Audience Considerations
When designing a solution to fit your audience's needs and produce the intended results, you need to tailor the program to characteristics of your audience.
What are the people like in your target audience? (Hint: "The public" is usually too broad.)
What characteristics might influence your target audience's willingness or ability to use your program? Will any of the following affect your planning: age of your audience, gender, education level, interests, learning style, schedule, economics, mobility, or access to transportation or language?
How should you consider the target audience's attitudes or experiences, habits, values, belief systems or customs in your planning?
Let's look at some examples:
Many senior citizens prefer not to drive at night
Schedule classes at the library during daytime hours
Target audience members depend on busses for transportation
Provide a shuttle from the bus stop, or from school to the museum or back
Parents in the area often work a variety of shifts
Plan on several options for both registration and program attendance
Science teachers have relatively large class sizes
Ensure that lesson plans allow for group work and inexpensive materials
Audience members are from several different ethnic groups, some are recent immigrants
Provide materials in several languages