Are They Watching? Visitors and Videos in Exhibitions

Abstract Data from the Women's Health summative evaluation video study prompted a comparison with similar data for other videos in exhibitions. Values for attraction power, holding time, and holding power were compiled in a database of 45 video titles. On average, 32 percent of the visitors are attracted to videos, and the average time spent watching is 137 seconds. An attraction power of more than 60 percent was exceptional. On average, people watched more than one‐third of the total length of videos, but less than one half. A holding power of more than .70 was exceptional. Once a video has attracted people's attention, it does not always hold it. Visitors are constantly tempted to move to another exhibit element, looking for what's next. One cannot assume that introductory videos will be watched thoroughly by the majority of visitors. This has implications for introductory videos that are expected to teach visitors concepts and vocabulary necessary to understand the rest of the exhibition or a main message that ties everything together. Using these data as a guideline, we can realistically gauge what levels of use are possible, and what levels of success, as measured by visitors' attention, can be anticipated.