{"688434":{"#nid":"688434","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Scheller Business Insights: How Data Can Transform Museum Experiences","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen visitors walk through a museum, their path seems natural, guided by curiosity, aesthetics, or maybe a helpful app. But behind the scenes, layout and design decisions determine how visitors move through a space and what they experience. Research by Georgia Tech\u2019s Abhishek Deshmane, assistant professor of operations management, explores how data-driven approaches can improve visitor engagement in museums and other experience-focused environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETraditionally, curators arrange exhibits by theme or chronology, but visitors rarely follow these intended paths. Instead, they carve their own routes, sometimes skipping key pieces or creating congestion around popular works.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeshmane partnered with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to study this challenge. Using data from 1.5 million visitors and their interactions with the museum\u2019s multimedia guide, he and his team developed models predicting how layout influences visitor movement. Over three years of field experiments, their research informed a \u20ac1 million redesign of the audio guide system, now enhancing experiences for approximately 3,500 visitors each day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese findings show that data-driven design can do more than improve operational efficiency\u2014it can deepen the visitor experience. Subtle changes to exhibit arrangement and digital tools help visitors engage with a wider range of artworks, reduce crowding, and create lasting memories.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a world where experiences compete for attention, Deshmane\u2019s work highlights how analytics can make a museum visit more meaningful and enjoyable.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech research shows how data-driven layout design can improve visitor engagement and reduce congestion in museums."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch from Georgia Tech\u2019s Abhishek Deshmane demonstrates how data-driven models can enhance museum layouts to improve visitor engagement. By analyzing visitor paths and behaviors at the Van Gogh Museum, Deshmane and his team identified ways to reduce congestion, expose guests to more exhibits, and create a more rewarding experience. Their insights informed a \u20ac1 million redesign of the museum\u2019s audio guide system, impacting thousands of visitors daily.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Abhishek Deshmane, assistant professor of operations management, partnered with the Van Gogh Museum to use data in optimizing visitor experiences."}],"uid":"36800","created_gmt":"2026-02-20 16:44:51","changed_gmt":"2026-02-20 16:52:29","author":"gmenghisteab6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-01-30T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-01-30T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679381":{"id":"679381","type":"image","title":"abhi_yt.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1771605895","gmt_created":"2026-02-20 16:44:55","changed":"1771605895","gmt_changed":"2026-02-20 16:44:55","alt":"abhi_yt","file":{"fid":"263533","name":"abhi_yt.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/20\/abhi_yt.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/20\/abhi_yt.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":197592,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/20\/abhi_yt.jpeg?itok=WoQMlK-z"}}},"media_ids":["679381"],"groups":[{"id":"660380","name":"GT Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"185855","name":"GT arts"},{"id":"183499","name":"georgia tech arts"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}