Mobile AR: User Evaluation in a Cultural Heritage Context

Anabela Marto,Alexandrino Gonçalves

doi:10.3390/app9245454

Abstract

The growing number of mobile augmented reality applications has been favoring its awareness and usage among diversified areas. Focusing on cultural heritage applications, this study presents an evaluation of a mobile augmented reality application tested at Conimbriga, an archaeological site. The prototype developed for this purpose, named DinofelisAR, allowed users to view, over 360 degrees, a majestic reconstruction of a Forum from the Roman Era superimposed over its current ruins. Thus, users were able to keep perceiving the present-day surroundings of a Roman city in ruins while, at the same time, had the possibility to explore the matching virtual model. The results presented, arising from 90 participants involved in this evaluation, praise the sense of opportunity for new augmented reality solutions targeted at cultural heritage sites.

Highlights

Cultural Heritage (CH) places, such as museums or archaeological sites, envisage pleasant visits for their visitors, while visitors want to learn, enrich themselves and have fun
Given the variety of techniques and frameworks available to develop augmented reality solutions presently, DinofelisAR prototype was outlined relying on previous studies focused on identifying the more suitable techniques and frameworks to develop an Augmented Reality (AR) system targeted at being used in an archaeological site, keeping in mind that user tests would be performed in loco [17,18]
Before the users’ interest and performance questions, participants were asked about their motivation to be part of this study, where it was found that the majority (72%) of the participants pointed out their interest in having augmented reality applied to archaeological context

Summary

Introduction

Cultural Heritage (CH) places, such as museums or archaeological sites, envisage pleasant visits for their visitors, while visitors want to learn, enrich themselves and have fun. This is evidenced in an internal survey made in the Conimbriga Monographic Museum-National Museum in 2014, where the main reason identified as the reason that motivated visitors to come to Conimbriga was cultural enrichment. To indulge the visitors’ expectations, museums are always seeking for different and innovative solutions to provide information to their guests. To better understand how this technology would be perceived by people, a proper and user-oriented use of technology should be prospected to CH contexts, attempting to come out with reliable solutions to profit visitors and institutions

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion