Capturing the Visitor Profile for a Personalized Mobile Museum Experience: an Indirect Approach

An increasing number of museums and cultural institutions around the world use personalized, mostly mobile, museum guides to enhance visitor experiences. However since a typical museum visit may last a few minutes and visitors might only visit once, the personalization processes need to be quick and efficient, ensuring the engagement of the visitor. In this paper we investigate the use of indirect profiling methods through a visitor quiz, in order to provide the visitor with specific museum content. Building on our experience of a first study aimed at the design, implementation and user testing of a short quiz version at the Acropolis Museum, a second parallel study was devised. This paper introduces this research, which collected and analyzed data from two environments: the Acropolis Museum and social media (i.e. Facebook). Key profiling issues are identified, results are presented, and guidelines towards a generalized approach for the profiling needs of cultural institutions are discussed

Effectiveness of QR Code Technology for the Child User’s Informal Learning

Quick Response (QR) code technology plays an important role in scaffolding the child user’s active learning in informal environments. This study examines the impact of mobile phones and QR codes on two informal learning outcomes: increased interest and greater knowledge understanding. Ninety-one children and their families participated in the study as part of the iQ Zoo Project. Qualitative findings suggest that most children’s interest in learning about animals was either maintained or increased as a result of the experience. Quantitative results reveal that QR Code Technology was effective in promoting knowledge gains, especially on subjects that are challenging for the informal learner

Personalization in cultural heritage: the road travelled and the one ahead

Over the last 20 years, cultural heritage has been a favored domain for personalization research. For years, researchers have experimented with the cutting edge technology of the day; now, with the convergence of internet and wireless technology, and the increasing adoption of the Web as a platform for the publication of information, the visitor is able to exploit cultural heritage material before, during and after the visit, having different goals and requirements in each phase. However, cultural heritage sites have a huge amount of information to present, which must be filtered and personalized in order to enable the individual user to easily access it. Personalization of cultural heritage information requires a system that is able to model the user (e.g., interest, knowledge and other personal characteristics), as well as contextual aspects, select the most appropriate content, and deliver it in the most suitable way. It should be noted that achieving this result is extremely challenging in the case of first-time users, such as tourists who visit a cultural heritage site for the first time (and maybe the only time in their life). In addition, as tourism is a social activity, adapting to the individual is not enough because groups and communities have to be modeled and supported as well, taking into account their mutual interests, previous mutual experience, and requirements. How to model and represent the user(s) and the context of the visit and how to reason with regard to the information that is available are the challenges faced by researchers in personalization of cultural heritage. Notwithstanding the effort invested so far, a definite solution is far from being reached, mainly because new technology and new aspects of personalization are constantly being introduced. This article surveys the research in this area. Starting from the earlier systems, which presented cultural heritage information in kiosks, it summarizes the evolution of personalization techniques in museum web sites, virtual collections and mobile guides, until recent extension of cultural heritage toward the semantic and social web. The paper concludes with current challenges and points out areas where future research is needed

Critical Factors Predicting The Acceptance Of Digital Museums: User And System Perspectives

Digital museums are replacing traditional museums to inspire individual growth and promote culture exchange and society enrichment. However, the benefits of using the traditional museum to inspire visitors and promote the local economy may be compromised in the digital museum. This study attempts to offer insights on digital museum adoption from user and system perspectives. We extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) by incorporating computer self-efficacy and personal innovativeness as individual variables and media richness as a system characteristic. We launched a full-scale study with 441 users of 3 weather museums in Taiwan. We had 327 valid responses, a 74% response rate, from our target population. We conducted a regression analysis to investigate the potential influence of independent variables on the adoption of digital museums. Our results showed that both user and system characteristics have a positive influence on perceived usefulness (PU). A proper consideration of these three constructs can increase a user’s PU and perceived ease of use (PEOU), thereby establishing a more positive attitude regarding the use of digital museums. Academic and practical implications concerning their adoption from user and system perspectives were drawn from these findings

Using Personas to Model Museum Visitors

It is widely agreed that museums and other cultural heritage venues should provide visitors with personalised interaction and services such as personalised mobile guides, although currently most do not. Since museum visitors are typically first-time visitors and since their visit is for a relatively short session, personalisation should use initial interaction data to associate the user with a particular persona and thereby infer other facts about the user’s preferences and needs. In this paper we report a questionnaire-based study carried out with 105 visitors of a Science and Technology Centre to examine the minimal features needed to identify visitor personas. We find that museum visitors can be clustered by their visit motivation and perceived success factors; these clusters are found to correspond both with Falk’s visitor categorisation and a prior classification of exploration styles. Consequently, these two features can be used to reliably identify the visitor persona, and therefore, can be used for user modeling

Ανάπτυξη εργαλείου δημιουργίας ερωτηματολογίου για την καταγραφή του προφίλ του χρήστη για εφαρμογές πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς

Στα πλαίσια της παρούσας πτυχιακής εργασίας σχεδιάστηκε και αναπτύχθηκε μία διαδικτυακή εφαρμογή, η οποία προσφέρει στον χρήστη την δυνατότητα να δημιουργεί ερωτηματολόγια, ρόλους που προκύπτουν από τις απαντήσεις των ερωτηματολογίων και αντικείμενα τα οποία αντιστοιχούν στους ρόλους, με σκοπό την κατηγοριοποίηση ενός χρήστη σε συγκεκριμένη ομάδα. Βασικός στόχος ήταν να υπάρξει μία εφαρμογή που θα προσφέρει μία εύχρηστη και φιλική διεπαφή για την δημιουργία ερωτηματολογίων καταγραφής του προφίλ του χρήστη. Αρχικά κάναμε αναζήτηση στο διαδίκτυο για τις τεχνολογίες που θα μπορούσαν να χρησιμοποιηθούν κατά την υλοποίησης της εφαρμογής ενώ παράλληλα ξεκίνησε ο σχεδιασμός της εφαρμογής. Παρήχθησαν πρότυπα χαμηλής πιστότητας, μέσα από μια επαναληπτική διαδικασία αξιολόγησης και επανασχεδιασμού. Στην συνέχεια, προχωρήσαμε στην υλοποίηση της εφαρμογής που ήταν και το πιο απαιτητικό κομμάτι. Κατά την διάρκεια της υλοποίησης, έγιναν κάποιες αλλαγές και προσθήκες στον αρχικό σχεδιασμό με βάση τα αποτελέσματα διαμορφωτικής αξιολόγησης. Αφού ολοκληρώθηκε η υλοποίηση της εφαρμογής, ακολούθησε η τελική αξιολόγηση. Η εργασία καταλήγει σε μια ανασκόπηση σχετικά με τα συμπεράσματα που προκύπτουν από την όλη διαδικασία και τις μελλοντικές επεκτάσεις που θα μπορούσαν να συμπεριληφθούν στην εφαρμογή.In this thesis, a web application was designed and developed, which offers the user the possibility to create questionnaires, roles corresponding to the answers of the questionnaires and objects corresponding to roles, in order to integrate a user into groups. The main objective is to offer the users an easy to use and user friendly interface for the creation of questionnaires for the profile of the users. Initially, we searched to the web for the technologies that could be used in the implementation of the application. Low fidelity models were produced through a recurrent evaluation and redesign process. Then, we proceeded to the implementation of the application what was the most demanding part. During the implementation, some changes and additions were made to the initial design based on the results of the evaluation. After the end of the implementation, it was the time for the final evaluation. The project ends up with a review of the conclusion resulting from the whole process and future extensions that could be included in the application

Modelo de un entorno virtual inteligente basado en la percepción y el razonamiento de sus elementos con un personaje para la generación de realismo

Los Entornos Virtuales Inteligentes (EVI) están compuestos por la unión de elementos tomados de dos importantes áreas de la computación como son la Realidad Virtual y la Inteligencia Artificial, las cuales tienen múltiples aplicaciones en diferentes campos de investigación. A su vez, un EVI debe estar compuesto por los siguientes niveles: geométrico, cinemático, cognitivo y comportamental. Las limitaciones en un EVI se observan en el realismo que se obtiene a través de las sensaciones que emula el computador y que son percibidas por el usuario a través de sus sentidos. Dicho realismo, recae también, en el comportamiento e interacción con los elementos de un Entorno Virtual (percepción y razonamiento), necesario en aplicaciones de interés científico, de tipo militar, entrenamientos en medicina, en la preservación de patrimonio cultural, en la educación, en los videojuegos, entre otras. En esta tesis se propone un modelo de Entorno Virtual Inteligente, que basado en la percepción y el razonamiento de sus elementos con un personaje, permita generar realismo. Para alcanzar este objetivo, se propone inicialmente un modelo geométrico y cinemático como base necesaria para el modelo de Entorno Virtual Inteligente y con ello, incrementar el desempeño del EVI en los niveles comportamental y cognitivo. En estos niveles, se implementan posteriormente, diferentes técnicas de Inteligencia Artificial aplicadas a la percepción y el razonamiento y después de comparaciones a través de diferentes métricas, se escoge la Red Neuronal Artificial que es en la que se apoya principalmente el modelo. A lo largo del desarrollo de la tesis se realizó un trabajo experimental, que valida que el modelo propuesto funciona flexible y adecuadamente, independiente del área de aplicación.Abstract: Intelligent Virtual Environments (IVE) are composed by the union of elements taken from two important areas of computing, as such the Virtual Reality and the Artificial Intelligence, which have multiple applications in various research fields. At the time, an IVE should be composed of the following levels: geometric, kinematic, cognitive and behavioral. The IVE limitations are observed in the realism obtained through of the senses that a computer emulate and the user perceives these sensations through your senses. That realism, also falls, in the behavior and interaction with the elements of a virtual environment (perception and reasoning), realism necessary in applications of scientific interest such as; military style, training in medicine, cultural heritage, education, videogames, among others. In this thesis, a model of Intelligent Virtual Environment is proposed, which based on the perception and reasoning of its elements with a character, it can achieve realism. To achieve this goal, initially a geometric and kinematic model is proposed as a basis for the model of Intelligent Virtual Environment, and then increase performance of IVE in behavioral and cognitive levels. At these levels, subsequently are implemented, different AI techniques applied to perception and reasoning, and after comparisons across different metrics, is chosen an Artificial Neural Network to supports the model. Throughout the development of the thesis an experimental work is made, which validates that the proposed model works flexible and properly, independent of the application area.Doctorad

Augmented and Virtual Reality for the promotion of the cultural heritage: analysis of museum mission and visitor experience

The thesis discusses the role of Augmented and Virtual Reality technology for the promotion of the cultural heritage, considering both the museum mission and the visitor experience. The research framework represents an integration of the Contextual Model of Learning developed in the field of Museum Visitor Studies, and the cultural-historical Activity Theory, so to consider the different human, environmental and technological dimensions that determine the visitor experience. The research includes two studies. The first study is a qualitative investigation performed at the Ara Pacis Museum in Rome, in order to explore the "design for use" and the "design in use", by collecting data through ethnographic methods and analyzing data through the Service Design Thinking methodology. The second study is an investigation of the museum audience performed using an online questionnaire, to complement and validate the results from study 1. The thesis discusses the results related to the technology as engagement factor, the artifacts ecology and the social interaction among visitors