Enhancing Circulation for Visitor Experience in A Museum of Arts and Culture in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Chuku; Victoria C Anthony; Enwin D.

doi:10.56201/ijemt.vol.12.no1.2026.pg108.122

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Enhancing Circulation for Visitor Experience in A Museum of Arts and Culture in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Chuku, Victoria C Anthony, Enwin D.

Abstract

Museums play a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage, and visitor circulation strongly affects how people perceive, feel, and interact with museum spaces. This study focuses on enhancing circulation for visitor experience, ensuring movement is intuitive, engaging, and comfortable. It also explores how circulation patterns influence visitor interaction with exhibits and proposes strategies for meaningful engagement. A qualitative approach was adopted, using a multiple case study design and thematic analysis. Five museums were studied: Northwest Museum (Spokane), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Smithsonian National Museum (Washington), National Museum , and National Museum (Port Harcourt). The population included selected museums, staff, and visitors. Purposive sampling was used to select museums, while convenience sampling was applied to visitors. Data were collected through primary sources (observations, semi-structured interviews, etc) and secondary sources (spatial analysis, documentation, etc). Findings show that clear entry sequences, intuitive pathways, well-organized exhibits, effective wayfinding, visual connections between galleries, rest points, as well as storytelling through spatial movements, all enhance the visitor experience, while congestion and poor spatial cues create challenges. The study concludes that visitor-centered circulation is key to an engaging museum journey and recommends improved wayfinding, better spatial organization, and interactive cues for the proposed Museum of Arts and Culture.

Keywords

Museum Circulation; Visitor Experience; Spatial Organization; Wayfinding; Cultural Heritage

References

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Enhancing Circulation for Visitor Experience in A Museum of Arts and Culture in Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Abstract

Keywords

References

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