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Embodied Acts for Testing Mixed Reality Low-Fidelity Prototypes that Convey Intangible Cultural Heritage: Method and Case Study

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Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality (EuroXR 2024)

Abstract

In the design of bodily engaging Mixed Reality (MR) installations for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in museums, a gap remains regarding how to test low-fidelity prototypes to refine the detailed design and ensure successful final implementation. By integrating bodystorming early in the design thinking process, alongside lab-based experience prototyping, this study proposes a method to foster a deeper empathetic connection between cultural practitioners and the public, thereby enhancing visitor experiences. Focusing on the ICH of wooden shipbuilding, the process involves stakeholders and users from conceptualization to prototype testing, ensuring that final interactive installations are user-centered and culturally resonant. The findings demonstrate how this participatory design approach bridges digital technologies with traditional cultural practices, providing methodological insights for the transmission of ICH and visitor engagement that other designers can adopt.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Kostas Damianidis for his scientific support in the ICH of wooden shipbuilding throughout the design process, Kostas Chorianopoulos for his invaluable insights, and the Patmos Marine. This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (project code: Τ6YVP-00200).

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Correspondence to Vasiliki Nikolakopoulou .

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Nikolakopoulou, V., Vosinakis, S., Stavrakis, M., Koutsabasis, P. (2025). Embodied Acts for Testing Mixed Reality Low-Fidelity Prototypes that Convey Intangible Cultural Heritage: Method and Case Study. In: Reyes-Lecuona, A., et al. Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality. EuroXR 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15445. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78593-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78593-1_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-78592-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-78593-1

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