Adult and children user experience with leap motion in digital heritage: The cycladic sculpture application

Abstract

Recent advances in low-cost sensor technologies, such as Microsoft Kinect and Leap Motion allow kinaesthetic interactions with interactive 3D applications. Museums and heritage institutions can significantly benefit from kinaesthetic applications that provide a more experiential approach for learning about cultural heritage; however detailed evaluations of the user experience are still scarce. This paper presents the development and user-centred evaluation of a cultural heritage application about sculpturing Cycladic figurines, which places users in the role of an ancient craftsman or sculptor who progressively creates a statue by selecting and applying the appropriate tools with bare-hand interactions tracked by the Leap Motion sensor. The evaluation of the user experience of ten adults and ten children in two subsequent studies reveals that users find the experience very positive and engaging but usability and tracking issues remain. We identify these issues and propose design guidelines to address them.