The Visitor Experience team assists visitors in the Frick’ s Reception Hall.
Photo by Joseph Coscia Jr. problems on the spot, and expressing appreciation. The principle was simple: even if it’ s not our fault, it’ s still our responsibility to make things right.
Finally, to make sure that all these learnings would be sustainable, we developed a Visitor Experience Handbook that summarized everything. The Handbook not only captures the framework, it signals that visitor experience is now a living, evolving practice embedded in the museum’ s culture.
What We’ ve Learned So Far
During our co-design phase, we quickly realized that this work wasn’ t just about serving visitors. It was about reshaping how museum staff work together, how they support each other, and how they bring the museum’ s values to life. The training sessions became more than skill-building; they became spaces for reflection, recognition, and connection across departments.
Through this work, we have seen staff who previously rarely interacted begin problem-solving together. Supervisors have learned new ways to coach and support their teams. The framework has also made the emotional and cognitive effort required of frontline staff visible. Because the Service Values and Behaviors are applied across roles, it has helped staff see themselves not just as workers in separate departments but as contributors to a shared visitor experience.
Now, a few months into reopening, we are starting to see some of the impact of this work. For example, staff are using a shared language to talk about customer service, supervisors are recognizing moments of service excellence, and new hires are onboarding into a clearly articulated, visitor-centered culture.
While the visitor-facing effects of our work are becoming visible, the internal impact has been just as meaningful. Staff have reported feeling more connected, respected, and empowered since the trainings. As one participant shared, the experience“ humanized everything,” bringing clarity to expectations while validating the complexity of frontline work.
Again, this work wasn’ t just about serving visitors. It was also about reshaping how staff work together, support each other, and bring the museum’ s values to life. As a museum, we’ re still in a learning mindset. We’ re updating the Visitor Experience Handbook as new learnings emerge and using the framework to onboard new hires. We’ re also exploring new ways to capture visitor stories and feedback— not just complaints— and turn them into meaningful data to further enhance the visitor experience.
Ultimately, this wasn’ t just a training initiative. It was a starting point for cultural transformation that is reshaping how we work, how we lead, and how we connect with visitors and each other. By grounding everyday actions in shared values and purpose, we’ re building a more aligned, collaborative, and visitor-centered organization.
Alexis Light( light @ frick. org) is Associate Director of Marketing and Visitor Experience at The Frick Collection in New York City. Dana Mitroff Silvers( dana @ designinginsights. com) is Principal + Founder of Designing Insights LLC. Carolyn Royston( carolynroyston @ surfaceimpression. com) is Chief Strategic Development & Partnerships Officer at Surface Impression.
MUSEUM / November−December 2025 / aam-us. org 27 MATAHEF. COM 43