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Shedd Aquarium
Visitor Experience Analysis
In a nutshell
Shedd is one of the world’s leading aquaria, with 2 million visitors a year and a strong mission, values and brand. They wanted a better understanding of their visitor experience. We used Experience DNA (a sophisticated visitor experience modeling tool) as a methodology, giving them a scientific understanding of how their visit compared to the experiences different ages of visitors are looking for. From this analysis, A Different View were able to give clear recommendations on how to improve current and future exhibits and achieve better understanding of capacity and value.
About Shedd Aquarium
At Shedd Aquarium in Chicago animals connect you to the natural world, inspiring you to make a difference. Founded in the 1920s by John G Shedd, a visionary, self-made millionaire, Shedd Aquarium is still a world leader in conservation and has won many awards. Their ethos is highly visitor-focused, expecting all staff to deliver their values and help their guests connect with their collections.
What we did
Experience DNA helped Shedd benchmark their existing visitor experience. Using Experience DNA’s proprietary database to compare the visitor experience at Shedd Aquarium with what the average US citizen wants from a visit to an attraction. From that analysis, gaps in visitor experience were identified for 8 different age groups. This helped Shedd improve not only existing exhibits but future ones as well. Areas that were examined included; how visitors flow around the aquarium, what psychological needs were and were not being met, how capacity affects visitor experience and how this impacts on the price/value proposition, what learning styles were predominant, and which areas were the most and least effective. Shedd’s Visitor Experience Team now has scientific evidence to move forward in their plans and help them continue to be a world-class organization providing all their visitors with an exceptional experience.
Client Quotes:
“Experience DNA helped us look at the entire visitor experience as a whole. Many times in planning, we focus on specific elements and the team was impressed with the holistic approach that was used to analyze and interpret the results.”
Amy Ritter Cowen, VP Marketing, PR & Guest Services
“The results were fascinating and very actionable for us in terms of improving the experience and integrating improvement thinking into some capital projects we have planned". Deb Fassnacht, Executive Vice President
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