This talk was presented at the We Are Museums Conference in May-June 2015 in Berlin, Germany. It seems that today’s museums are awash in data. With so many sources of data available to us, museums can easily feel that they’re drowning in numbers, but starved for real insight. This talk will present practical ways that museums can begin to collect and analyze data to help illuminate their own practice and impact with visitors. Using a unique visitor loyalty program at the Dallas Museum of Art as a case study, this talk will raise questions about what “big data” in the cultural sector really looks like and what insights it might provide to museums. Learn more about the DMA Friends program https://www.dma.org/visit/dma-friends Read the article of Robert Stein about the DMA Friends programme http://rjstein.com/portfolio/dma-friends/

1. CHARTING
THE COURSE
Flickr Credit ~halldororn
USING DATA IN THE MUSEUM TO
EXPLORE, INNOVATE, AND REACH NEW
AUDIENCES
Robert Stein
Dallas Museum of Art
@rjstein

2. 1. SCALE
2. MAKING FRIENDS
3. DATA IN THE ARTS
4. MISSION IMPACT
5. COLLABORATION

3. DALLAS
TEXAS

5. Flickr Credit ~cliffbaise

6. 7%Dallas = 7.2M People - 485k 10yr Avg Attendance

7. SCALE
The emergent behavior of groups is
composed from the actions of individuals

8. SCALE
One European Starling

9. SCALE
Five European Starlings

10. SCALE
One Hundred Thousand European Starlings

11. SCALE
Large systems exhibit unique properties that form a
context for the individual

12. Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. acrylic and adhesive

13. Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. acrylic and adhesive

14. Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. acrylic and adhesive

15. Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. acrylic and adhesive

16. MUSEUMS ENGAGE
WITH INDIVIDUALS

17. BUT RARELY DO
WE THINK ABOUT
ENGAGEMENT

18. WITH THE
ENTIRE AUDIENCE

19. HOW CAN WE DO BETTER
THAN 7%?

20. MUSEUMS DELIVER
INTANGIBLE IMPACT

21. HOW DO YOU MEASURE
WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE?
Flickr Credit ~liquoredonlife

22. WHAT IF WE COULD BUILD A
SOPHISTICATED LISTENING TOOL
THAT WAS SPECIALLY TUNED TO
RECORD MUSEUM IMPACT?

23. CAN DATA HELP CREATE
A SMART MUSEUM THAT IS
AGILE AND RESPONSIVE?

24. METRICS
WE CARE
ABOUT
1.Repeat visits
2.Diverse participation
3.Increased affinity
4.Ability to motivate action

25. MAKING
FRIENDS

26. KIOSK EXPERIENCE

27. ACTIVITIES AND BADGES

28. REWARDS

30. ACTIVITY STREAM

31. BACKEND - METRICS

32. BACKEND - SEARCH

33. EMAIL INTEGRATION

34. EMAIL INTEGRATION

35. RECOMMENDATION
ENGINE

36. API

37. GET THE CODE
http://badgeos.org
http://github.com/DallasMuseumArt/DMA-Friends

39. A VERY LARGE SAMPLE

42. Bobby

43. http://dma.org/friends/by-the-numbers

44. http://dma.org/friends/by-the-numbers

47. BIG DATA
1.7M Rows of activity data
> 100k Users
> 20 Fields Each
… Big for Museums Anyways

48. FORGET THE
MATHS
SHOW ME
SOME
RESULTS

49. 103,000 FRIENDS

50. 97% of Friends are
New to the DMA

51. $5M+ support for
Friends / Free

52. +48%
485
540
680
720
0 400 800
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY15
Thousands
ATTENDANCE

53. 10%Dallas = 7.2M People - 720k Projected FY15 Attendance
Up from < 7% in FY12
ATTENDANCE

56. Have You Been to the Museum Before?
39%
16%
16%
8%
21%
First Visit
Once Before
2-5 Visits
6-10 Visits
More than 10 Visits
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
2015
4%
11%
25%
20%
11%
29%
Never
1 time
2-3 times
4-6 times
7-10 times
11 or more
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
2008

57. Age at the DMA and in DFW
14.0%
14.3%
14.7%
14.6%
16.8%
27.5%
12.59%
7.16%
9.36%
21.48%
46.42%
2.72%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
60<
50-59
40-49
30-39
18-29
17>
Age DMA
Age DFW

58. Age at the DMA in 2008 and
Today
12.59%
7.16%
9.36%
21.48%
46.42%
2.72%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
60<
50-59
40-49
30-39
18-29
17>
2015
18%
22%
17%
17%
16%
9%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
65+
54-64
45-54
35-44
25-34
<25
2008
*note – the scale of ages surveyed in 2008 differ from the ages sampled in 2015

59. Race DMA in 2008 and Today
14%
2%
9%
13%
62%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Multiple Races
American Indian
Asian
Black/African American
White
2015
2%
1%
2%
4%
85%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Other
American Indian
Asian
Black/African American
White
2008

60. Race at the DMA and in DFW
2.5%
0.1%
5.2%
0.5%
14.4%
69.8%
13.77%
0.50%
9.35%
1.56%
13.25%
62.08%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Multiple Races
Haiiwan/Pacific Islander
Asian
American Indian
Black/African American
White
Race DMA
Race DFW

61. Ethnicity at the DMA and in
DFW
26.6%
26.88%
6.00%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Hispanics DFW
Hispanics DMA
Hispanics DMA 2008

62. SCALE
Collaboration at
Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. styrene index cards, metal, wood, paint and glue

63. SCALE
Collaboration at
Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. styrene index cards, metal, wood, paint and glue

64. SCALE
Collaboration at
Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. styrene index cards, metal, wood, paint and glue

65. Flickr Credit ~Donkeyhotey
WHAT MIGHT A GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
NETWORK LOOK LIKE?

69. Image courtesy of seoultown.blogspot.com

70. JOIN US!
@rjstein
Tara Donovan, Untitled, 2014. styrene index cards, metal, wood, paint and glue