Impressing Museum Visitors by Having Them Answer Questions Toward the Realization of an Interactive Viewing Support System

In this study, we examine how museum visitor's experience can be enhanced and made memorable long after their visit by engaging them in interactive question-and-answer sessions about the exhibits. Our hypothesis is that a viewing system in which museum exhibits pose questions to visitors and they respond based on their own interpretations will enable even those accustomed to viewing exhibits to have a more memorable experience. In the experiment, eight subjects viewed exhibits at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku). As part of our process, they answered questions related to the exhibits. Two days later, we conducted follow-up interviews. Experimental results indicate that questions prompting participants to imagine scenarios from their daily lives are more likely to leave lasting impression. Therefore, an interactive question-and-answer approach to viewing exhibits appears to be effective in creating a more memorable museum experience.