Horse Riders, Treasure Hunters, Picky Eaters, and
\nDeep Divers: Exploring How Visitors Interact with an
\nExhibition at the Natural History Museum

As museums usually target large numbers of visitors with great diversities, it is important for
\nmuseum professionals to have a well-rounded understanding of the visitors as well as an approach to
\ncategorize them so that curation strategies can be applied accordingly and effectiveness achieved. This
\narticle presents a study of the exhibition “Dippy Returns” at the Natural History Museum in London. By
\nperforming on-site observation, we categorized visitors—by their movements and interactions with the
\nexhibits—into four types: Horse Riders, Treasure Hunters, Picky Eaters, and Deep Divers. We also
\ninterviewed a curator of the exhibition to understand intended visitor experiences from the museum’s
\nperspective. We believe that the categorization can help museum professionals better understand on-site
\nvisitor behaviors from the perspectives of both interactions and movement, which responds to the trend for
\nmuseum exhibitions nowadays to deploy a diversity of activities and more flexible visiting routes. The
\ncategorization could serve as a common language that curators and designers can use to communicate
\ntheir expectations and improve visitor experiences with exhibitions.