Enhancing User Engagement and Personalization in Virtual Reality for Cultural Heritage Using a Dual-Layer Fuzzy-Based Approach

This study highlights the emerging need for enhanced user interaction in virtual reality (VR) systems designed for cultural heritage applications. Conventional VR systems often struggle to adapt to the diverse range of users, particularly in considering the various levels of technical skills and familiarity with VR technologies, as well as cultural knowledge, thereby limiting their ability to deliver content and engage users effectively. To address these gaps, the proposed fuzzy-based personalized VR system employs fuzzy weights to dynamically evaluate both users' Computer/VR skills and their understanding of cultural heritage. This dual-layer fuzzy-based approach enables VR system to adapt its functionality by presenting content through UI elements tailored to the users’ combined technical and cultural level of expertise. The combination of computer/VR skills and cultural knowledge ensures that both the how (technical interaction) and the what (cultural content) of the VR experience are personalized, enabling users to engage with the virtual environment effectively and efficiently. The VR system was evaluated using a T-Test on an experimental and a control group to assess its effectiveness in interface and content personalization compared to a conventional VR system. The findings indicate that the proposed VR system significantly outperforms the conventional approach, providing a more immersive, adaptive, and engaging user experience.