The Interactive Design and User Experience of Virtual Museums: Case Study of the Virtual Palace Museum

Abstract

One of the fundamental functions of a museum is to collect and preserve ancient cultural relics. Nowadays, some museums also undertake the roles as learning center, communication and social place, leisure center, and cultural communication center, by offering comprehensive experience of multisensory feelings, intelligence, aesthetics, social communication. As active participators and operators in virtual environment, the visitors show stronger engagement and better use experience when using virtual reality applications. A good interactive design in the virtual museum system will enhance the quality of remediation, which will encourage users to be active and immersed in the virtual tour. This study aims to analyze the interaction design of the virtual Palace Museum and examine virtual experience designed for visitors. After analyzed the virtual applications of the Palace Museum, we found that virtual museums can deliver knowledge in an attractive and accessible way for better cultural experience. Virtual reality is not to replace the unique experience of appreciating real objects, but it can greatly improve our understanding of artifacts and allow us to better understand their stories. The virtual museum enables immersive sense, good storytelling, interactive learning, and sharing between peers, which turns passive visitors to active explorers. In the digital age and the epidemic, we must re-examine the positioning and mission of museums from a longer-term perspective, dig and interpret the diverse values of cultural heritage, and give new vitality to cultural heritage.