Experiencing the Presence of Historical Stories with Location-Based Augmented Reality

Abstract

In the SPIRIT research project, a location-based Augmented Reality (AR) storytelling application has been developed with the goal to support the imagination of lively historical events at places of cultural significance. We describe a showcase scenario and report on its quantitative and qualitative evaluation, conducted at the Saalburg Roman fort, an outdoor museum site near Bad Homburg in Germany. 107 random voluntary visitors were observed using the app, before filling questionnaires that were then analyzed with SPSS. Specifics of the app include a novel interaction pattern that uses positioning sensors of mobile devices and image recognition to trigger content, featuring transparent videos as ghost-like overlays on the camera image of the environment. Results presented in this paper show that in general, the app was effective and fun to use. Further, there have been differences in the experience of presence concerning the AR representation, as well as in the comprehension and appreciation of the story’s content. Concluding, we discuss influencing parameters on the results and draft hypotheses for future work.