Cultural heritage 'in-The-wild': Considering digital access to cultural heritage in everyday life

As digital cultural heritage applications begin to be deployed out with 'traditional' heritage sites (such as museums, open-Air museums or galleries), there is an increased need to consider their use amongst individuals who are open to learning about the heritage of a site, but where that is a clearly secondary purpose of their visit. Parks, recreational areas and the everyday built environment represent places that although often rich in heritage, are often not visited primarily to access that heritage. We present the results of a study of a mobile application, called Explore, that supports accessing heritage on a Finnish recreational island. Evaluation with 45 participants, who were not visiting primarily to access the heritage, provided insight into how digital heritage applications can be developed for this user group. Our results showed how low immersion and lightweight interaction support individuals to integrate cultural heritage around their primary visit purpose. Although participants were willing to include heritage as part of their visit, they were not willing to be directed by Explore. Our work outlines future directions that should be considered when expanding the reach of heritage access beyond 'traditional' sites.

Duke Scholars

Author Juan Carlos Vasquez DKU Faculty