A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums

Over the last 20 years, there has been a growing interest in the analysis of museum experiences. Different authors have approached this subject from various perspectives, but only a few have focused on the idea of satisfactory experiences. This study sheds light on this field of knowledge, exploring...

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Main Authors: Macarena Cuenca-Amigo, Eloísa Pérez Santos, María Jesús Monteagudo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade de Évora
Series:Midas: Museus e Estudos Interdisciplinares
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/midas/4744
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author Macarena Cuenca-Amigo
Eloísa Pérez Santos
María Jesús Monteagudo
author_facet Macarena Cuenca-Amigo
Eloísa Pérez Santos
María Jesús Monteagudo
author_sort Macarena Cuenca-Amigo
collection DOAJ
description Over the last 20 years, there has been a growing interest in the analysis of museum experiences. Different authors have approached this subject from various perspectives, but only a few have focused on the idea of satisfactory experiences. This study sheds light on this field of knowledge, exploring the factors involved in satisfactory museum experiences. It clarifies how subjective factors (experience dimensions) and the museum environment (contextual components) are related and play a role in shaping those visitor experiences. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology was selected. In 2019 a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 685 visitors to 16 Spanish museums, which confirmed that their museum experience was the result of their interaction with the museum, its characteristics, and its contents. The visitor experience was satisfactory when their interaction had an impact on some dimensions of their experience. This varied according to each visitor's profile and what they valued most. The results showed that, despite the subjective nature of the experience, museums play an essential role as facilitators of satisfactory experiences. They can modulate the role played by the various components of the museum context in their visits, depending on the profiles of their visitors and their orientation toward one type of experience or another.
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spelling doaj.art-8f951ab290f349b1b50c64862586d8322024-02-13T13:54:27ZengUniversidade de ÉvoraMidas: Museus e Estudos Interdisciplinares2182-95431710.4000/midas.4744A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museumsMacarena Cuenca-AmigoEloísa Pérez SantosMaría Jesús MonteagudoOver the last 20 years, there has been a growing interest in the analysis of museum experiences. Different authors have approached this subject from various perspectives, but only a few have focused on the idea of satisfactory experiences. This study sheds light on this field of knowledge, exploring the factors involved in satisfactory museum experiences. It clarifies how subjective factors (experience dimensions) and the museum environment (contextual components) are related and play a role in shaping those visitor experiences. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology was selected. In 2019 a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 685 visitors to 16 Spanish museums, which confirmed that their museum experience was the result of their interaction with the museum, its characteristics, and its contents. The visitor experience was satisfactory when their interaction had an impact on some dimensions of their experience. This varied according to each visitor's profile and what they valued most. The results showed that, despite the subjective nature of the experience, museums play an essential role as facilitators of satisfactory experiences. They can modulate the role played by the various components of the museum context in their visits, depending on the profiles of their visitors and their orientation toward one type of experience or another.https://journals.openedition.org/midas/4744museum experiencevisitor studiesmuseum visitorssatisfactory museum experiencemuseums – Spain
spellingShingle Macarena Cuenca-Amigo
Eloísa Pérez Santos
María Jesús Monteagudo
A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
Midas: Museus e Estudos Interdisciplinares
museum experience
visitor studies
museum visitors
satisfactory museum experience
museums – Spain
title A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
title_full A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
title_fullStr A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
title_full_unstemmed A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
title_short A satisfactory visitor experience: dimensions and contextual components of Spanish museums
title_sort satisfactory visitor experience dimensions and contextual components of spanish museums
topic museum experience
visitor studies
museum visitors
satisfactory museum experience
museums – Spain
url https://journals.openedition.org/midas/4744
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AT mariajesusmonteagudo asatisfactoryvisitorexperiencedimensionsandcontextualcomponentsofspanishmuseums
AT macarenacuencaamigo satisfactoryvisitorexperiencedimensionsandcontextualcomponentsofspanishmuseums
AT eloisaperezsantos satisfactoryvisitorexperiencedimensionsandcontextualcomponentsofspanishmuseums
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