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Treasure codes: augmenting learning from physical museum exhibits through treasure hunting

Personal and Ubiquitous Computing volume 22, pages 739–750 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Previous studies have highlighted the difficulty that designers face in creating mobile museum guides to enhance small group experiences. In this paper, we report a study exploring the potential of mobile visual recognition technology (Artcodes) to improve users’ experiences in a visitor centre. A prototype mobile guide in the form of a treasure hunt was developed and evaluated by means of a field study comparing this technology with the existing personal guided tour. The results reveal a preference for the mobile guide amongst participants and show significant learning gains from pre-test to post-test compared with the pre-existing personal tour. Our observational analyses indicate how the mobile guide can be used to improve visitors’ learning experiences by supporting active discovery and by balancing physical and digital interactions. We further expand the concept of design trajectories to consider micro-scaffolding as a way of understanding and designing future public technologies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was carried out in collaboration with Royal Selangor Visitor Centre. We thank Professor Steve Benford and Dr. Timothy Brailsford for their useful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, 43500, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia

    Kher Hui Ng & Hai Huang

  2. Department of Psychology, Durham University, Science Site, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Claire O’Malley

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  1. Kher Hui Ng
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  2. Hai Huang
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  3. Claire O’Malley
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Correspondence to Kher Hui Ng.

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Ng, K.H., Huang, H. & O’Malley, C. Treasure codes: augmenting learning from physical museum exhibits through treasure hunting. Pers Ubiquit Comput 22, 739–750 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-018-1126-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-018-1126-5

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