This is one of the Happy Museum principles– for relevant tools and resources see links below

Why? To re-think what matters and be able to measure and share it more widely

How? Create a vision that embraces mutual wellbeing and sustainability and develop a shared Story of Change

Counting visitors tells us nothing about the quality of their experience or the contribution it made to their well-being. Listen to the debate about measuring happiness: watch the Office of National Statistics and their research into a happiness index; hear what think tanks and academics have to say about the subject; ask your audience how your work affects them emotionally; don’t wait for someone else to design the perfect metrics – talk to people, understand what makes them feel happier, measure that. Consider the wider environmental impacts of your work? Happiness will be short-lived if museums achieve it for this generation at the environmental expense of the next. You need to know about both so you know if you are heading in the right direction.

What? Think creatively about resources when planning and measure progress how people want you to

Museum Case Studies

Some case studies where this principle was tested out in practice.

• Thematic Case Study – Planning, developing and measuring what matters
  This case study looks at how different museums and galleries have made use of Happy ...
• Case Study – Gwynedd Museum, audience engagement through technology and nudging
  This case study looks at how a partnership between a research institute and a museum ...
• Case Study – Museum of East Anglian Life, building social capital and promoting wellbeing.
  This case study looks at how the Museum of East Anglian life reimagined itself as ...
• Case Study – the Story Museum, wellbeing and sustainability from the start
  This case study is about how The Story Museum team put wellbeing and sustainability at ...
• Case Study – Reading Museum, engaging with vulnerable communities.
  This case study is about how Reading Museum used a community history project to pilot ...
• Case Study – Manchester Museum, developing skills to support child-led play
  This case study is about how, through two projects, Manchester Museum aimed to embed playfulness. ...
• Case Study – IWM North, new tools new ways of working.
  This case study is about how IWM North used the ‘story of change’ tool to ...
• Case Study – Derby Museums, participation, making and well-being
  This case study is about how Derby Museums put community participation and co-production at the ...

Themed Case Studies

Themed case study focusing on this principle.

• Thematic Case Study – Planning, developing and measuring what matters
  This case study looks at how different museums and galleries have made use of Happy ...

Tools

Some tools you might like to use.

Planning and review for organisations

• Transformation Cycle
  Transformation Cycle Sophisticated, workshop approach to planning and reviewing organisational change. This approach is for organisations that ...
• Tipping Point
  Tipping point Simple, workshop approach to planning and reviewing organisational change. When planning your project, identify what ...
• BAM card sort
  BAM card sort (Behaviour Attitude Matrix) A workshop approach to planning and reviewing group priorities. ...
• Story of Change
  Story of Change The Story of Change is a workshop approach to planning and reviewing ...

Baseline and review for individuals

• Where do you stand?
  Where do you stand?  Simple, workshop approach before, after and regularly through an activity to identify ...
• Happy Tracker
  Happy Tracker Very simple, workshop approach before, after, and regularly through a period to identify ...
• Time capsule
  Time capsule Simple, fun, workshop approach; before and after activity to identify personal or social outcomes. Time ...
• LIFE survey
  LIFE survey (Learning, Interaction, Feelings, Environment) Sophisticated, individual survey before and after activity to identify Learning, ...

Review for organisations

• Valuation DIY
  Valuation DIY A fun, workshop approach reviewing outcomes by prioritising or valuing outcomes. Valuation DIY is ...
• Observational evaluation
  Observational evaluation An in-gallery approach to predefined indicators of outcomes. Observational evaluation involves researchers observing participants in ...
• Narrative evaluation
  Narrative evaluation A desk work approach to identifying themes including how frequently they recur, by analysing ...
• Embedded evaluation
  Embedded evaluation A variety of in-gallery, open approaches which might be fun, embedded in the exhibition ...