A Framework for Designing, Developing, and Evaluating Immersive and Collaborative Interactive Exhibitions in Cultural Heritage

Interactive exhibitions and their design are inherently complex due to the multifaceted challenges involved and the interdisciplinary expertise required. Immersive interactive exhibitions pose even greater challenges, as immersion for audiences extends beyond physical engagement to include emotional investment and cognitive interaction. In the context of cultural heritage, such exhibitions aim to transport audiences across time and space through technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 3D reconstruction, allowing them to “experience” historical moments firsthand. However, designing these exhibitions requires overcoming numerous obstacles, such as technical limitations, content accuracy, audience diversity, and cultural sensitivity. Immersive interactive exhibitions in cultural heritage demand additional efforts to integrate immersion and collaboration among participants. This paper introduces the FRACH framework for conceptualizing, designing, and evaluating immersive and collaborative interactive exhibitions in cultural heritage. Specifically, FRACH provides a design framework encompassing all steps from early-stage design to the evaluation of interactive exhibitions. We assess the framework’s effectiveness through a case study of a cultural heritage interactive exhibition titled “Linjing Dou: Jingju Media Art Interactive Space Exhibition,” where participants engaged with Peking Opera culture through immersive experiences and completed interactive tasks related to the exhibition. Evaluation results demonstrated the exhibition’s effectiveness in knowledge acquisition: participants enjoyed the experience, exhibited high engagement with the immersive elements, and provided positive feedback on the use of interactive exhibitions for cultural heritage education.