Coves System FAQs

Data Collection

How are data collection targets set?

Data collection targets are set using your institution’s average attendance for the past three years. We calculate the percentage of visitors you have per month (and weekdays vs. weekends). We use those percentages to spread out an annual target over the course of a year, to reflect your usual visitation patterns. In other words, when you tend to be busy your targets will be higher. Annual and monthly targets are guidelines, not requirements. We provide them to help you collect sufficient data to understand your audiences and spread out your data collection over the course of the year. 

Your annual target is based on your average annual attendance, with a few extra surveys added on as a cushion against the inevitable incomplete or ineligible surveys. Here are the annual targets associated with each institution size:

Our annual attendance has changed, does that change our data collection targets? 

In most cases, changes to annual attendance still fall within the annual attendance range for your institution size. Even the dramatic COVID-related changes were not enough to impact most data collection targets. We are also encouraging targets that allow for “enough” data for you and your teams to make informed decisions. 

What is systematic random sampling?

Systematic random sampling is a method used to minimize bias while recruiting participants. You never know who is going to say “yes” or “no” to completing the survey. We strongly recommend using the “invisible line strategy” where you approach visitors after they have passed an invisible threshold.

Need a refresher on what random sampling is/means/does? The Pew Research Center shared this great video explaining the concept of random sampling and why it's important.

When should I use the QR Code?

The QR Code is an alternative to passing a device to a visitor and should only be used as part of staffed data collection. Visitors may prefer to use their own device for a variety of reasons, such as concerns about touching a shared device or comfort with adaptive technologies on their own advice. Please note that QR surveys do not collect dwell time, so data using that method will be slightly incomplete.

Do I need to use the Decline Log? 

COVES strongly encourages the use of the Decline Log. This gives you an accurate picture of your response rate (how many people complete a survey vs how many people you approach). Using the Decline Log can help you understand any response bias or data collection challenges. You have access to the raw data through a shared Google Sheet, which also has a tab with monthly summaries for the data. 

Do I need to use the Tracking Log?

You are not required to use the tracking log, but we hope you find it to be a useful tool! We see the log as a tool to help manage and plan your data collection efforts. The log can help you monitor response rates, data collector time, effectiveness of using the QR code, and more. We are updating the “Targets” page monthly, providing summaries about your data collection, comparing what your data collectors report to what surveys are collected.   

Incentives vs. Thank yous - what is the difference, and when are they appropriate?

Incentives are offered before taking a survey, advertised as a “benefit” of participation. These are often high enough value to encourage participation. Thank yous are unannounced tokens appreciated offered after completing a survey. These are often lower value and more symbolic gifts. 

COVES strongly discourages the use of incentives, as this may lead to a biased sample. However, several COVES sites do give out thank-yous to groups for their time spent completing the survey. The “rule of thumb” we follow is that these thank-you items should be cheap – no more than $1 (considering annual sample size, the cheaper the better!) Examples include pencils, postcards, and stickers, most of which are in the $0.25-$0.50 range.

COVES Instrument

What’s the difference between core and flexible questions?

The core COVES survey questions are asked by all institutions and are used in aggregate reporting. These questions include experience ratings, visitor motivations, and demographics. Some rating questions may be excluded if they do not apply to your museum – for example, if your museum does not have a cafe we would not ask visitors to rate that experience! 

Flexible questions are those that are either customized or optional. For example, questions about what visitors see and do are generally asked in the same way, but are customized to each museum’s experiences. We also have optional questions about visitor belonging, empathy, and social connection in museums. Museums within the Art Bridges cohort have some additional questions that are required to be included as part of that partnership. 

Learn more about exactly what questions we ask and why in the COVES survey explained!

How many questions can I add to my survey?

We recommend no more than 3-5 custom questions, depending on complexity and length. The core survey is already long, so we encourage you to be thoughtful about what you add. We are happy to work with you to decide which questions are a good match for the COVES methodology.  

What types of questions can I add to my survey?

COVES is designed to capture an overall snapshot of a visitor’s experience and who they are, so additional questions should be in alignment with the types of questions asked on the core survey. Common custom questions include ratings for museum-specific experiences, how visitors heard about the museum, and affiliation with their local university. We will work with you to workshop or refine questions if desired.

Sometimes questions would be more effectively answered through a different approach than COVES offers, we may recommend alternatives or decline to add the question. For example, COVES is an anonymous survey, so we will never add any questions that collect visitor’s contact information or other personally identifiable information.  

We are happy to work with you to decide which questions are a good match for the COVES methodology!  

How often can we change our custom questions?

We generally recommend having questions on your survey long enough to be useful to you and your institution. One consideration is how you will use your data, is your question about something with a limited time period or something that you want to monitor over time? Another consideration is how much data is needed to be useful and how much data you collect per month. We are happy to discuss custom questions on an individual basis.

We have a new exhibit opening soon. Can I add it to my survey?

Yes! As soon as you know you have upcoming exhibitions you want added to your survey, send us an email with the exhibition title and dates so we can add it to our calendar. We can schedule as far out as you have information, but request at least two-week’s notice. However, we can accommodate last minute requests or changes - we understand that dates can change or a team suddenly decides they need data!  

How can I review my current survey?

The best way to see your current survey is to use your test link - this shows you all active questions and response options! When using the test link, please complete the survey to discard your response. As a reminder, some questions have display logic (e.g. a visitor must select “I came to see a specific exhibit, program, or show” in order to see “Because you indicated you came to see a specific exhibit, program, or show, please select which one”). See “COVES instrument explained” to see the core questions.

Is COVES available in other languages?

The survey is currently available in English and Spanish, with translations primarily maintained by our team. Our translation policy is included below, with more details on the COVES Spanish translations page.

• COVES will maintain translations for core questions, updating the Spanish version as soon as possible following any adjustments or changes.
• COVES will update translations for site-specific questions on at least a quarterly basis or once our translator’s minimum word count is reached, whichever comes first. 
• COVES Members with internal capacity may provide translations for their site-specific questions, to be consistent with any local norms or to have the translations added at the time of the English updates.

What is the Net Promoter Score (NPS)?

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) was created in 2003 for big business by a consultant at Bain and Co. It is a single question that can get to a person’s overall feeling about a company or place, and has become a very common way to measure overall customer or visitor satisfaction. For COVES, a visitor ranks their likelihood to recommend our museum to their friends or colleagues. Each response then falls into one of three segments: 0-6 are “Detractors,” 7-8 are “Passives,” and 9-10 are “Promoters.” The overall NPS is calculated by subtracting the % of Detractors from the % of Promoters. Passives are not included in the calculation, as they are regarded as people who are more ambivalent about the museum or action in question. Because of this way of calculating NPS, the range of possible scores is from -100 to 100.

 What is the Overall Experience Rating (OER)? and how does it differ from NPS?

The Overall Experience Rating (OER) was added to the COVES survey in the fall of 2017 to distinguish truly Outstanding experiences from those that are still Excellent in nature but may not go “above and beyond”– recent research has suggested that while virtually all visitors rating their OER as Outstanding are NPS Promoters, only about 40% of NPS Promoters also rate their OER as Outstanding. This question allows us to keep the industry-recognized NPS rating for comparison while evaluating the Overall Experience Rating to see where there is room for growth.