National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

working | NOS home | the NOS framework | NOS map |

Section A | Section B | Section C | Section D | Section E | Section F | Section G | Section H | Section J | Section K

AH3 Identify and evaluate the requirements of users of exhibitions or interpretative activities

AH3.1 Identify current and potential users and their needs

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. Identifying the makeup of and characteristics of current users
2. Identifying those in the target group who do not participate and their characteristics
3. Obtaining information from all relevant sources to inform an analysis of factors affecting user participation
4. Categorising current and potential users in relation to potential needs
5. Consulting groups representative of the target audience to determine their current and future needs
6. Assessing the feasibility of attracting the specified audiences
7. Relating the information gathered to the organisation's learning and communications strategy
8. Reporting the results of the analysis accurately and clearly in an appropriate format
9. Complying with relevant legislation and guidelines on consumer research

Occupational Context

1. Characteristics (of users and non-users)
   • age
   • social class
   • education
   • income
   • reasons for participation / non-participation
2. Information
   • qualitative / quantitative
   • measurable / valid
   • reliable / up to date
3. Sources
   • admissions data
   • booking records
   • surveys
   • knowledge and observations of staff
   • monitoring information
   • publications / reports
4. Needs
   • education
   • leisure
   • social
   • cultural
   • special interest

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Collect information on users and non-users
• Categorise users, and the criteria that can be used
• Consult with different types of users
• Conduct user research

You need to know about:

• The value of different sources of information
• The strengths and limitations of questionnaires and other methods of audience research
• The factors that determine the feasibility of attracting specified audiences
• Who should be involved in the review of the information
• The organisation's interpretation strategy
• Relevant legislation and guidelines (including the Disability Discrimination Act)
• Internal and external policies on learning and social inclusion

Required Skills

N/A

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can identify current and potential users and their needs

The candidate should be questioned, based upon the documentation provided, to explore how they:

• identify current and potential users of learning and interpretative activities
• identify potential educational, leisure and study needs.

Qualitative and quantitative information must be obtained from a variety of sources that are likely to include admissions data, booking records, knowledge and observations of staff, and publications.

Candidates will normally provide evidence of collated information on current and potential users and an analysis of the information in a written or graphical form, often as part of a proposal for a new display or interpretative activity.

This would be supplemented with a significant degree of questioning to explain the rationale behind the identification of user needs and to demonstrate that the knowledge areas were fully covered.

Evidence Rules

The candidate should have been involved in a range of learning activities.

This site will look best in a browser that supports web standards, but is accessible to any browser or Internet device. Further information

TORC is a service of the Archaeology Training Forum, operated by the Council for British Archaeology and supported by English Heritage. Further information

Today's date: 21/11/2008
This page last updated: 27/7/2007 15:17