Evaluating learnability in a 3D heritage tour

The implementation of 3D virtual reality (VR) environments to represent human culture and heritage has been growing during the last two decades as a result of information and communication technologies (ICT) development. Precisely, regarding virtual heritage development, some weaknesses have been detected such as ‘‘lifeless’’ environments lacking interaction, and research still under development on learning assessment. In this article, a VR environment is presented, through users taking a virtual tour visiting some elements of cultural heritage of the island of San Andrés, Colombia. In the tour, users participate in a 3D VR environment, answering questions and learning about the cultural heritage of the island. Also, the usability of the VR environment is assessed through SUMI (Software Usability Measurement Inventory) standard ISO9241-11 evaluating aspects such as usefulness and learnability. The results demonstrate that with the implementation of a VR environment about heritage, the users achieved optimum performance with an 80% average of correct answers and a high correlation between learning and the usability of the 3D VR environment

An empirical study on the effects of embodied conversational agents on user retention performance and perception in a simulated mobile environment

The paper presents a user study designed to examine the impact of the presence of a multimodal ECA on the user’s ability to retain content of cultural value with variable degree of difficulty (i.e., technical and simple content). The study was conducted in the lab, using a high resolution panorama representing four locations in an archaeological attraction. The content participants perceived differed both in terms of complexity and length. Participants interacted with an ECA-based system and then with a non-ECA system that provided content about popular locations in the attraction. Results indicate that participants who used the system with the ECA retained content of variable difficulty more consistently, than those who used the system without the ECA. However, we also found that if text is added as an additional output modality to an ECA-based information system it can positively impact the perception of the technical content, which can potentially lead to enhanced retention of technical content

Exploring Dual-Camera-Based Augmented Reality for Cultural Heritage Sites

Context: Augmented Reality (AR) provides a novel approach for presenting cultural heritage content. Recent advances in AR research and the uptake of powerful mobile devices means AR is a viable option for heritage institutions, but there are challenges that must be overcome before high-quality AR is commonplace. Aims: This project details the development of an AR “magic camera” system featuring novel dual-camera marker-based tracking, allowing users to take AR photos at outdoor heritage sites using a tablet computer. The aims of the project were to assess the feasibility of the tracking method, evaluate the usability of the AR system, and explore implications for the heritage sector. Method: A prototype system was developed. A user study was designed, where participants had to recreate reference images as closely as possible using an iPad and the AR system around the University grounds. Data, such as completion time and error rates, were collected for analysis. The images produced were rated for quality by three experts. Results: Participants responded positively to the system, and the new tracking method was used successfully. The usability study uncovered a number of issues, most of which are solvable in future software versions. However, some issues, such as difficulty orientating objects, rely on improving hardware and software before they can be fixed, but these problems did not affect the quality of the images produced. Participants completed each task more quickly after initial slowness, and while the system was frustrating for some, most found the experience enjoyable. Conclusion: The study successfully uncovered usability problems. The dual-camera tracking element was successful, but the marker-based element encountered lighting problems and high false-positive rates. Orientating objects using inertial sensors was not intuitive; more research in this area would be beneficial. The heritage sector must consider development, maintenance and training costs, and site modification issues

The Story of the Markham Car Collection: A Cross-Platform Panoramic Tour of Contested Heritage

In this article, we share our experiences of using digital technologies and various media to present historical narratives of a museum object collection aiming to provide an engaging experience on multiple platforms. Based on P. Joseph’s article, Dawson presented multiple interpretations and historical views of the Markham car collection across various platforms using multimedia resources. Through her creative production, she explored how to use cylindrical panoramas and rich media to offer new ways of telling the controversial story of the contested heritage of a museum’s veteran and vintage car collection. The production’s usability was investigated involving five experts before it was published online and the general users’ experience was investigated. In this article, we present an important component of findings which indicates that virtual panorama tours featuring multimedia elements could be successful in attracting new audiences and that using this type of storytelling technique can be effective in the museum sector. The storyteller panorama tour presented here may stimulate GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) professionals to think of new approaches, implement new strategies or services to engage their audiences more effectively. The research may ameliorate the education of future professionals as well

Achievement of generic and profesional competencies through virtual environments

This study is aimed to prove how Virtual Environments (VE) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be used as a tool to verify professional competencies. The incursion of virtual environments in education has shown that there is much potential in distance learning development. To find out how it influences the achievement of competencies, there was made an experimental study with a post-test design and control group. Students were divided into two groups; each of them was submitted to a different test. The results demonstrate that with the implementation of VE using ICT, the students who used the VE had a better performance than students who used the traditional evaluations. Confirmed with the 83% of the sample who achieved the highest levels (50% got strategical professional competencies, and 33% got autonomous professional competencies). Considering the study, the authors could notice that students do develop professional competencies along virtual environments, reflected not only in the level of competence achieved by the ones tested on the virtual environment but also in the average time they spend to do the test. Therefore, virtual environments have positives effects in the education field

Digital storytelling approaches in virtual museums: umbrella review of systematic reviews

Museums have the mission of promoting and safeguarding objects of historical value and have undergone several modifications over time to take the focus off the object and give more importance to information and the visitor. Currently they encompass different types of experiences, either through digital and interactive elements, or through new approaches, such as storytelling, which has acted as a protagonist of these transformations. In this sense, the museum in the digital mode, known as virtual museum, plays an important role in this sharing of information and experiences. However, by having different modalities for navigation and interaction, especially in formats that simulate the physical visit, like virtual tours, they present some problems that have been identified in the literature, such as, solitary visit, lack of script to follow and little interaction with the exhibited objects. This literature review was conducted between 2013-2021 and 14 papers were selected for analysis. The results support the understanding of the role of narratives and the way museums use them in the virtual space and highlights the gaps of knowledge on the use of storytelling in this context.This work is financed by the ERDF – European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme, and by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, within project PTDC/HAR-HIS/3024/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Representing and Indexing Archaeological Information

The need to preserve and remember the past is a particular human trait. The richness of our cultural history is approached by a vast array of disciplines, that investigate and manage it. However, their effectiveness can be hindered by several technical issues. One of the concerns of experts in this area is the way the importance of cultural heritage is communicated in order to cultivate interest, curiosity and respect. Another concern is the lack of suitable tools that can handle the dimension and complexity of the collections with which they interact. With the emergence of digital tools and the creation of online repositories for the collections of cultural institutions, it is possible to suggest different solutions to tackle these problems. The proposed solution aims to facilitate access and interaction with cultural information, through the implementation of an application capable of integrating multiple forms of representation of historical artifacts. The application tackles two problems that arise from distinct goals. One is the need to represent, in a single view, collections of related items from different repositories. The other is how to, effectively, communicate the information associated with an artifact and its context. This MSc dissertation is part of a collaborative effort between NOVA LINCS researchers and several archaeological institutions of the Iberian Extremadura, aiming to develop tools that will support research and help sharing the cultural wealth of archaeological sites and artifacts from the region. In this dissertation, the developed application covers a general view of the aforementioned problems, while being flexible to the customization of the representation of cultural data. The solution was evaluated on usability and effectiveness on reaching the proposed goals, during a process that involved target audience users and experts in the area of culture and history, as well as human-computer interaction. The results provided positive conclusions

The MUSETECH Companion : Navigating the Matrix

The MUSETECH model was originally published in the JOCCH Special Issue “The Evaluation of Digital Heritage Resources”, under the title: “The MUSETECH model: AC omprehensive Evaluation Framework for Museum Technology.” https://doi.org/10.1145/3297717 The original publication is accompanied by the present document, “The Companion”. The “Companion” provides step - by - step guidance to the MUSETECH model, devised as a tool for planning the evaluation of technologies applied in museums and heritage settings . We use the term “museum technology” to refer to any type of online or onsite interactive, application or installation encountered in museums or other heritage institutions. The MUSETECH model offers an exhaustive list of 121 Evaluation Criteria that may guide the evaluation of various embodiments of museum technology