User experience of museum technologies: the phenomenological scales

Abstract

Museums increasingly rely on technology as a guarantee of enhanced visitor experience. However, both in Information Systems and Museology research, little attention has been paid to the evaluation of user experience (UX) with technologies in cultural heritage environments. This paper reports research in this area that uses a framework of interpretive archaeology and phenomenology. Users of museum technologies are studied to determine whether the framework's criteria correspond to visitor expectations and can be met by Information Technologies (IT). Our epistemology is methodologically independent and by using a multi-methodological approach, mixing both qualitative and quantitative approaches, it is consistent with the original spirit of the theory of understanding. The findings confirm the importance of phenomenology and post-phenomenology as a reference to assess IT UX in museums. In addition, our field study indicates that technologies available in museums – namely audio guides, interactive kiosks and computers – contribute positively to an experience of the past.