Thanks again for coming out and working with us on the evaluation of "Whales: A Journey with Giants." I think I can say for all of us that we really appreciate your experience and expertise in helping us sort through all the hundreds of questions we asked, to come up with an evaluation instrument that helped us gather the information we need. You responded to our quest for solid information with a well designed study and a thorough analysis. Senior staff agree that the results are really interesting, and you did a great job integrating the experience of the immersive media program with the themed exhibits and other interpretive activities.
Beth Redmond-Jones
Director of Exhibits
Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach, CA
Your report is very rich …the more I read it the better it gets.
Jim Roe
Project Manager and Exhibit Developer
Bell Museum of Natural History
University of Minnesota
I've always thought that among the strengths you offer - in addition to the actual information that we get - is the process by which you help the staff think things through. In my mind that's as useful as the final report.
Joyce Ice, Ph.D.
Director
Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe
It seems to me that the ability to satisfy a client means first, articulating crystal clear expectations (defining parameters, utility and scope of the project), and second, delivering corresponding outcomes. People, Places & Design Research accomplished both admirably. In addition to designing user-friendly survey instruments, they also provided exceptional training, preparing staff and volunteers to work as reliable interviewers. PPD's 3-season audience analysis is/will continue to be an essential lynchpin in Hill-Stead's marketing program, which is institution-wide, including programming, development, customer service, visitor amenities, promotion. We will be using PPD's thorough and insightful report for years to come.
Alison Meyers
Director of Marketing and Communications
Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington CT
I wanted to take a moment to thank you formally for your efforts in producing this evaluation of the Permanent Exhibition; for partnering with us on this "journey" in a spirit of collegiality and respect, and for your sincerity, professionalism, and dedication along the way. The effort has been both challenging and rewarding for all of us, and the product itself will, I am certain, inform our thinking, planning, and programmatic commitments for years to come. Thank you again for all you did to ensure a comprehensive, scientifically sound, and informative evaluation.
Alice M. Greenwald
Associate Museum Director, Museum Programs
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Working with PPDR has been as valuable a part of doing audience research at Historic Hudson Valley as receiving the results of the research. We were fortunate to have identified a consultant who was sensitive to our needs, yet could be counted on to make sure that we remained true to our research objectives. PPDR gave us the tools we needed to make this project a success.
From the very beginning of the process - developing our goals, deciding on objectives, envisioning how we might use the results - through receiving the final analysis of the data, PPDR was a true partner with us all the way. The advice they gave us was impartial and based on the breadth and depth of their years of experience doing audience research for a range of museums and cultural organizations. Through working with Jeff Hayward and his team, we came to appreciate how much we did not know about doing audience research, and we came to appreciate even more the incredible value of using this firm.
One of the most important aspects of working with PPD&R was their sensitivity to the resistance that can be generated by receiving results that are contrary to organizational beliefs. Through a process that Jeff Hayward initiated - asking staff members to examine and explore existing beliefs about our audience - we were better able to accept the research results when they came in contrary to our dearly-held intuitions.
The results of our audience research studies now guide Historic Hudson Valley in many of the choices we make in our marketing strategies, public program offerings, and future directions for the organization. Thank you PPDR for helping to change our organizational culture and put us on the right track for success in the 21st century.
Susan T. Greenstein
Director, Kykuit Program & Audience Development
Historic Hudson Valley
