Empowering cultural heritage professionals with tools for authoring and deploying personalised visitor experiences

This paper presents an authoring environment, which supports cultural heritage professionals in the process of creating and deploying a wide range of different personalised interactive experiences that combine the physical (objects, collection and spaces) and the digital (multimedia content). It is based on a novel flexible formalism that represents the content and the context as independent from one another and allows recombining them in multiple ways thus generating many different interactions from the same elements. The authoring environment was developed in a co-design process with heritage stakeholders and addresses the composition of the content, the definition of the personalisation, and the deployment on a physical configuration of bespoke devices. To simplify the editing while maintaining a powerful representation, the complex creation process is deconstructed into a limited number of elements and phases, including aspects to control personalisation both in content and in interaction. The user interface also includes examples of installations for inspiration and as a means for learning what is possible and how to do it. Throughout the paper, installations in public exhibitions are used to illustrate our points and what our authoring environment can produce. The expressiveness of the formalism and the variety of interactive experiences that could be created was assessed via a range of laboratory tests, while a user-centred evaluation with over 40 cultural heritage professionals assessed whether they feel confident in directly controlling personalisation

Empowering cultural heritage professionals with tools for authoring and deploying personalised visitor experiences

open2siThis paper presents an authoring environment, which supports cultural heritage professionals in the process of creating and deploying a wide range of different personalised interactive experiences that combine the physical (objects, collection and spaces) and the digital (multimedia content). It is based on a novel flexible formalism that represents the content and the context as independent from one another and allows recombining them in multiple ways thus generating many different interactions from the same elements. The authoring environment was developed in a co-design process with heritage stakeholders and addresses the composition of the content, the definition of the personalisation, and the deployment on a physical configuration of bespoke devices. To simplify the editing while maintaining a powerful representation, the complex creation process is deconstructed into a limited number of elements and phases, including aspects to control personalisation both in content and in interaction. The user interface also includes examples of installations for inspiration and as a means for learning what is possible and how to do it. Throughout the paper, installations in public exhibitions are used to illustrate our points and what our authoring environment can produce. The expressiveness of the formalism and the variety of interactive experiences that could be created was assessed via a range of laboratory tests, while a user-centred evaluation with over 40 cultural heritage professionals assessed whether they feel confident in directly controlling personalisation.openNot, Elena; Petrelli, DanielaNot, Elena; Petrelli, Daniel

Design processes for enhancing museums through the use of technology and the involvement of local communities

The present contribution aims to present three different models that describe how a design process can advance a territory by enhancing its cultural heritage through museum exhibition systems. The models were developed starting from the analysis of four case studies: Museo Audiovisivo della Resistenza, Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, Atlantic Wall and Coordinamento delle Case Museo dei Poeti e Scrittori di Romagna. These case studies were selected and described on the basis of the characteristics they share: a strong connection with the territory, its history and its residents, the use of technology to improve the visitor experience and a participative approach to the design and development of the exhibition. The result of the case study analysis leads to the identification of three models: the first model is based on an interactive museum with custom technologies, the second on an interactive museum with a customizable system, and the third on an interactive museum with an open-source approach. In particular, the three models show that a greater degree of openness contributes to a greater involvement of local communities and a systemic enhancement of the territory

Design processes for enhancing museums through the use of technology and the involvement of local communities

The present contribution aims to present three different models that describe how a design process can advance a territory by enhancing its cultural heritage through museum exhibition systems. The models were developed starting from the analysis of four case studies: Museo Audiovisivo della Resistenza, Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, Atlantic Wall and Coordinamento delle Case Museo dei Poeti e Scrittori di Romagna. These case studies were selected and described on the basis of the characteristics they share: a strong connection with the territory, its history and its residents, the use of technology to improve the visitor experience and a participative approach to the design and development of the exhibition. The result of the case study analysis leads to the identification of three models: the first model is based on an interactive museum with custom technologies, the second on an interactive museum with a customizable system, and the third on an interactive museum with an open-source approach. In particular, the three models show that a greater degree of openness contributes to a greater involvement of local communities and a systemic enhancement of the territory

Participatory flows: A comparative analysis of co-design processes in the field of cultural heritage

This paper intends to explore co-design processes in the field of cultural heritage, based on an examination of the scientific literature and a comparative analysis of case studies. These cases, which involve different interlocutors, contexts of application, tools and output, are expressed not only in a discursive manner, but also represented in diagrams and visual syntheses of the co-design processes. The analysis was conducted on the basis of shared parameters: project description, year, partners, goals, context, co-design process, stakeholders and output. Starting with a consideration of the key concepts that emerged in the processes under investigation, the paper moves on to present the “MEET – Multifaceted Experiences for Enhancing Territories” project, which relies on the tools of design to enhance elements of the local culture and involve the community. It concludes by identifying good practices and the potential of co-design processes applied to the field of cultural heritage

Build Your Own Hercules : une interface tangible de choix de parcours de visites personnalisées au musée

National audienceIn this demonstration we present “Build your own Hercules”. This tangible token+constraint system allows museum visitors to indicate their characteristics and desires in order to choose a personalized visit. We designed this system in collaboration with Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse, which hosted a pilot study of the prototype in-situ.Dans cette démonstration, nous présentons « Build your own Hercules ». Ce système tangible de type token+constraint permet aux visiteurs d’un musée d’indiquer leurs caractéristiques et leurs envies afin de choisir une visite personnalisée. Nous avons conçu ce système en collaboration avec le musée Saint-Raymond de Toulouse, qui a accueilli une étude pilote du prototype

Multi-Dimensional Interface Design of E-Commerce for Virtual Museum System

This research focuses on the interface design for E-commerce for virtual museum system that can be displayed in multi dimensions. The existing system (muziummaya.terengganu.gov.my) has proved that information presented with the existing interface cannot be presented effectively through mobile device. Navigation is also difficult to the human cognitive since a lot of information displayed in one screen. Furthermore, the existing system is only available in Malay language and the digitized artifacts are only 10-20% from the whole collection. The existing virtual museum was analyzed to obtain user's perspectives from the aspect of information displayed and the results of this analysis serves as an input and guideline in designing the model and interface of a virtual museum system. The finding of these analysis also determines the best techniques in displaying information in the context of multi-dimensional designs, the information needed in a virtual museum's system and the most suitable e-commerce platform. These findings are used in designing a multi-dimensional interface design for an e-commerce system for a virtual museum.  The result of this study proved that information presented is more effective due to ease of navigation of the system. Thus, it shows an increase in the usability and users gained more experience while using the system

A bibliometric analysis of immersive technology in museum exhibitions: exploring user experience

Introduction: This study aims to comprehensively understand the existing literature on immersive technology in museum exhibitions, focusing on virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and the visitor experience. The research utilizes a bibliometric approach by examining a dataset of 722 articles with two main research objectives. Firstly, it seeks to analyze current trends in immersive technology literature, specifically emphasizing VR and the user experience in museum exhibitions through co-citation analysis. Secondly, it aims to identify emerging research trends using co-word analysis. Methods: The study employs a bibliometric approach, specifically co-citation and co-word analysis, to investigate trends and forecast emerging areas in the field, particularly the role of VR in the museum context. Results: The analysis reveals the presence of five interconnected thematic clusters in the literature. These clusters include (1) VR and AR-enhanced heritage tourism, (2) VR and AR-enabled virtual museums, (3) interactive digital art education in immersive environments, (4) immersive storytelling in virtual heritage spaces, and (5) mobile AR heritage revival. Discussion: The article highlights influential works within these areas, showcasing the historical evolution of the field and the current emphasis on utilizing VR to create immersive, educational, and engaging experiences for museum visitors. The findings indicate that research on VR applications for museum exhibitions has predominantly focused on profound game-driven experiences and interactive 3D heritage, resulting in improved visitor engagement and access to cultural content. The adoption of VR technology holds the potential to revolutionize user experiences within the cultural heritage sector and reshape the overall landscape of museums and exhibitions. By presenting these research trends, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the vital role of VR in enhancing visitor experiences in museum settings. Furthermore, it paves the way for further exploration and innovation in immersive technology

Data-inspired co-design for museum and gallery visitor experiences

The capture and analysis of diverse data is widely recognized as being vital to the design of new products and services across the digital economy. We focus on its use to inspire the co-design of visitor experiences in museums as a distinctive case that reveals opportunities and challenges for the use of personal data. We present a portfolio of data-inspired visiting experiences that emerged from a 3-year Research Through Design process. These include the overlay of virtual models on physical exhibits, a smartphone app for creating personalized tours as gifts, visualizations of emotional responses to exhibits, and the data-driven use of ideation cards. We reflect across our portfolio to articulate the diverse ways in which data can inspire design through the use of ambiguity, visualization, and inter-personalization; how data inspire co-design through the process of co-ideation, co-creation, and co-interpretation; and how its use must negotiate the challenges of privacy, ownership, and transparency. By adopting a human perspective on data, we are able to chart out the complex and rich information that can inform design activities and contribute to datasets that can drive creativity support systems