Practical factors affecting the application of interactive environmental panorama art in diverse urban exploration: A case study of San Francisco

Abstract

When touring multicultural cities, planning everything out in advance can enrich the visiting experience. Advances in the internet and computer graphics technology have resulted in the trend of using virtual tourism for trip planning. However, the mere presentation of virtual street views of a geographical location does not highlight its cultural elements and characteristics. The lack of imaginative space and extensive guidance result in the lack of aesthetic artistic visual stimulation and interest. Accordingly, this study developed a novel experience model and an experimental platform where images with panoramic oil painting art styles were used to provide participants with interactive tours that presented different cultural characteristics and elements. This platform enabled the re-creation of crucial scenic urban spots in spherical, panoramic, and three-dimensional spaces, which allowed the participants to explore and experience these spots, aroused their interest, and stimulated their senses. Moreover, timelines were used and the beauty of visual art was highlighted to achieve efficient virtual tourism. A total of 100 students were invited to experience the designed virtual tourism system and fill out questionnaires. After the participants operated the system, statistical analyses were conducted to determine the categories of and the factors that influenced participant assessment. The categories of participant assessment were assessment based on design elements, subjective assessment based on feelings, assessment based on multicultural exploration, and assessment based on system improvement expectations. Moreover, the eight factors influencing participant assessment were immersive presence, ease of use, connectivity of diverse cultures, content appealing, visual pleasure, interesting graphic design, adaptive UI, and UI affordance. A modular design model was used to perform project analyses, design relevant items, and assess the participants’ experiences when visiting multicultural scenic spots. On the basis of the aforementioned steps, conclusions were drawn, and system design recommendations are proposed for platforms offering multicultural experiences.