The Virtual Museum Rubric: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) have opened the doors to many unique opportunities for individuals to create virtual exhibitions and museums. However, this does not guarantee the creation of successful museums, as many factors need to be considered to provide an enjoyable visitor experience. To this end, this paper describes our preliminary attempt to construct a rubric for assessing the quality of virtual reality museums. The development stage was divided into four main areas. First, a research team was asked to reflect on their desired expectations of the exhibitions, the goals for creating the museums, and their expectations. Second, the specifics of the evaluation of the design and structure were determined with reference to the museological literature. Thirdly, the related objectives were identified and grouped, leading to the formation of the core dimensions for the rubric. Finally, the core dimensions were used to create an evaluation rubric. The rubric was divided into four categories: Exhibition Planning, Spatial Design, Display, and Exhibition Graphics. For each category, the specific dimensions were selected, and the basic concepts were discussed. Furthermore, the evaluation criteria for successful exhibitions and experiences were presented, as well as how each dimension helps in the evaluation of virtual reality museums. The rubric we presented is expected to improve the overall quality of exhibitions and experiences of virtual reality museums.

 Keywords: Museology, Virtual Reality, Metaverse, Evaluation, Gallery

Received Date: March 15, 2023
Revised Date: May 13, 2023
Accepted Date: July 7, 2023