DIGITAL CULTURAL HERITAGE EXPERIENCES AND VISITOR RESPONSES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE PALACE MUSEUM
Keywords:
Digital cultural heritage, Digital museums, Palace Museum, User experience, Behavioral intentionAbstract
Digital technologies are continuously expanding the ways in which museums showcase cultural heritage and engage with the public. However, the relationship between user evaluations of various types of digital experiences and their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses still needs further investigation. This study uses the Palace Museum as a case study, analyzing a questionnaire survey of 175 respondents who had visited the Palace Museum and used its digital products. The study first examined six digital experience characteristics: usability, information completeness, visual appeal, sound quality, storytelling, and interactivity. It then further analyzed the correlation between cognitive responses, affective responses, and behavioral intentions. The results showed that all six digital experience evaluations were above the scale midpoint, with information completeness and usability scoring relatively high, while sound quality, storytelling, and interactivity scored relatively low. Significant positive correlations were found between cognitive responses, affective responses, and behavioral intentions, with the strongest correlation between cognitive and affective responses. The study indicates that the user experience of digital cultural heritage can be examined from different levels, including experience characteristics and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral intentions. The findings suggest that digital cultural heritage experiences can be examined in terms of both experiential characteristics and visitors’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses.References
[1] Deng Y, Zhang X, Zhang B, et al. From digital museuming to on-site visiting: The mediation of cultural identity and perceived value. Frontiers in Psychology, 2023, 14: 1111917.
[2] Choi K, Nam Y. Do presence and authenticity in VR experience enhance visitor satisfaction and museum re-visitation intentions? International Journal of Tourism Research, 2024, 26(4): e2737.
[3] Li X, Ma Z, Wang S. Understanding users’ recommendation intention of online museums: A perspective of the cognition-emotion-behavior theory and the expectation confirmation model. npj Heritage Science, 2025, 13(1): 99.
[4] Perry Hobson J S, Williams A P. Virtual reality: A new horizon for the tourism industry. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 1995, 1(2): 124-135.
[5] Buhalis D. Strategic use of information technologies in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 1998, 19(5): 409-421.
[6] Li Q, Wang P, Liu Z, et al. How generous interface affect user experience and behavior: Evaluating the information display interface for museum cultural heritage. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, 2024, 35(1): e2212.
[7] Zheng F, Wu S, Liu R, et al. What influences user continuous intention of digital museum: Integrating task-technology fit (TTF) and unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT) models. Heritage Science, 2024, 12(1): 253.
[8] Zheng C, Zhang J, Zhu J. “Dialogue” through time and space: Imagination inspiration and travel intentions in the digitalization of cultural heritage. Tourism Tribune, 2024, 39(10): 127-140.
[9] Lavidge R J, Steiner G A. A model for predictive measurements of advertising effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 1961, 25(6): 59-62.
[10] Wu F, Li J. Virtual reality: Analysis of the technical implementation path of empathy communication. Journal of Southwest Minzu University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), 2021, 42(7): 178-184.
[11] He T L, Qin F. Exploring how the metaverse of cultural heritage (MCH) influences users’ intentions to experience offline: A two-stage SEM-ANN analysis. Heritage Science, 2024, 12(1): 193.
[12] Chekembayeva G, Garaus M. Authenticity matters: Investigating virtual tours’ impact on curiosity and museum visit intentions. Journal of Services Marketing, 2024, 38(7): 941-956.
[13] Tsita C, Satratzemi M, Pedefoudas A, et al. A virtual reality museum to reinforce the interpretation of contemporary art and increase the educational value of user experience. Heritage, 2023, 6(5): 4134-4172.