Augmented Reality and Cultural Heritage Engagement: An Exploratory Experimental Study at the National Museum in Riyadh

Augmented reality (AR) is increasingly used in museums to extend interpretation beyond static displays, yet controlled evidence from Saudi cultural heritage settings remains limited. Guided by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning and the Contextual Model of Learning, an artifact-triggered AR experience at the National Museum in Riyadh was evaluated in this exploratory field study. Following a visitor-needs assessment (n = 11), 30 female undergraduate participants were allocated to an AR condition (n = 15) or a non-AR control condition (n = 15) using manual random allocation. The AR experience used Artivive to present existing museum-label content as 2D animation and Arabic audio for two exhibits, without adding new factual information. Mann–Whitney U tests were used for between-group comparisons, with Welch tests as sensitivity analyses. Unadjusted analyses indicated higher immersion and creativity in the AR condition, and AR participants correctly recalled more target exhibit elements. Historical-context understanding was reported by 86.7% of AR participants and 46.7% of controls (Fisher’s exact p = 0.050). None of the eight inferential comparisons remained significant after Holm adjustment, so the findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Larger, adequately powered studies are needed to test these exploratory patterns.