The disruption to tourism and travel caused by COVID-related health crisis highlights the potential of virtual tourism to provide a universially accessible way to engage in cultural experiences. 360-degree virtual tours, showing a realistic representation of the physical location, enable virtual tourists to experience cultural heritage sites and engage with their collecitons from the comfort and safety of their home. However, there is no clear standard for the design of such tours and the experience of visitors may vary widely from platform to platform.

In this research project, we investigate the design and impact of virtual tours, examining user experiences across diverse platforms and devices. Additionally, we explore different navigation types, as well as varying content and navigation structures specific to each platform. We focus on two key features of virtual tour navigation: the degree of freedom of movement (i.e., the number of system navigation points) and the transition between movements. Our ultimate goal is to improve user experience and satisfaction in virtual museum tours.

This project is funded by the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF)