The Influence of Visitor-based Social Contextual Information on Visitors’ Museum Experience
SCIE 2022 / Plos One (Multidisciplinary Sciences, IF=3.752)
Taeha Yi, Hao-Yun Lee, Joosun Yum, and Ji-Hyun Lee
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266856
Highlights
1. Investigation of users’ needs and requirements
2. Prototype-based study using mobile eye-tracking technology
3. Examine the influence of visitor-oriented social information
Abstract
Visitor-centered approaches have been widely discussed in the museum experience research field. One notable approach was suggested by Falk and Dierking, who defined museum visitor experience as having a physical, personal, and social context. Many studies have been conducted based on this approach, yet the interactions between personal and social contexts have not been fully researched. Since previous studies related to these interactions have focused on the face-to-face conversation of visitor groups, attempts to provide the social information contributed by visitors have not progressed. To fill this gap, we examined such interactions in collaboration with the Lee-Ungno Art Museum in South Korea. Specifically, we investigated the influence of individual visitors’ social contextual information about their art museum experience. This data, which we call “visitor-based social contextual information” (VSCI), is the social information individuals provide—feedback, reactions, or behavioral data—that can be applied to facilitate interactions in a social context. The study included three stages: In Stage 1, we conducted an online survey for a preliminary investigation of visitors’ requirements for VSCI. In Stage 2, we designed a mobile application prototype. Finally, in Stage 3, we used the prototype in an experiment to investigate the influence of VSCI on museum experience based on visitors’ behaviors and reactions. Our results indicate that VSCI positively impacts visitors’ museum experiences. Using VSCI enables visitors to compare their thoughts with others and gain insights about art appreciation, thus allowing them to experience the exhibition from new perspectives. The results of this novel examination of a VSCI application suggest that it may be used to guide strategies for enhancing the experience of museum visitors.
Fig. Mobile application for visitor-based social contexual information (Develop environment: Python v.3.9 and Flask web server platform v.2.0.1)