Abstract

In museum exhibition design, the experiential aspects of virtual reality and other immersive technologies are increasingly being explored. This study contributes to these explorations, focusing on the role of hearing and sound in visitors’ experiences of a hybrid virtual environment designed for an architecture museum exhibition. Physically, the environment consisted of a full-scale, multi-level structure installed in a large gallery space. Virtually, visitors ‘switched’ between being in a contemporary villa and a natural shoreline biotope while moving in the physical installation, experiencing and comparing nature and architecture as “parallel realities." This study investigates visitors’ experiences of realism in the soundscape and how this contributed to the immersive experience. Exit interviews with randomly selected visitors on the sound experience (N = 82) are primary data for this study. Visitor responses to questions related to sound (N = 320) and data collected from interviews and observations of recruited visitor pairs (N = 16) are complementary data. The study finds that visitors considered sound essential to the high degree of realism they experienced in the hybrid virtual environment, in the sense of “being there,” and that this was dependent on signal types that were appropriate in type and variation. Additionally, relevant to exhibition design practice, issues of quality and delivery methods had minimal impact on the visitor experience.

摘要

在博物馆展览设计中，越来越多地探索虚拟现实和其他沉浸式技术的体验方面。这项研究有助于这些探索，重点关注听觉和声音在参观者为建筑博物馆展览设计的混合虚拟环境体验中的作用。从物理上讲，环境由安装在大型画廊空间中的全尺寸多层次结构组成。实际上，参观者在现代别墅和自然海岸线生物群落之间“切换”，同时在物理装置中移动，体验和比较自然和建筑作为“平行现实”。为沉浸式体验做出了贡献。对随机选择的访客进行的关于声音体验的退出访谈 (N = 82) 是本研究的主要数据。访客对声音相关问题的回答 (N = 320) 以及从采访和观察招募的访客对 (N = 16) 中收集的数据是补充数据。研究发现，在“身临其境”的意义上，参观者认为声音对于他们在混合虚拟环境中体验到的高度真实感至关重要，而这取决于类型和变化适当的信号类型。此外，与展览设计实践相关的质量和交付方法问题对参观者体验的影响很小。访客对声音相关问题的回答 (N = 320) 以及从采访和观察招募的访客对 (N = 16) 中收集的数据是补充数据。研究发现，在“身临其境”的意义上，参观者认为声音对于他们在混合虚拟环境中体验到的高度真实感至关重要，而这取决于类型和变化适当的信号类型。此外，与展览设计实践相关的质量和交付方法问题对参观者体验的影响很小。访客对声音相关问题的回答 (N = 320) 以及从采访和观察招募的访客对 (N = 16) 中收集的数据是补充数据。研究发现，在“身临其境”的意义上，参观者认为声音对于他们在混合虚拟环境中体验到的高度真实感至关重要，而这取决于类型和变化适当的信号类型。此外，与展览设计实践相关的质量和交付方法问题对参观者体验的影响很小。”，这取决于类型和变化合适的信号类型。此外，与展览设计实践相关的质量和交付方法问题对参观者体验的影响很小。”，这取决于类型和变化合适的信号类型。此外，与展览设计实践相关的质量和交付方法问题对参观者体验的影响很小。