Video Collection

Consult with your local IRB and obtain necessary approval prior to video recording participant interactions. Most accurate data will be obtained by filming “in-the-wild” rather than in a classroom workspace setting, although the codes can (and have been) applied to classroom interactions [1]. If a comparative study is being conducted, we recommend recording both exhibits in the same environment (on-the-floor vs. in a classroom). If recording on the museum floor, we recommend following Gutwill et al.’s procedure of posting signage at the entrance of the exhibit as well as on exhibit elements and the camera itself to inform people they are being video recorded (see [2] for more details).

Consider recording video of your exhibit from multiple angles—for example, when working with a tangible tabletop exhibition, we recorded interaction from both a top-down view (with a camera mounted to scaffolding above the exhibit) and a side view. We also strongly recommend placing additional microphones close to where visitors will be speaking (e.g. hanging down over the exhibit or embedded in the exhibit), as it can often be difficult to hear what participants are saying, especially if the exhibit is located in a large room with other installations. Make sure that your microphone picks up the participants’ voices over the noise of the exhibit itself (we recommend testing this prior to conducting the evaluation).

References