Mukden Palace Experience Mixed Reality Interface

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Modern Museums typically built with innovative interactive experiences, those located within cultural landmarks and heritage sites often face a common challenge: the lack of such experiences. By using mixed reality design, Mukden Palace Experience, represents a pioneering approach by introducing new ways to display exhibits in heritage museums. This not only balances preserving cultural artifacts with digital interaction but also sets a pioneering example for heritage museums worldwide.

Dimensions & Packaging

In our design specifications, button dimensions are set at 16mm x 16mm, with a minimum spacing of 16mm between buttons. The maximum button height is 48mm. Default font size is 16 pixels, with auxiliary text set at 12 pixels, and subtitles and titles reaching up to 48 pixels. We utilize the SF Pro font from Apple Vision Pro, incorporating variations in weight to aid visual hierarchy across different contexts, ensuring users can quickly locate key elements.

Tags

Virtual Reality, Interactive Experience, Museum, Vision Pro, Interaction Design, User Experience Design, User Interface Design

Production Technology

We utilized Figma and Adobe Photoshop for interface design, supplemented by the macOS Xcode beta 6 virtual machine simulator for usability testing. Following Apple VisionPro's design guidelines, we ensured compliance with minimum button size and spacing requirements, optimizing gesture recognition and eye-tracking for an enhanced museum exploration experience.

Design Challenge

The creative challenge lay in deciphering users' true needs amidst their direct but often vague complaints. During primary research, I encountered feedback about exhibit boredom, overly complex audio guides, and lack of video content. By combining internet ethnography with deeper exploration of user motivations, we utilized brainstorming in the ideation phase of design thinking. This led us to discover that users desired immersive digital interactive experiences akin to modern museums.

Research

We conducted field observations, surveys, and interviews to understand user needs, supplemented by internet ethnography. Analyzing this data, we called out "How might we enhance the immersive touring experience for visitors to cultural heritage sites? ". Through user personas, empathy maps, and stakeholder analysis, we addressed key pain points in the user journey, guiding our design process to meet the needs of visitors and stakeholders.

Inspiration

The inspiration arose from recognizing the need to strike a balance between digital interactive experiences at cultural heritage sites and preserving their authenticity. Shenyang Palace Museum, as a model, I aimed to offer visitors a more immersive exploration of cultural landmarks through Mixed Reality. Visitors can delve deeper into the historical significance of exhibits, moving beyond mere textual explanations or superficial glances, and truly connecting with the richness of our heritage.

Project Duration

The project commenced in March 2023 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, and concluded its design, development, and testing phases in January 2024 in Plano, Texas, United States.

Operation Flow

Users need to wear devices like Apple Vision Pro that support mixed reality display and install our application. They can then immerse themselves in the exhibits using eye-tracking and gesture controls, such as grabbing and zooming. The museum enriches the experience by providing detailed descriptions, further analysis, images, videos, and more for users to explore the exhibits in depth.

Image Credits

Image #1: Photographer Jiayi Chen, Shenyang Palace Museum Interior, 2023.
Image #2: Photographer Jiayi Chen, Shenyang Palace Museum Exterior, 2023.
Image #3: Photographer Jiayi Chen, Shenyang Palace Museum Exhibit, 2023.
Image #4: Photographer Jiayi Chen, Shenyang Palace Museum Visitor Experience, 2023.
Image #5: Photographer Jiayi Chen, Shenyang Palace Museum Interactive Display, 2023.