ResponsiveView: Enhancing 3D Artifact Viewing Experience in VR Museums

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Digital Heritage

Background:

• Virtual Reality (VR) museums offer immersive experiences but optimal viewing of 3D artifacts is subjective and affected by parameters like pedestal height, viewing distance, and object scale.
• Current VR museum designs lack adaptive features to cater to individual user preferences for artifact interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collect empirical data on user-determined parameters for optimal 3D artifact viewing in VR museums.
• To develop a novel 3D responsive design system, ResponsiveView, that automatically adjusts viewing parameters for enhanced user experience.

Main Methods:

• Collected empirical data on user viewing behaviors and preferences within VR museum environments.
• Developed predictive functions to model and configure pedestal height, viewing distance, and object scale.
• Validated the ResponsiveView design using controller-based interactions and hand tracking in commercial VR devices.

Main Results:

• Derived predictive functions that successfully model user viewing behaviors in VR museums.
• ResponsiveView automatically adjusts key viewing parameters, significantly enhancing the user experience.
• The system demonstrated effectiveness across different input methods, including controller and hand tracking.

Conclusions:

• ResponsiveView offers a novel solution for optimizing 3D artifact viewing in VR museums by adapting to individual user needs.
• The system's ability to dynamically adjust viewing parameters represents a significant advancement in VR museum design.
• This research contributes to creating more engaging and accessible virtual heritage experiences.