Per Kirkebys Aars: an app for exploring Vesthimmerland museums architecture

Pawlak, Kaspar ; Lombardo, Giovanni

4. term

Medialogy, Master

2019

2019-05-27

Dette kandidatspeciale præsenterede et kollaborativt projekt imellem Aalborg Universitet og Vesthimmerland Museum I Aars (Danmark), som bestod af udviklingen af en mobil applikation til smartphones, hvor brugeren kan navigere et virtuelt miljø der fremstiller en digital rekonstruktion af museumsbygningen. I applikationen kan brugeren samle og læse information relateret til selve museet og dens arkitekt Per Kirkeby, fordelt omkring museumsbygningen. En teoretisk undersøgelse blev udført, som bestod af sammenligningen af usability, intuitiveness og ease of use mellem de to forskellige styringsmetoder, et hvor brugeren har kontrol over deres position og orientering i det virtuelle miljø, og et hvor de kan styre deres orientering, men kun bevæge sin position mellem forudbestemte punkter, som blev kaldt \textit{explorative} og \textit{guided} styringsmetode respektivt. En pilot test udført med universitetsstuderende identificerede usability problemer, og senere blev en bruger-test på selve museet med ældre brugere udført. Testene bestod af at måle applikationens usability igennem en blanding af komparative spørgeforme og SUS scorer for hver styringsmetode. Den indsamlede data gav ingen statistisk signifikante resultater der indebar at en styringsmetode var mere usable end den anden eller at brugere foretrak en bestemt styringsmetode. Udmeldinger og meninger fra test deltagere indikerer at begge styringsmetoder havde bugs der alvorligt påvirkede resultaterne. Pilot testen med universitetsstuderende virker til at indikere at yngre brugere havde nemmere ved at bruge interaktionsparadigmerne præsenteret gennem styringsmetoderne, men de virkede stadig til at have problemer med følsomheden på swipe-roteringen.

This thesis presented a collaborative project between Aalborg University and Vesthimmerland Museum in Aars (Denmark), which consisted of the development of a mobile application for smartphone devices, where the user can navigate through a virtual environment showing a 3D reconstruction of the museum building. In the application, the user can collect and read information related to the museum itself and its architect Per Kirkeby, scattered around the museum building. A theoretical study was conducted, consisting of the comparison of usability, intuitiveness and ease of use between two different navigation controls, one where the user has control of their position and rotation inside the virtual environment, and one where they can control their orientation, but only move position between pre-determined positions, which was called \textit{explorative} and \textit{guided} controls respectively. A pilot test conducted with university students allowed for the identification of several usability problems, and later a user test conducted at the museum itself with target users of old age was performed. The tests consisted of measuring the usability of the application through a mix of comparative questionnaires and SUS scores for each control scheme. The data collected did not give statistically significant results that implied that one control was more usable than the other or that preferences from the test participants trended towards either control scheme. Statements and opinions from test participants gathered during the test seem to indicate that both control schemes had bugs that severely affected the results. The pilot test with university students seem to indicate that younger users have less difficulty in using the interaction paradigms presented through the control schemes, but they did however also seem to have trouble with the swipe rotation sensitivity.

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