Arizona Science Center — UX Research Case Study

Actionable insights: Strategic Survey Metrics

Demographics & Participant Overview

• Young Adult Majority: 50.0% of respondents (29 of 58) are in the 18–25 age range, followed by 22.4% (13 of 58) in the 26–35 category, and 8.6% each in the 36–45, 46–55, and 55+ age brackets.

• Female Representation: 82.8% of survey participants (48 out of 58) identify as women, while 17.2% (10 out of 58) identify as men.

• Highly Educated Sample: 48.3% of participants (28 out of 58) hold or are pursuing an undergraduate degree, while 44.8% (26 out of 58) have graduate-level education.

• Geographic Distribution: The audience is split almost evenly between out-of-state visitors at 46.6% (27 out of 58) and local Phoenix Metropolitan Area residents at 44.8% (26 out of 58).

Baseline Brand Familiarity & Awareness

• High Unfamiliarity: 48.3% of respondents (28 out of 58) were completely unfamiliar with the Arizona Science Center before taking the survey.

• Past Visitors: 22.4% of participants (13 out of 58) have physically visited the science center in person.

• Digital-Only Knowledge: 15.5% of respondents (9 out of 58) have heard of the center and visited its website, while 13.8% (8 out of 58) have heard the name but know little about it.

Digital Touchpoints & Primary Web Tasks

• Mobile-Dominant Access: 72.7% of evaluated respondents (16 out of 22) prefer visiting the website using a smartphone, compared to 18.2% on laptops (4 out of 22) and 9.1% on tablets (2 out of 22).

• Core Action Priorities: When visiting the website, 81.8% of users (18 out of 22) want to buy tickets and admission, 72.7% (16 out of 22) want to check hours and closures, 63.6% (14 out of 22) aim to explore current/upcoming events, and 45.5% (10 out of 22) look to plan visit logistics like parking and maps.

• Secondary Actions: Low-intent activities include renewing memberships (13.6%, 3 out of 22), seeking accessibility information (9.1%, 2 out of 22), making donations (4.5%, 1 out of 22), and finding field trips/camps (4.5%, 1 out of 22).

Usability Evaluation & Must-Have Web Features

• Critical Website Attributes: 81.8% of users (18 out of 22) rate easy navigation as "Very Important," 77.3% (17 out of 22) rate transparent ticket prices as "Very Important," and 59.1% (13 out of 22) rate clear operating hours as "Very Important."

• Top 3 Desired Features: Simple navigation is the top essential feature selected by 68.2% of users (15 out of 22), followed by easy ticket purchasing at 45.5% (10 out of 22) and photos/visuals at 36.4% (8 out of 22).

• High Content & Design Satisfaction: 45.5% of users (10 out of 22) found the site content "Very clear" and 36.4% (8 out of 22) found it "Somewhat Clear," while 72.7% (16 out of 22) moderately liked the overall visual design.

• Overall Experience: 54.5% of users (12 out of 22) rated their website experience a 5.0 out of 5.0, while 45.5% (10 out of 22) rated it a 4.0 out of 5.0.

Companion Group Dynamics & Outing Behaviors

• Social Outing Context: 41.4% of respondents (24 out of 58) visit science centers with friends, 37.9% (22 out of 58) visit with a partner/spouse, 29.3% (17 out of 58) visit with extended family, and 25.9% (15 out of 58) visit with children.

• Flexible Planning Style: 68.4% of respondents (13 out of 19) research key details ahead of time while keeping parts of their visit open-ended, whereas 31.6% (6 out of 19) strictly plan out their schedule in advance.

• Research Recruitment: 27.6% of survey respondents (16 out of 58) opted in for future user research opportunities.

Qualitative User Sentiment & Open Feedback

• Hopes & Intended Accomplishments:

  • Users visit the website primarily to check exhibit dates, compare ticket packages, confirm operating hours, and organize group outings with family or friends.

  • Visitors seek immediate visual previews of current planetarium shows, featured exhibits, and hands-on historical attractions.

• Friction Points & Ambiguities:

  • Pricing structures feel ambiguous to visitors when trying to determine what specific exhibits and activities are included with general admission versus add-on tickets.

• User-Suggested Improvements:

  • Implement direct homepage links to explore all exhibits quickly without searching through sub-menus.

  • Add short visible summaries for events directly on listing pages to avoid forcing users to click into separate detailed pages.

  • Relocate donation options closer to primary call-to-action buttons like ticket purchasing and add flexible payment methods.

  • Modernize the website color palette to better align with a contemporary science center aesthetic.

Strategic Recommendations

• Optimize for Mobile First: Redesign ticket checkout and exhibit schedule pages specifically for smartphone viewports to support the 72.7% mobile user base.

• Clarify Tiered Pricing: Add an explicit breakdown chart on the ticket page detailing exactly what each admission tier includes before checkout.

• Streamline Homepage Navigation: Provide single-click access from the main banner to current and upcoming exhibit listings and daily schedule highlights.

• Enhance Exhibit Snippets: Add short, 2-sentence synopses directly on event cards so visitors don’t have to click through to scan activities.