Multi-sensory, User-centred, Shared cultural Experiences through Interactive Technologies

Advancements in digital transformation have enriched the interactive experience of cultural heritage. The adoption of digital technologies has benefited the development of virtual museum tours, preservation of cultural assets, digitised archives enabling broader and engaging means of access to cultural heritage. Despite critical advances, structural deficiencies remain: lack of accessibility for all; limited opportunities for all members of society to participate in cultural and creative industries on equal basis; and limited interoperable digital repositories for archiving accessible multisensory cultural assets and related archival structures. With one billion people experiencing some form of disability and one-fifth of these experiencing significant disabilities, access or opportunities to engage with cultural assets is not equally available to all.
MuseIT aims to co-design, develop, and co-evaluate a multisensory, user-centred platform for enriched engagement with cultural assets with inclusion and equal opportunity for all as core principles. The MuseIT innovation is rooted in multisensory representations of cultural heritage which extend beyond the visual and auditory senses. More specifically, MuseIT will: a) co-design and develop multisensory representations and rendering of cultural assets, b) develop services for inclusive remote co-creation of multi-modal born-digital cultural assets, and c) develop formal specifications and strategies for inclusive archival preservation of cultural heritage. Participatory co-design activities will be integral to enable users with disabilities to be involved in decisions and designs that will affect their lives. Enriched experiences of cultural assets created by MuseIT will not be limited to this group and is likely to enhance the level of participation and enjoyment for all people. Impacts are likely to include the democratization of cultural asset experiences, and tangible growth in creative and cultural industries.