How AR content can bring value to museums : concept design for an educational AR game about the fire of Tampere in 1865
Hirvikoski, Jari (2021)
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104054220
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104054220
Tiivistelmä
As consumption and interaction culture is becoming more digitized, it has become important to museums to consider how they could update themselves and cater the digitally oriented demographic. Augmented reality is one of the new media that can help with that. The purpose of this thesis was to examine how augmented reality technology could bring value to museums. The thesis considered the value to be increased engagement and interest towards the exhibition content.
The objective was to develop a concept for AR content as a case study for Museum Centre Vapriikki’s exhibition Kaupunki Liekeissä. It was essential to examine what are the important value increasing factors and how they could be turned into AR content that encourage engagement and interest. The concept had to be feasible enough for a small production team to make. The concepting process began by examining material about exhibition design, interaction psychology and accessibility, augmented reality installations, and the history of fires and firefighting in Tampere. The author’s personal work experience in AR design and game development were also utilised. With the acquired knowledge and creative brainstorming, a concept for an educational AR game was developed. The AR game concept was based on the fire of Tampere in 1865.
Results of the case study indicated that AR technology has various multimedia features that could bring value to museums. AR can grant a museum visitor an opportunity to examine and interact virtually with historical objects, people, events and even different times of history which would otherwise be impossible. AR is good at creating unique experiences that add new and interesting virtual layers to various targets. It was also found out that if AR’s special features are used in addressing particular factors in the design process, AR has better chances of increasing engagement and interest towards exhibition content. The factors were learning, curiosity, fun, accessibility, and respect for history. AR can complement other interactives in an exhibition by creating virtual experiences that the other interactives cannot do so well. It was considered that success of these factors and AR features are susceptible to the audience’s individual interests and to the visions and discretion of the content designers. Additionally, a varied access to a device that could play the AR content and the visitor’s motivation were also potential obstacles to increased engagement. The results of this thesis should be taken as practical guideposts, not as definite success components. It was considered that the results could also be used in developing value-increasing AR content for other locations in addition to museums.
The objective was to develop a concept for AR content as a case study for Museum Centre Vapriikki’s exhibition Kaupunki Liekeissä. It was essential to examine what are the important value increasing factors and how they could be turned into AR content that encourage engagement and interest. The concept had to be feasible enough for a small production team to make. The concepting process began by examining material about exhibition design, interaction psychology and accessibility, augmented reality installations, and the history of fires and firefighting in Tampere. The author’s personal work experience in AR design and game development were also utilised. With the acquired knowledge and creative brainstorming, a concept for an educational AR game was developed. The AR game concept was based on the fire of Tampere in 1865.
Results of the case study indicated that AR technology has various multimedia features that could bring value to museums. AR can grant a museum visitor an opportunity to examine and interact virtually with historical objects, people, events and even different times of history which would otherwise be impossible. AR is good at creating unique experiences that add new and interesting virtual layers to various targets. It was also found out that if AR’s special features are used in addressing particular factors in the design process, AR has better chances of increasing engagement and interest towards exhibition content. The factors were learning, curiosity, fun, accessibility, and respect for history. AR can complement other interactives in an exhibition by creating virtual experiences that the other interactives cannot do so well. It was considered that success of these factors and AR features are susceptible to the audience’s individual interests and to the visions and discretion of the content designers. Additionally, a varied access to a device that could play the AR content and the visitor’s motivation were also potential obstacles to increased engagement. The results of this thesis should be taken as practical guideposts, not as definite success components. It was considered that the results could also be used in developing value-increasing AR content for other locations in addition to museums.