CSMC
CSMCCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures
The live demo was well received by the participants. Although they had little to no experience with VR headsets, they had no major issues using the VR application after a short introduction. Users approved of important features, such as the controllable 3D platform that allows users to move freely in space, offering them new perspectives on the theatre; the adjustable day and night cycle; and of course the 3D pins to locate the various types of inscriptions. At the same time, we gained valuable suggestions for future improvements. The demo showed the need for simple supporting features, for example a short VR tutorial or different reset options. Furthermore, custom complexity levels and specific guidance for the content need to be added to cater to different groups of users such as archaeologist, researchers from other fields, or tourists and visitors of museums.
Receiving the positive feedback was a good confirmation of the work currently done in this project, in particular by Jenny Gabel, who does research on novel interaction patterns and good user experience for immersive applications in the humanities. The insights we gained can be generalised and will be applied to other projects as well, such as ‘The Interior of the Church in Lucklum: A Compendium of Early Modern European Emblematics’. This project serves as an exemplary case in the research on immersive technology for the humanities and could provide important results for future projects in the digital humanities.
