Hybrid Space: Re-thinking Space and the Museum Experience
Date
2019-04-26
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Abstract
Development of this manuscript-based dissertation was prompted by identification of a knowledge gap between the application of hybrid space, human behavior, and harnessing playful activities for museums. Hybrid space has been explored and conceptualized in the literature, but it has yet to reach its potential as an effective medium in museums. A museum hybrid space combines physical artifacts co-located with virtual and augmented reality displays. Hybrid space borrows the power of information to empower the physical space around us using technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and augmented virtuality (AV). This research provides a new way of enhancing the quality of museum experience for audiences by adopting immersive, interactive virtual reality technology. This research demonstrates that experiencing a hybrid space, namely, VR-enhanced environment, as part of a museum exhibit, can effectively increase learning and enjoyment when compared with traditional museum exhibitions. This research builds on the prior studies on the concept of hybrid space and explores its potential as an effective medium in museums (Chapter 2). For this purpose, a model was developed in this research to enhance the quality of spatial experiences in the built environments (Chapter 3). Using this model and a history-based video game that simulates a real environment from the past (Chapter 4), a faux exhibit was set up for empirical studies (Chapter 5). Through the empirical studies, it was demonstrated that a VR-enhanced exhibition (hybrid space) can perform better to improve the museum experience for the audience in terms of learning and enjoyment when compared with traditional exhibitions (i.e. actual space), that rely on labels, photos, and videos.
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Space, Hybrid Space, Learning, Enjoyment, Human Behavior, Cognitive Ergonomics, Virtual Reality, Empirical Studies, Game Studies, Experience Design, Spatial Experience
Citation
Baradaran Rahimi, F. (2019). Hybrid Space: Re-thinking Space and the Museum Experience (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.