Documents

A multi-method study of how different user groups interact with immersive storytelling environments developed in the IMPULSE project. This report presents the results of user research conducted to evaluate the IMPULSE virtual reality prototype. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the study explores how people from different backgrounds perceive, interpret and respond to immersive cultural heritage content. Carried out within Work Package 1 (WP1) and coordinated by the Jagiellonian University, the report offers insights into user experiences across several test locations. It includes practical findings and feedback that inform the further development of inclusive and engaging digital heritage applications.

A review of UX research methods and tools designed to study how different audiences engage with cultural content in virtual reality. This document presents the methodological foundations of the user research conducted in the IMPULSE project. It includes a review of current UX research methods based on academic literature and project-specific analysis, and proposes a framework for exploring how people experience and engage with immersive cultural heritage. The report outlines relevant tools and approaches for studying users’ behaviours, emotional responses and cognitive needs in virtual environments. Developed within Work Package 1 (WP1), it supports the design of meaningful, user-informed VR heritage experiences.

This report addresses a critical challenge in the digital cultural heritage sector: the disparity between file formats optimized for archival purposes and those suitable for real-time, interactive virtual environments (VE). Heritage institutions typically prioritize high-fidelity, preservation-focused formats like TIFF, RAW, PLY, and WAV to ensure long-term integrity. While essential for archives, these formats are often large and complex, rendering them inefficient for direct use in VEs that demand rapid loading and efficient GPU rendering.

In line with the aims of WP2 of the IMPULSE project, this report highlights the current technological landscape for the purpose of facilitating the development of decentralised, open-access solutions for reusing, recycling, and / or upcycling existing digitised cultural heritage content in a way that will bolster user engagement via the adoption of novel eXtended Reality (XR) technologies by cultural institutions.

The Deliverable D5.3 provides the information about the process and the implementation of the collaborative space that will be adopted by IMPULSE partners and the IMPULSE Community of Practice along the duration of the project and during specific initiatives.