The problem of optimal sensor locations in nonparametric identification of viscoelastic materials is considered. Sensor locations have previously been assigned in an ad hoc manner, resulting in a sub-optimal experiment design with a comparatively high variance of the estimates. Different scalar criteria of the covariance matrix, connected to A- and D-optimal experiment design, are considered and evaluated. The results indicate that the accuracy of the estimates can be greatly improved by the use of optimally placed sensors. The theoretical study has been verified by experiments. The presented results can be used to design experiments with improved accuracy of the estimates. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.