Author: | Laura Leschke |
|---|---|
| Supervisor: | Prof. Gudrun Klinker |
| Advisor: | David Plecher (@ne23mux) |
| Submission Date: | 15.05.2023 |
Abstract
Museums use a variety of different digital technologies to present their collection to the audience. One of the purposes of this is to promote the knowledge transfer and educate the public. This thesis examines the difference in impact of different presentation modes of museum exhibits on the knowledge transfer. For this purpose, two applications were developed in the context of this thesis. For one of the exhibits presented in the applications, the acquisition of a 3D model using photogrammetry is described. The developed applications allow the user to explore an exhibit and obtain additional information on specific parts of the exhibit. The first application displays the exhibit as a 3D model in a browser. The second application uses Augmented Reality to display the 3D model of an exhibit on a marker either in a browser or on a mobile device. For evaluating both applications, a survey was conducted with ten participants. The survey inquired about the usability of the applications and the information given about the exhibit within the applications to determine a potential impact on the knowledge transfer. The results of the survey indicate that the application utilizing Augmented Reality performed inferior to the other application in the inquired aspects. Regarding usability, the first application achieved an acceptable usability performance rating while the application using Augmented Reality did not. However, both applications demonstrated some potentially positive impact in presenting exhibits to transfer knowledge. Therefore, the first application could be used by museums to promote knowledge transfer. The second application which uses Augmented Reality would profit from improvements.
Implementation and Project Description
This thesis examined and compared the potential impact of two different presentation modes of museum exhibits in regard to the transfer of knowledge. For this purpose, two applications were developed, each for two example exhibits belonging to the Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke München, to allow users to view the exhibits on a computer or mobile device.
Additionally, during the course of this thesis, Agisoft Metashape was used to acquire a 3D model of one of the exhibits using photogrammetry.
The web application allows the user to view the 3D model of an exhibit in a browser window. The user can navigate around the model and zoom in and out using the mouse. Additionally, the user can double-click on the model to change the focus of the offered view onto the clicked part of the model. Furthermore, the application provides different buttons. One button presents information to help the user and explains the different functionalities offered to the user. A second button provides the user with general information about the displayed exhibit. In addition, the application provides two buttons for zooming in and out to enable the user to use this function even if a scroll wheel is not available. Furthermore, a button is provided to reset the view of the 3D model to the initial view in case the user should feel lost and unable to return to a desirable perspective while navigating the 3D model. Moreover, the application offers a button to disable the navigation around the 3D model except the zooming. This functionality has been added to allow the user the opportunity to deactivate the navigation from time to time if it should irritate them. Additionally, this application highlights certain areas of the 3D model which provides additional information about this area of the 3D model when clicked by the user.
Web application (Sog. Ganswürger): https://laurita22.itch.io/kmg
Web application (Modell der Igeler Säule): https://laurita22.itch.io/is
Bilder (Sog. Ganswürger):
The WebAR application allows the user to view the 3D model of an exhibit in a browser window on computers and also mobile devices. It utilizes Augmented Reality for placing the 3D model of the exhibit on a given marker. This application supports mouse and touch input to rotate and zoom the 3D model. The application also offers a button with advice of the functionalities provided by the application, a button for returning the 3D model to its original orientation and scale and a button offering general information about the presented exhibit. Additionally, this application supplies the user with buttons to highlight certain areas of the 3D model and offers additional information about the respective area of the displayed exhibit.
WebAR application (Sog. Ganswürger): https://laurita22.itch.io/kmgar QR code and Marker:
WebAR application (Modell der Igeler Säule): https://laurita22.itch.io/isar QR code and Marker:
Bilder (Sog. Ganswürger): 
Both applications have been optimized in terms of performance. Minor adaptions and modifications were made for displaying the second exhibit (Modell der Igeler Säule).
Both applications were evaluated using a survey inquiring about usability and potential impact on knowledge transfer. For this survey, ten participants, divided into two groups, were given both applications with different exhibits being displayed in a different order and asked to answer a series of questions. The web application presented the Modell der Igeler Säule and the WebAR application presented the Sog. Ganswürger. Among these questions were the ten questions from the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire and two questions concerning information about the presented exhibit.
Results and Conclusion
The results showed that the web application achieved an acceptable SUS score with a mean value of 86 ± 13.292 and a median value of 88.75 in regard to usability while the WebAR application achieved a SUS score in the lower marginal area between acceptable and not acceptable with a mean value of 58.25 ± 16.161 and a median value of 55. Thus, the latter application could profit from improvements regarding its usability.
In regard to knowledge transfer the participants on average answered 42.5% of the questions correctly. Thereby, the on average correctly answered questions for the web application was 55% and for the WebAR application 30%. Thus, both applications demonstrated some impact on knowledge transfer. However, the WebAR application demonstrated a lower impact and would most likely profit from improvements.
There were limitations to the study such as technical problems mainly with the WebAR application, a low number of participants, the individual motivation and the individual previous knowledge that potentially could have affected these results. The comments left by the participants of the survey suggest that improvements for the WebAR application should specifically focus on better support on different devices (e.g., iOS devices), a steadier presentation of the 3D model on the marker and avoiding the necessity of additional material (e.g., QR code, marker).
Furthermore, there are possible extensions of the applications viable such as the extension of the application using Augmented Reality to also support Virtual Reality or an extension of both applications to allow the placing and displaying of different exhibits to compare or research their relative position to each other as part of a composition.
Presentation slides: