Museum Maya Indonesia: An immersive museum prototype for cultural education

Abstract

The development of this virtual museum was a collaborative project of lecturers and students as an effort to create learning media about Indonesia’s cultural identity and history. This was practiced-based research that culminated in the creation of a high-fidelity prototype. Design thinking was used to realize ideas by considering existing problems. The empathize and define stages were conducted on 33 high school students to find out students’ insights about museums and their experiences in real or virtual museums. Visualization of objects with 3D photogrammetric techniques was used to achieve a realistic impression and a more immersive feeling. The museum also features audiovisuals, infographics, motion graphics, and animated objects. This prototype was tested directly on 12 students who were divided into three user groups, namely mobile phones, laptops, and VR. Mobile users experienced problems in accessing this museum, while laptop users managed to access the museum and had a very positive reaction. VR users felt a much more emotional experience. The test of a prototype in a school has shown that such a virtual museum will be attractive and engaging for students and schools, especially in remote areas, and should be further developed.