’re not deep learners, but they may remember a few fun facts or visuals that caught their eye.

5. The Spiritual Pilgrim

Here for reflection, meaning, awe.

This visitor connects emotionally or even spiritually with the space or subject matter. The museum becomes a sacred pause from daily life.

Example: A visitor stands still in front of a Holocaust exhibit, not to learn a new fact, but to feel, process, remember.

Why this matters: Creating a framework for Museum Exhibits

At Podego, we believe effective visitor experience design happens when content meets the visitor where they are. This requires a flexible interpretive strategy that recognizes each unique motivation.

An explorer wants stories and “Aha!” moments that spark curiosity.
A facilitator needs tools to guide someone else without feeling lost themselves.
A professional craves depth and accuracy.
An experience seeker needs a quick, engaging hit of meaning.
A spiritual pilgrim looks for stillness, emotional resonance, and reflection.

If your audio or digital guide and exhibit design only speaks to one of these visitors, your institution’s museum mission statement of broad public engagement may fall short for the other four.

Why Podego elevates your Interpretive Strategy

Designing with identity in mind isn’t just theory, it’s practice. The role of interpretation in museum is to connect, and at Podego, we build audio experiences that aren’t just informative, they’re empathetic. Our digital guide tailors the experience based on a visitor’s motivation, a key principle of modern museum learning theories.