Abstract
The past few years have seen an increase in the use of virtual reality (VR) in museum environments in an attempt for museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era. While there are studies that examine the advantages of VR in museums and visitors’ experiences with it, there are no studies examining the experiences of museum professionals who are responsible for a museum’s objects and narratives. The aim of this paper is to explore the practices, experiences, and perceptions of museum professionals on the use of VR technology in museums, their perceived advantages and challenges of such technologies, and their vision for the future of technology in museums. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of interviews with museum professionals from a number of countries around the world who worked with particular VR projects in their own institutions. The ultimate aim is to offer a more critical and holistic examination and assessment of the use of VR in museums and provide suggestions for designing and developing VR projects in the future.
Highlights
Over the last few years, the use of virtual reality (VR) has grown significantly, entering many different aspects of our lives
In the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the use of VR in museum environments in an attempt by museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era
What are the advantages and challenges of VR technologies according to museum professionals?
Summary
Over the last few years, the use of virtual reality (VR) has grown significantly, entering many different aspects of our lives. In the last few years there has been a considerable increase in the use of VR in museum environments in an attempt by museums to embrace technological innovations and adapt to the challenges of the digital era. Such interventions are seen by many as “vital in the race to ‘prove’ [museums’] public worth, impact, accountability and relevance” [1] 119) since it created new dynamics in storytelling and content creation Technologies, such as VR, have created tremendous opportunities for museums on many levels, offering alternative ways for museums to interact with their visitors [3,4,5]. VR has been used for reconstructing historical environments [6], for interpretation and experience enhancement both on-side and off-side [7,8], for increased visitor engagement and education [9], and for creating interactive, engaging, and immersive experiences in museum environments [10]
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