Empirical Evaluations of Interactive Systems in Cultural Heritage: A Review

An increasing number of interactive systems aim to enhance the user experience UX of visitors at museums, archaeological places and cultural sites. This paper presents a review of empirical evaluations of interactive systems in cultural heritage CH based on a systematically selected sample of 53 publications from 2012-2016. Empirical evaluations examine the degree an interactive system satisfies user goals and expectations and are inherently complex activities that require careful planning and selection of methods. The review reports on a interactive systems of CH in terms of: purpose, technology, cultural content and location of interaction and b methods of empirical evaluation in terms of: dimensions of UX, general approach, data collection and participants. The paper provides discussion, critique and outlook on issues including: extending the evaluation dimensions towards the cultural value and the essence of interactivity; placing more consideration on CH professionals; identifying new evaluation methods that balance qualitative results to evidence-based approaches.