Sonic enhancement of virtual exhibits

Abstract

Museums have widely embraced virtual exhibits. However, relatively little attention is paid to how sound may create a more engaging experience for audiences. To begin addressing this lacuna, we conducted an online experiment to explore how sound influences the interest level, emotional response, and engagement of individuals who view objects within a virtual exhibit. As part of this experiment, we designed a set of different soundscapes, which we presented to participants who viewed museum objects virtually. We then asked participants to report their felt affect and level of engagement with the exhibits. Our results show that soundscapes customized to exhibited objects significantly enhance audience engagement. We also found that more engaged audience members were more likely to want to learn additional information about the object(s) they viewed and to continue viewing these objects for longer periods of time. Taken together, our findings suggest that virtual museum exhibits can improve visitor engagement through forms of customized soundscape design.