Evaluating Museum Environment Composition Containing Digital Media Interaction to Improve Communication Efficiency

Abstract

As a cultural tourism destination, museums offer opportunities for educational and exploratory experiences to all individuals. This aligns with the universal design, a concept including seven principles aimed at ensuring that everyone can equally enjoy visiting museums, facilities, and services. This paper aims to develop a framework for assessing the impact of digital media interaction on the museum exhibition environment and on visitor behavior, employing universal design principles to enhance the efficiency of museum visits. Five museums, each representing different styles, were chosen as case studies from the newly constructed cultural tourism museums in China to achieve this research objective. Qualitative and quantitative data provide a detailed picture of each exhibition hall from the perspective of visitors and demonstrate the advantages of using the 7UD evaluation framework. The results of the environmental measurements demonstrate how the display environments of the five museums are constructed in different ways. The issues identified include the lack of specific guiding information or poor location of the digital media within the exhibition environment, obstacles in the main communication spaces, and overcrowding, which reduces the efficiency of visits. The results, based on the 7UD evaluation checklist, indicated that the environment, when combined with the digital media, which has more problems and barriers, and corresponds to lower 7UD scoring rates. The evaluation framework based on 7UD captures the visitors’ interactive behaviors with exhibits through detailed indicators and meticulous data collection. These findings identify issues and visiting obstacles present in the museum exhibition environment influenced by digital media and confirm that the seven principles of Universal Design can be applied to the hypothesized problems to find potential solutions. The results directly support the further development of the exhibition design.

1. Introduction

Global cultural tourism is developing rapidly, especially in China, where “museum + cultural tourism” has become a new trend in society [1,2]. In 2023, China added 268 new museums, bringing the total number of museums nationwide to 6833, and all museums collectively received 1.29 billion visitors. An increasingly diverse set of digital media technologies is being used in cultural tourism museums to enhance the appeal and visitor experience to a wider audience. Extensive research has shown that the use of digital resources in exhibitions about cultural heritage has proven beneficial by providing supplementary information in limited exhibition spaces more diversely [3,4,5], while multisensory forms enhance the experience of the exhibition for all visitors [6,7]. However, significant physical environment barriers and limitations affect the efficiency of museum visits [7,8,9,10]. Professionals should be aware that digital technology must be used as a medium rather than an end in itself. Ideally, the digital technology in museums should be harmoniously integrated with the exhibition space environment to effectively convey the exhibition content [8,11,12]. The seven principles of Universal Design (7UD) can be used to evaluate the behavior and perception of visitors in museum environments [6,13].

Universal Design (UD) refers to the design of products, environments, programs, and services that are usable by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation or specialized design. The UD principles were designed to consider the diversity of users. It encompasses seven principles: equitable use, flexible use, perceptible information, simple and intuitive use, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use [6,13,14,15]. To create a high-quality exhibition environment for all museum visitors, designers must consider the needs of individuals across various age groups, abilities, and interests, including those with disabilities such as visual, hearing, and physical impairments [6,14,15]. The concept that “museums are designed for everyone” aligns with the seven principles of Universal Design [6,15,16]. Therefore, to identify and elucidate the factors that make museum environments welcoming to the general public and attract them to participate in museum visits [6,16,17], this study introduced and utilized the 7UD.

The behavioral characteristics of visitors in exhibition environments are considered key indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of exhibitions [18]. However, to date, no study has explored the interrelationships between the environment, visitor behavior, and interaction with the digital media. A major challenge faced in this field is the difficulty in systematically and precisely quantifying the exhibition environment, which is composed of digital interactions.

The research objective is to develop an evaluation framework utilizing 7UD to assess the accessibility of exhibition perception and environments that incorporate digital media. The evaluation process identifies issues and visitation barriers resulting from digital media interactions and seeks opportunities for improvement to enhance the efficiency of museum visiting. The empirical data was obtained through the three stages recommended in the research design.

Phase 1: Explore the characteristics of exhibition environments influenced by digital media, including physical environments and information spaces, and whether they meet requirements and/or are suitable for all different types of visitors.

Phase 2: Analyze the alignment between exhibition environments, digital media, UD, and visit behavior, and developing an assessment checklist utilizing 7UD.

Phase 3: Audit the behavior of various types of participants as they enter exhibition spaces and interact with the media exhibits, focusing on personal characteristics and using the 7UD checklist to assess the relationship between their behavior and any issues that arise as a criterion for successful research.

This research contributes to knowledge of several fields, including cultural tourism, museum exhibition, and digital media design, and proposes design principles and concepts for applying UD to improve exhibition accessibility and visitation efficiency. This knowledge can inform other studies to enable them to overcome barriers in museum exhibition design.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Keyword Analysis and Research Gap

This study employed a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis methods to obtain a broad research framework. The literature review was conducted in the two primary databases, Scopus and ScienceDirect, and with Google Scholar as a secondary database (used when there was no information in Scopus or ScienceDirect). A total of 281 articles from 2003 to 2023 were mapped.

Four key terms defined by previous researchers have been applied throughout this study of the problem: (1) Cultural Tourism Museum, (2) Digital Media Interaction, (3) Visitor Experience, and (4) UD Principles. To improve the efficiency of the search process, this study adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework [19].

Step 1: A keyword-combined search in Scopus and ScienceDirect was conducted using Boolean operators to identify articles that contained the following key terms in the title, abstract, or keywords: (museum*cultural-tourism) and (UD)*(digital media interaction*visitor experience). All articles that met the Boolean search string were input into CADIMA to remove duplicates, with 2538 remaining. During the retrieval process, it was found that there were few documents related to universal design and museum design, as well as to digital media interaction design. Therefore, a keyword search was conducted on Google Scholar using the combination of (UD) and (digital media interaction*visitor experience*museum). This keyword search yielded 54 articles, which were selected after a brief review of their titles and abstracts.

Step 2: The articles found in the three databases in CADIMA were further filtered to remove 70 duplicate articles, 9 articles without abstracts, and 18 non-English articles, totaling 97 relevant articles.

Step 3: A total of 2213 pieces of literature were excluded by carefully reading the titles and abstracts of the literature and concluding that they were not closely related to physical museums and digital media design. There were 281 articles considered to meet the criteria, as shown in

Table 1. Results of research with keywords from three databases. Source: Author.

Database	Search Terms (Titles, Abstracts, and Keywords)	Total (First Pass)	Total (Secd. Pass)	Total (Third Pass)	Total
Scopus	(museum*cultural-tourism) and (UD)*(digital media interaction*visitor experience)	2440	2409	222	281
ScienceDirect		98	41	16
Google Scholar		54	46	43

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An RIS file containing 2495 documents was imported into VOS viewer (V.1.6.20), and the keywords were configured to detect the frequency of occurrences of more than five keywords. The results produced by the VOS viewer 1.6.20 software ultimately showed four clusters of keywords, with each keyword represented by size and different colors. Figure 1 illustrates these clusters and their respective link strengths. This indicates that the adoption trend of multimedia and universal design in museum cultural tourism mainly focuses on four themes: (1) museums, exhibitions, digital media, interactive design (green); (2) cultural heritage, cultural tourism, sustainability, visitors (yellow); (3) environment, universal design, accessibility, communication (red); (4) experience, tourism behavior, museum visitors, storytelling (blue).

However, these results did not reveal any keywords associated with the integration of digital media into exhibition spaces and environments to evaluate and improve the efficiency of cultural heritage museum visits. This constitutes a research gap that overlooks the potential to enhance museum cultural heritage tourism by assessing and enhancing the usability of digital media within the exhibition environment.

2.2. Characteristics of Museum Exhibitions in Cultural Tourism

2.2.1. The Characteristics of Museum Visitor Diversity in the Cultural Tourism Context

This topic focuses on the motivations and behavioral characteristics of tourists that influence the visitors’ decisions on whether to visit museums. In this process, the physical environment of the museum acts as a mediating factor [20]. The review shows that the target audience of current cultural tourism is narrow in scope and lacks tourist diversity. Different types of visitors and attitudes may bring different expectations and experiences [21]. Many studies are gradually focusing on the behavioral motivations of specific types of visitors, such as research on family visitors with children, research on young adult visitors, and research on elderly visitors [3,22,23]. Some studies also concentrate on the number of visitors [16,24,25] and the purpose of the visit [25,26,27].

Another manifestation of the characteristics of visitor diversity is the diversity of motivations [16]. This study focuses on the visitors’ learning motivations [16,20] and leisure motivations [21,28,29]. In a specific museum environment, whether visitors are attracted and retain information depends not only on the physical layout of the museum space or the quality and interest of the exhibitions [30], but on the combination of social behavioral factors that determine how visitors perceive and utilize these elements [29], which is related to the cognitive motivations of the different types of visitors. Studying visitor behavior is crucial for a deeper understanding of why and how tourists enter museums. To comprehend this behavior, it is essential to have a broader background knowledge of their motivations and experience patterns.

2.2.2. Museum Exhibition Environment and Digital Media

This topic reveals the innovations and challenges brought by digital media interactive technology to museum exhibition design in the context of cultural tourism, as well as its impact on the exhibition environment. The early application of digital media technology in exhibitions was aimed at expanding and explaining the exhibition content, such as information kiosks, knowledge windows, and televisions [31]. With the development of exhibition technology and theory, digital media has been used to update and enhance old museum exhibitions, providing visitors with more diverse and interactive options, such as quick access to information, audio–visual stimulation, balancing depth and breadth of exhibitions, and integrating and considering aspects of entertainment and education [7]. In recent years, with the introduction of experiential design concepts, an increasing number of new digital media technologies, such as digital holographic projection, VR, AR, beacons, 3D scanning, and other technological means, have been applied to museum exhibitions, to exhibition narratives, and to interactions, enhancing visitor experiences and visitor studies [32,33]. Digital media technologies, including audiovisuals, touch screens, virtual reality, holographic imaging, dynamic cinemas, and artificial intelligence, have injected vitality into traditional static displays. These technologies offer a strong emotional impact, a large capacity for information, high efficiency in communication, and transcendence of temporal and spatial boundaries. The introduction of these emerging technologies has altered the traditional narrative structure of museums by allowing audiences to influence and change or elaborate the narrative through “interactive and participatory means”, creating new narrative spaces [7,10,15,34].

As shown in Figure 2, a digital narrative adds a digital dimension to the original information space, expanding the time and space of the exhibition content, which has brought new changes to the museum exhibition environment [7].

2.3. Museum Exhibition Environment and Visitor Behavior

2.3.1. Exhibition Environment Composition Containing Digital Media

An exhibition environment is created through artistic language and design techniques to produce a specific space that expresses and conveys the content of the display information [18]. Under the influence of digital media interaction technology, including the original physical spatial dimensions, new experiences are related to the changes that digital media brings to exhibition environments [9,31]. The communication system of the museum exhibition environment affected by the combined digital media is displayed in Figure 3. With digital interaction, the exhibition environment has become more complex [15,31]. From the perspective of the impact on physical space and the influence on atmosphere, digital media technology can create spatial scale, light, and shadow [18]. The interactivity of digital media also affects the flow of museum visits and can even create obstacles [9]. When scholars from Taiwan conducted measurement studies on the layout and positioning of exhibits, they found that some visitors were attracted by the media but chose to leave because they could not approach the exhibits in a short time. This part of the content involves the obstacles caused by digital media technology to exhibitions and visiting behaviors [10,12]. Different from other tourism products, the audience for museums is not only composed of those seeking tourism and relaxation but includes a significant proportion of learning-based visitors [20,29]. Consequently, the learnability of the exhibition environment’s information expression becomes a crucial factor influencing the visitors’ interest and interaction [35]. Moreover, the accessibility and readability of the environment and exhibits also impact the visitors’ behavior [20,36,37]. For detailed factors and evaluation indicators, please refer to the “Physical Environment” and “Information Space” sections in Appendix B.

2.3.2. Evaluation of Exhibition Environment Composition Containing Digital Media

The main responsibility of the exhibition in the museum is the dissemination of information, while the external visual materials and the internal content framework of the digital devices are the communication medium connecting the information with the visitors [37,38,39]. Therefore, the spatial configuration, interaction device, and explanatory cards of digital media have also become the carrier of concrete information that can attract the visitors’ attention and trigger participation [11,37,39], as well as the intersections of interaction between the visitors’ behavior and the information.

The evaluation of exhibition environments has a wide range of research outcomes. Walkout/walk through the exhibition, scenario access, interview, and questionnaires are commonly used evaluation methods [9,12,30,36,40,41,42]. The evaluation of digital experiences in museums mainly includes user experience evaluation, semantic analysis, and satisfaction surveys [20,29,30,35,43]. The measurement tool currently used to measure information spaces and visitor experiences is the semantic scale, which is based on verbal judgments. The results are influenced by the cultural level and understanding ability of the respondents, which can easily lead to bias. Therefore, this study is based on non-contact observation and on-site interviews, and the evaluation is conducted according to the scale. Appendix B shows the relevant elements and indicators.

2.3.3. Visitor Behavior

Human behavior is governed by motivation. People with different characteristics enter the environment with motivation, expectations, goals, and other psychological states and choose to receive environmental information through feelings and actions [44]. The visitor behavior generated by the museum environment is a behavior that occurs after the audience processes the relevant information about the museum environment through the emotional process of environmental perception. This can include both the physical environment (such as display layout, display methods, etc.) and the psychological environment (such as the audience’s own expectations, values, and experiential feelings, etc.) [44,45].

Table 2. Three factors influencing visitor behavior for museums. Source: Literature.

Factors	Details
Design factors	The presentation of exhibition content and quality, no obstacles to visiting, and attractive exhibitions are conducive to the conduct of visiting behavior.
Visitors	Visitors’ interest, purpose, motivation, knowledge, and past experiences as the basis for deciding whether to stay or leave.
Behavior preference	Includes demographic characteristics, the number of times visiting the museum annually
Behavior characteristics	Individual visits, group visits, or companion-type visits will generate different behavioral characteristics and points of interest among various audiences.
Environmental factors	Consider the museum as a holistic environment where visitors receive stimuli from environmental messages. The accessibility, readability, learnability, and aesthetic quality of the environment and exhibits all influence the behavior of visitors.

shows the factors affecting visit behavior; emphasis was placed on the visitor factors.

2.3.4. Visitor Attention

Attention encompasses not only psychological processes, such as visual search and the depth of cognitive processing, but measures or indicators of behaviors, like approaching exhibits, pausing to view exhibits, the duration of viewing, and reading explanatory texts, which directly contribute to a variety of visiting behaviors. Visitors must seek out exhibits that capture their attention to gain any meaningful experience [11,12]. The attention processes of museum visitors during their visit are complex and can be divided into three stages according to the three principles of attention: the attention selection stage, the concentration stage, and the engagement stage. The capture stage concerns the selection of attention, where visitors seek out exhibits that attract them. The concentration stage is driven by motivation, determining whether an exhibit is worth investing energy in. The engagement stage is characterized by limited attention, where visitors choose to delve into exhibits that require less effort and are easy to satisfy. Design elements include the interpretation of the theme and content, and whether the form is interesting [11,12,21,36]. The behavioral characteristics of visitors serve as an external indicator for observing the effectiveness of exhibitions, with specific indicators and details retrievable in Appendix B under the dimension of information space.

2.4. Universal Design and Museums

Modern museums have become cultural and educational institutions open to the entire society, where anyone can be a visitor to the museum regardless of age, culture, faith, race, or class [24]. People of all ages, cultures, faiths, races, and classes in society should be understood to be visitors to the museum; museums are designed for everyone [46]. Thus, some studies have introduced the concept of inclusive design into the design of museum exhibitions to promote visiting museums as an activity of cultural tourism, to better reflect the diversity of visitors, and to take action [6,16]. Exhibition designs are no longer solely for individual users or a specific group (such as children or students). This is consistent with the UD concepts, which emphasize the sustainability of society and the belief that differences in physical abilities are a regular condition of humanity, and encourage equal access to all services and functions.

Universal Design was first coined by architect Ronald L. Mace in 1985. The principles of UD were first applied to museum architecture by Mace and others in 1997 [6,47,48]. The guidelines designed by LMB and Berlin emphasize the application of UD principles to the positioning and guidance, exhibits, content, and access of museums [13,49].

Table 3. The main implementation in museums is based on UD principles. Source: [6,14,47].

The UD Principle and Main Characteristics	Implementation in a Museum Exhibition
Equitable Use—UD1 Designed to meet the needs of everyone. Designing for all in museum design aims to provide opportunities for cultural engagement for all different visitors.	All visitors can enter the space/area equally.
	Accessible entry and routes (horizontal and vertical), rather than creating separate accessible solutions.
Flexibility in Use—UD2 Design can adapt to many choices, allowing visitors to choose from several route options, sequences, and spatial timings.	Use movable partitions to connect or divide media exhibition spaces. Different route choices and time schedules. Flexible routes also support the structure of the exhibition.
	Using elevators, ramps, stairs, escalators, and innovative vertical circulation methods.
	Enough channels allow for flexible entry and exit.
Simple and Intuitive Use—UD3 Self-explanatory solutions (regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language, or current level of attention, the design can be easily understood on how to use it.) Means of helping in navigation are applied.	Intuitive moving and wayfinding are very important for every user. Open plan, orthogonal, circular route. Sign above the doorway to the room.
	The exhibition structure is clear, exhibits are easy to understand and learn, and museum staff explains. Using contrast in colors or materials. Internal and external views.
	People from different cultural backgrounds can recognize language systems or visual information.
	Reduce the complexity of the physical environment. Consistency between content and form.
Perceptible Information—UD4 When different modes are combined, communication is effective. Provide information in a multi-sensory way; for example, exhibitions should be interactive, supporting hands-on activities and multi-sensory approaches.	Tactile models and relief maps, acoustic information, sign language, and tactile Latin and Braille—information that can be touched. 3D representation/layout of exhibition rooms in the entrance space
	Multilingual, easy to read, logos and pictograms. Indication of path location and space (informing the audience of their current location and the upcoming route to prevent getting lost).
	Compare the background behind the exhibits. Exhibits can be observed from various distances and angles with multiple visual perceptions.
Tolerance for Error—UD5 The environment is risk-free, with dangers and errors minimized. No sensory overload (intense light, reflections on smooth surfaces, inappropriate contrast, colors, noise)	There are no prominent objects in the environment; the height of these objects should ensure that all visitors will not come into contact with them. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.
	Spaces with lower ceilings, under stairs, or under beams are marked in various ways.
	A reasonable space ensures that visitors do not feel any danger or threat. Considering the small spatial scale, the safety hazards it brings when there are too many people.
	Diffuse effects and matte surfaces create an environment that is less visually fatiguing, and materials that absorb noise help to make spaces less busy and more tranquil.
Low Physical Effort—UD6 The design should minimize fatigue and repetitive movements. Layouts should not require unnecessary walking, which could lead to fatigue and discomfort. Comfortable exercise/Ergonomic solutions/Minimizes fatigue	Spaces with appropriate lighting, nonslip surfaces, and handrails can reduce physical exertion. Opportunity for rest.
	Easy to operate exhibits and forms.
	Seating: various seating options, providing suitable seating and space for people of all body types.
Size and Space for Approach and Use—UD7 Provides sufficient space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance. Regardless of physical characteristics, such as body size or ability, appropriate size and space will be allocated for approach, contact, and operation.	The entrance and circulation areas allow free movement. The spatial solutions of the exhibition hall must accommodate a wide range of users. There is enough space between exhibits, such as between digital media and physical exhibits or explanatory information. The main information is located at the appropriate height.

systematizes the main criteria for evaluating both environments of the museum exhibition based on the 7UD principles.

Regarding the evaluation of Universal Design principles, Filová et al. assessed museum buildings in 2018, examining individual components of the space from multiple perspectives instead of appraising the entire structure based on the seven principles of UD [6].

In the field of data analysis, Wang et al. considered the precise analytical processing of data in their study to avoid intensive computational work, employing quantitative data and correlation analysis for comprehensive evaluation [37].

The literature review further refines the design elements and environmental factors that influence visiting behavior. Appendix B provides a comprehensive list of influencing factors and the technical means for their assessment.

3. Materials and Methods

This study is based on empirical research conducted in five newly built cultural tourism museums in the mainland region of China. The criteria for selecting the cases are as follows: (1) museums constructed in China within the past five years, with the aim of cultural heritage dissemination; (2) museums situated in renowned tourist cities in China; and (3) the most popular museums in China, as chosen by the China Museum Association.

Table 4. The characteristics of the five case museums. Source: Author.

Name of the Museum	City and Year	Museum Features
Suzhou MuseumWest (SWM) International Hall Historical Hall	2021 Suzhou	A new museum collaborating with the British Museum for exhibition curation.
		Suzhou is a renowned tourist city, and the SWM is one of the few internationalized museums in China.
Museum of Wu (WCM) Basic Exhibition Hall 1 Basic Exhibition Hall 3	2020 Suzhou	Museum exhibitions focus on Parent–child family visitors
		Interpretation and presentation of the history and heritage of Wu Zhong and won the “Top Ten Display Exhibition Excellence Recommended Award” by Chinese museums in 2020.
China Grand Canal Museum (GCM) “Boats on the Canal” Exhibition Hall	2021 Yangzhou	Immersive media recommended by KOLs attracts tourists.
		Display canal cultural heritage. This is the hottest cultural tourism museum on Chinese social media, known for its immersive media experiences. It attracts a large number of young tourists. This is an excellent example of museums driving tourism.
Chiangnan Watery Region Culture Museum of China (CWM) Basic Exhibition Hall	2022 Hangzhou	Telling cultural heritage stories with digital media, as recommended by professional designers.
		For the unique culture and architectural heritage of the watery region of Chiangnan. “Top Ten Display Exhibition Excellence Recommended Award” by Chinese museums in 2022. The combination of media design has been well-received by the industry.
Wu and Yue Culture Museum (WYM) Basic Exhibition Hall 1	2024 Hangzhou	A new museum that integrates cultural tourism, parent–child interaction, and valuable cultural relics.
		Part of the heritage park, it is famous for its exhibits and attracts many cultural tourists. At the same time, the exhibition utilizes a variety of digital media technologies to interpret history.

displays the characteristics of the five case museums. The research employed three phases and two distinct research methods (quantitative and practice-based), employing unstructured behavioral observation and scenario access [6,42]. To ensure the validity of the research, a heuristic evaluation method was adopted during the research process.

It is crucial to delve into the diverse needs of visitors and understand how to meet these needs in various ways. Therefore, during the museum walkthrough of exhibitions, a random sampling of different types of visitors was conducted for observation and interviews, asking them about the problems and feelings they encountered during their visit. The survey was conducted at the five museums every Wednesday and Saturday in January and February 2025.

3.1. Phase 1: Exploratory Research

Through the documentation method, the environmental factors influencing visitor behavior and visit efficiency in the museums and exhibitions were identified. Point-to-point interviews with five experts were conducted on the current museum environment and digital media interaction. A physical feature evaluation checklist for accessibility, as shown in

Table 5. Environment feature evaluation checklist for accessibility. Source: Author.

Physical Feature Evaluation Checklist for Accessibility
Museum: Suzhou Museum West	Location: International Hall	Date: 12 January 2025
·Exhibit items Number and Name:   【Sw9-1】Cartoon video wall	Design features and elements and Evaluation criterion * A. Physical environment, B. Information Space	Level
		Good	Fair	Poor
--Location of the exhibit item:	A1. The location of the digital device is clear and easy to access.		√
	A2. There is plenty of space to interact and watch		√
	A3. The movement of exhibition items is clear, and there is no obstruction to the tour route with the digital media devices			√
	A4. Flexible visiting routes and ignoring the time will not affect the exhibition structure by digital interaction.	√
-- On-site Photo:	A5. Interactive exhibit items can be identified and recognized			√
	A6. The exhibit is running normally and can be operated as expected.			√
	A7. The light and shadow from digital media are suitable and will not affect the surrounding exhibits.		√
	A8. The exhibit is ergonomically designed, with appropriate viewing/operating space/Scale			√
	A9. The scale of interaction is reasonable, and there are no difficulties			√
--Description of the exhibit items:	B1. Have clear operating instructions or introduction		√
·This is an animated projection wall located on the left side of the exhibition hall entrance, depicting scenes from the life of an Assyrian king. The visitor stands at a fixed viewing point, initiating the animation playback.	B2. An attractive title or image.			√
	B3. The display content is clear and logically related to the exhibition content.		√
	B4. Content expansion. The information load will not be high or low.			√
	B5. Artistic expression, consistent with the exhibition content, and clear	√
	B6. Clear information t conveyed, which will not confuse people.	√
	B7. Interpretation of content and knowledge points, Moderate difficulty			√

* The evaluation checklist is divided into two parts according to the characteristics of the museum exhibition environment: A. the physical environment and B. the information space.

, was created to record the environmental characteristics and problem descriptions of the exhibition. The experts involved include a senior museum exhibition designer from Japan, a professor of exhibition design, an associate professor of digital media interactive design, an archaeologist, a professional museum exhibition curator, and a museum exhibition deepening designer. To comprehend the experts’ perspectives on the utilization of digital media technology and its influence on visitor experience, as well as to identify factors that may impact visitor interest and interactive behavior, unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted [31]. During these interviews, a series of “what” and “why” questions were posed to grasp the experts’ reasoning. This method is known as the laddering technique, as it aims to progressively uncover reasoning at various levels of abstraction [35]. The questions posed encompass, but are not limited to, the following: “What are the reasons for considering digital media when planning exhibitions?”; “Why do you believe that digital interactivity can enhance visitor interest?”; “What factors do you think would prompt visitor interest, and why?”; “How do you feel about the digital media performance of this museum, and why?”; “What do you think are the reasons for such issues?”.

The features of exhibition environments were measured in the five museums by exhibition walkthrough and behavioral observation, and recorded using the environment feature evaluation checklist. This phase of the process analyzed and identified the general issues of this study.

3.2. Phase 2: Generative Research

Utilizing the criteria of 7UD from Table 3, and referencing the segment of the access audit checklist proposed by Filová in her study [6], a framework for assessment was developed to evaluate the physical environment and visitor experience in museum exhibitions influenced by combined digital media. This identified current accessibility issues related to the physical environment, media interaction, and exhibition content. Five experts were invited to use and evaluate the tool. The tool has been revised based on expert feedback until it can be applied to the survey. The assessment framework, UD1-UD3, is shown in

Table 6. Example of a segment of environment evaluation checklist in the access audit. Source: Author.

Environment Evaluation Checklist of Digital Media Design for All Based on the Seven Principles of UD
Museum: Suzhou Museum West Location: International Hall—“King of Assyria: Ashurbanipal”		Exhibit Number: [SW9-1] Cartoon video wall
* Visitor types: FC—Family with children; S—Single middle-aged visitor; Ts—Group of four or more teenagers and students; E—Elderly audience; Cp—Couples (friends, partners, family members); D—Audience with special needs; Cs—College students.
* Y—meets the requirements; N—does not meet the requirements; F—partially meets the requirements; O—element does not exist
UD1 Equitable Use			Target Visitor							Comments
Evaluation criteria	Criteria details		Fc	S	Ts	E	Cp	Cs	D
UD1-1 Can all visitors watch/participate/enter this exhibition area or space?	☑ There are enough channels/entrances to enter.	☐ Y ☐ N ☑ F ☐ O	√	√		√	√	√	√
	☐ There are equivalent entrances with ramps.		O	O	O	O	O	O	O
	☐ There are visual images and guidance suitable for visitors of all types.		√
	☑ The location of the exhibits will not be ignored due to the choice of route.		√				√
UD1-2 Can all visitors have an equal visiting experience?	☐ The exhibition form and style are suitable for all types of visitors, with no specific audience guidance.	☐ Y ☐ N ☑ F ☐ O	√				√			Cartoon image
	☐ Accessible, adjustable operational forms to accommodate different types of visitors.		√	√			√	√
	☑Multilingual or visual information caters to various types of visitors.		√	√	√	√	√	√	√
UD1-3 Are the operation and content of the exhibit suitable for all?	☑ Good content structure can be watched/understood without difficulty and does not require prior learning experience.	☑ Y ☐ N ☐ F ☐ O	√	√	√	√	√	√	√	No information and Knowledge
	☑ The operation and understanding of the exhibit will not be affected by ignoring other exhibition contents.		√	√	√	√	√	√	√
	☐Visitors can obtain knowledge based on their understanding.		√

* A total of 31 details are not shown for UD2–UD7.

.

3.3. Phase 3: Evaluation

The scenario access further investigated physical barriers that could affect the accessibility of service spaces, as well as the physical barriers to the users’ spatial behavior and needs. Since the location of the media interaction exhibits impacts their availability, the researchers did not influence the participants’ purpose and process of visiting in any way. In the five museums, a total of 85 groups of visitors from different age groups and cultures were invited to participate in the survey. The groups included parent–child families, couples visiting with others, the elderly, middle school student groups, college students, middle-aged individuals visiting alone, and foreigners. Participants were selected from the visitors on-site, characterized by their exhibition viewing behavior, excluding those on tours, looking for directions, or showing signs of fatigue. Affected by the daily visitor flow to the museum, the number of participants of each type varies among the different museums. The specific types and quantities of participants are shown in

Table 7. The number of participants for the Scenario access audit. Source: Author.

NO.	Museum	Visitor Type							Total
		Parent–Child Family	Couples/ Partners	Middle- Aged	College Students	Middle School Student	Elderly	Foreigner
1	GCM	2	2	2	4	3	2	1	16
2	MCM	3	2	3	3	2	2	2	17
3	CWM	4	3	2	3	2	3	2	19
4	WYM	3	2	3	2	2	2	1	15
5	SWM	2	3	2	2	4	3	2	18
		14	12	12	14	13	12	8	85

.

Upon entering the exhibition hall, participants were observed by researchers who began tracking and recording the operational and interactive conditions of their engagement with various digital media exhibits. In non-contact natural observation, participant behavior and operational constraints, together with their experiences, were then compared against the 7UD checklist. This process was used to determine the spaces and media interaction facilities that meet the requirements of different types of visitors, as well as how these spaces and media succeeded or failed. The acquired data, recorded through the checklist in Table 6, was imported into SPSSv27, and all results were recorded, identified, analyzed, and then categorized, determining issues group-by-group and isolating issues at frequency levels, which led to a percentage system.

The specific instructions are as follows: Import the original UD evaluation data for each digital exhibit, acquired during the review process, into SPSS27 for recoding and calculation. Assign a value of 1 for compliance (Y) and 0 for non-compliance (N), resulting in a 7UD scoring rate percentage. This is achieved mathematically through basic statistical formulas, which leads to a percentage system. (1) Execute descriptive statistics and cross-variant analysis to determine the impact of various indicators on visitor behavior. Categorize the results into five levels based on the scoring rate: 0–20% = Failed, 20–40% = Poor, 40–60% = Fair, 60–80% = Good, 80–100% = Excellent. (2) Perform bivariate analysis in SPSS27 to investigate the relationship between visitor characteristics and UD.

3.4. Research Design

The purpose of this study included the development of a framework for assessing the accessibility of museum exhibition environments composed of digital media interaction using the 7UD evaluation framework. That four-stage research design method was adopted during the implementation of the study, which applies to research derived from various studies and methods, including an evaluation phase [39]. Based on the actual research objectives and Marco L’s four-stage model [24], it divides the research into the Scoping and Definition stage, the Exploratory Research stage, the Generative Research stage, and an Evaluation stage to assess the impact of normativity and practical work. Figure 4 shows the connections between these stages, the basic methods used in each stage, and the main outcomes.

4. Results

4.1. Environmental Features and Problems Analysis in Five Museums

During the preliminary research, the researchers visited 58 cultural tourism museums in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to observe and record aspects of culture and heritage. Five of the most representative museums were ultimately selected as case studies, which included different intersections of exhibition and various digital media interactions. Environmental characteristics and visiting barriers also show different manifestations.

4.1.1. Problems Analysis in Suzhou Museum West (SWM)

The SWM is located in Suzhou City, China, and opened to the public in September 2021. The museum displays the historical culture and intangible cultural heritage of the Suzhou region, while the application of digital media focuses more on the interpretation and presentation of heritage and craftsmanship. Suzhou is a well-known tourist city, but the museum does not attract many tourists, residents, or youth study groups from other cities as the main visitors.

The investigation was conducted in the International Hall and the Historical Exhibition Hall. Figure 5 is a layout view of the historical exhibition hall and a schematic indication of the relevant problem areas. In the Historical Exhibition Hall, the application of digital media includes audio–visual spaces, interactive queries and games, and artistic scenes. The main issue is the insufficient usage rate and appeal for all visitors.

There are several problems with the historical exhibition hall and a schematic indication of the relevant problem areas in Figure 5. These specifically include the following: (1) the exhibition items are often located at the back of the main route or in the corners of the showcases, which are overlooked by most visitors, as indicated by the numbers Sw12-1, Sw12-6, Sw12-9, and Sw12-10, shown in Figure 5; (2) the position and height of the video equipment, interactive screen, etc., are inappropriate, making it difficult for the visitors to interact with them, such as the situation in Figure 6a; (3) there is a mass of ambiguous information presented by digital media, making it difficult to capture practical information and exhibition context. As shown in Figure 6b, the video presents abstract art scenes, making it difficult for visitors to discern its intent. As shown in Figure 6c, the wall projection displays the process of craftsmen at work, but the showcases in the front block the view of the projection, making it difficult for the visitors to focus on the projections.

The International Hall is an international exhibition space jointly curated and implemented by the Suzhou Museum and the British Museum. Currently on exhibition is “King of Assyria: Ashurbanipal”, which extensively combines digital images, video, and interactive plays to interpret the exhibition content. The main issue was that digital media exhibits caused congestion and disordered paths for visitors. As analyzed in the layout shown in Figure 7, the animation wall with the number Sw9-1 is located on the left side of the entrance, which causes congestion at the entrance when more than five people stop to view the exhibit. The videos for presentation and interpretation, with numbers SW9-4 and SW9-7, also have the same issue: the video content involves the introduction of knowledge points and cultural relic backgrounds, and visitors need to stay and watch, causing congestion when there are many people. Elsewhere, the two largest audio–visual spaces in the exhibition are seldom visited by visitors. According to feedback from on-site visitors, the reasons mainly include (1) dim lighting, and (2) the content and visuals that are being played for a long time are less related to daily life and require visitors with specialized knowledge backgrounds.

4.1.2. Problems Analysis in China Grand Canal Museum (GCM)

The GCM is in the tourist city, Yangzhou, which mainly presents the cultural heritage of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal. The museum has established a multitude of digital media interactions, crafting a unique and immersive digital media experience for visitors [50]. The GCM has been one of China’s most popular museums for two consecutive years, attracting many residents, young people, and enthusiasts of cultural tourism and museums of all ages.

The investigation of the GCM mainly focused on the “Boats on the Canal” exhibition hall that combines digital experiences with cultural exhibitions. As shown in Figure 8, the exhibition hall utilizes a two-story building space of 14 m to divide the exhibition into the lower deck’s history of boats and model display area and the upper deck’s spaceship experience area. The main issues faced by the “Boats on the Canal” are the scale of the space reducing the usage rate of digital media, there is no space for operating media interaction, and congestion is caused by digital media. Further identified issues are presented below.

First, congestion caused by fixed routes and narrow spatial dimensions. As shown in

Table 8. Comparison of design scenario with actual conditions of “Boats on the Canal”. Source: Author.

The Ideal Design Scenario	The Actual Display Conditions

, the deck’s spaceship is located on the upper level of the building, and visitors must enter through the lower level’s boat model display area. Visitors can only proceed along a single pathway, which is only 1.8 m wide. This raises another issue: the distribution of densely packed touch query screens (Y4-1) and AR interactive screens (Y4-2) on both sides of the 1.8-m-wide walkway. However, it is difficult for visitors to complete content reading, take photos for souvenirs, and use interactive devices to play and interact when the 1.8-m-wide passage is crowded with a large number of people. Table 8 shows the ideal design scenario versus the actual display situation. Second, congestion caused by photography. The immersive experience and visual impact of the multimedia virtual experience in the deck’s spaceship experience area have attracted most of the visitors to take photos and “check in”, causing congestion in the on-site environment, as shown in Table 8. Third, the dizziness caused by immersive panoramic videos. On-site interviews revealed that most visitors were deeply impressed by the two panoramic VR experiences of the deck’s spaceship and the 5G video. However, some elderly individuals and those prone to 3D motion sickness expressed the feeling that, although it was attractive, it was difficult for them.

4.1.3. Problems Analysis in Museum of Wu (WCM)

The WCM is located within the Grand Canal National Cultural Park in Suzhou, showcasing the Wu region’s historical culture and natural resources. The “Wu-Feng” exhibition hall—Exhibition Hall 3 in WCM—is a permanent exhibition. Although it is a special exhibition tailored to children’s needs, it aims to cater to both child and adult visitors simultaneously. Facing similar issues as the SMW, despite positioning itself as a tourist museum, the WCM primarily attracts residents rather than a larger number of tourists.

The survey at the WCM was conducted in Exhibition Halls 1 and 3. The main issues included neglect caused by poor location settings, as well as problems with the digital media, and exhibits not being effectively recognized. Five problems were identified, which are detailed below.

First, the digital media often go unnoticed by the visitors. The positions of the digital media exhibits are often in corners or behind the main information walls, and there are no signs or introductions, which leads to them being overlooked. As shown in Figure 9, exhibits W17-2, W17-3, and W17-4 are three distinct media exhibits that are combined and placed at the rear of the visitor path. In the dim corner, there is an object interactive query—W17-3. Visitors pick up the bone model on the table, place it on the sensor area, and the animal figure can be restored. As can be seen in Figure 10a, there are no signs around the exhibit.

Second, the digital interactive interface lacks operating instructions or indications. As depicted in Figure 10b, the interactive desktop captured the visitors’ attention; however, due to the absence of operating instructions, visitors departed without realizing they could interact with it. The author interviewed a middle-aged mother and daughter at the scene: “Do you know the screen can be clicked to query?” The daughter was surprised and said, “I didn’t know because, as far as I am aware, things in the museum cannot be touched casually.”.

Third, interactive media are mixed with art exhibits, lacking distinctiveness. In the “Wu-Feng” exhibition hall, as shown in Figure 11, the thematic design and child-oriented style cause adults to overlook these small interactive mechanisms, making the interactive media indistinguishable. As shown in Figure 10c, in the Hogwarts wall (W12-7), visitors need to trigger the light spots on the wall, and the wall begins to play the corresponding content animation projection. However, the small interactive guide light spots on the wall are difficult to recognize. The randomness of this trigger also led to many non-interactive exhibits, such as the one labeled W12-* in Figure 10d being mistaken by visitors as interactive and thus pulled force full.

Fourth, the location of the digital media space is unreasonable, causing congestion. As shown in Figure 10e, the immersion cinema (W12-12) is located at the exit of the exhibition hall. Although it has its own space and seating cushions, many visitors stand at the entrance to watch.

Fifth, the exhibit lacks a language-switching system and visual icons, resulting in foreigners being unable to operate and understand it.

4.1.4. Problems Analysis in Chiangnan Watery Region Culture Museum of China (CWM)

The CWM is located in Hangzhou, a museum that showcases the water town’s cultural heritage using modern multimedia technology. The exhibition in CWM interprets the cultural heritage of the water towns of Chiangnan using various multimedia technologies and artistic scenes rather than a display board. According to the survey results, the museum’s visitors are mostly college students and local family groups, and the exhibition lacks appeal for cultural tourists. As depicted in Figure 12, the exhibition hall contains a total of 40 digital media items, densely distributed with a scattered visitation path and no fixed route. This has resulted in a chaotic visitation path with most exhibits being overlooked. Additionally, the disorganized content structure leads to a lack of appeal in the exhibition. There are several problems with the exhibition environment, which are detailed below.

First, the unsuitability of height and position makes it difficult for visitors to notice the media exhibits in Figure 13a. The projections and video positions of numbers C40-3, C40-4, and C40-13 are not within a reasonable field of view, making the content screens not easily noticed by visitors. Also, interactive tables and screens, such as C40-20~21, C40-24, and C40-12, are scattered in various corners, making it difficult to attract attention. Second, exhibits C40-15 and C40-40 are interactive game tables, but the information center point is not within an appropriate visual range, and there are no clear operation instructions, leading to them being ignored by visitors. Especially for the large interactive table of C40-15, when visitors notice the touch points, they cannot see the information and images on the whole table, as shown in Figure 13b. Third, the C40-16 interactive magic screen lacks interactive guidance; hence, despite attracting some visitors, some are unaware that it can be touched, as shown in Figure 13c. The author interviewed a middle-aged couple, asking them if they knew that this screen could be touched and queried. They responded, “Oh? Can it be touched?” Then, they tried it randomly, and the two engaged in detailed exchanges based on the content. Fourth, the content of digital media lacks effective information communication, resulting in visitors being unwilling to stay. The exhibits C40-1, C40-23, C40-28, and C40-34~3 are all located in areas that visitors must pass through, the content of which consists of abstract artistic images or videos without interpretive information, and no visitors stop to watch, as shown in Figure 13d. There is the same issue with the space where C40-34~37 is located, a large amount of the media and big screens display videos without information or viewpoints, making it difficult for people to stay to watch.

4.1.5. Problems Analysis in Wu and Yue Culture Museum (WYM)

The WYM was established in 2024, integrating digital interactivity, immersive cinemas, interactive magic screens, and other technologies to interpret cultural relics and historical heritage. From the survey results, there is a diverse range of visitors to WYM, including tourists, students, local families, and elderly visitors. The main issues of WYM are mainly focused on the location and content of the digital media exhibits, which are discussed in detail below.

First, the location, height, and form of the media exhibits are unreasonable. In the layout, as shown in Figure 14, Y18-6 and Y18-10 interact with the surrounding exhibition content and the crowd, influencing each other. Additionally, the light and shadow formed by the media, Y18-2, Y18-6, and Y18-10, have a negative effect on the surrounding physical exhibits. The height of Y18-16 is not conducive to viewing, as shown in Figure 15a,b. Second, in the immersive cinemas, Y18-1, Y18-9, and Y18-10, the content of the films is similar, the depth of content interpretation is consistent, and all belong to historical overviews, without deeper content expansion, resulting in the large film at the end of the exhibition attracting fewer visitors. Third, the media exhibits a lack of operational instructions, leading to visitors ignoring or being confused. For example, the interactive desk for exhibit Y18-15 is hidden on a model ship, displayed in a group with other exhibits, and there is no clear guidance, as shown in Figure 15c. The interactive table with Y18-17 and the magic screen with Y18-18 are located outside the main exhibition hall, near the exit, lacking corresponding operational guidance, which leads to most visitors passing by directly. However, interviews after the visit revealed that the interactive magic screen was the most popular media exhibit, as it allows visitors to query and obtain knowledge points not covered in the exhibition hall content, as shown in Figure 15d.

By environmental measurement and assessment, analyzing three aspects of the physical environment, content information, and interaction, the five museums present different issues. Specific summaries are as follows in

Table 9. The question and the description of visitor needs in five museums. Source: Author.

Based on Considerations of Design Elements and the Results of Environmental Reviews for Five Museums
Dimension	Issues and Obstacles	Visitor Requirements Description (Excerpt)
Physical environment	The digital media exhibit is located at the back of the main route, and visitors will not go there proactively. The digital media exhibit is in a corner without exhibition content, outside the exhibition framework, and visitors will not actively go there.	Middle-aged: I generally don’t actively pay attention to these media. I prefer to focus my attention on the exhibits. High school student: I wouldn’t deliberately go over and poke these screens because I feel like they wouldn’t give me the information I want. College students: The environment is too dark. I can’t see the information on the wall. College student: I haven’t deliberately ignored it, but sometimes I just don’t see these exhibits.
	The inappropriate height and form of the media will lead to visitors ignoring them. The height of the media is too high, making it unsuitable for viewing.
	The dim and cramped exhibition environment created by the digital media is not conducive to information acquisition.
	Influence the surrounding exhibits A dense arrangement of digital media, causing mutual interference.	Middle-aged: I think digital media is interfering with my visit; its light is reflecting on the display cases.

.

4.2. Analysis of the Assessment Results Based on 7UD Implementation

After conducting an access audit of seven exhibition halls in the five museums using the UD evaluation checklist, the data obtained was imported into SPSSv27 for recording and analysis, resulting in the UD scoring rate for each exhibit, the UD scoring rate (%) for each target audience, as shown in

Table A1. The sample of the 7UD scoring rate for the 7UD Evaluation checklist. Source: Author.

Exhibition Hall: Suzhou Museum West International Hall—“King of Assyria: Ashurbanipal”
Exhibit	UD1	UD2	UD3	UD4	UD5	UD6	UD7
[SW9·1]	58.73%	37.50%	12.24%	48.21%	48.21%	71.43%	71.43%
[SW9·2]	85.71%	66.67%	96.43%	80.00%	76.79%	100%	100%
[SW9·3]	100%	57.14%	37.14%	33.34%	100%	66.67%	100%
[SW9·4]	88.89%	57.14%	82.14%	71.43%	75.00%	67.86%	44.64%
[SW9·5]	88.89%	43.91%	51.79%	55.56%	83.33%	67.86%	82.14%
[SW9·6]	62.86%	57.14%	46.03%	42.86%	57.14%	33.33%	71.43%
[SW9·7]	73.01%	28.57%	68.25%	53.97%	71.43%	28.57%	55.10%
[SW9·8]	81.73%	71.43%	80.95%	76.19%	55.56%	97.96%	60.71%
[SW9·9]	57.14%	50.00%	39.29%	26.98%	77.14%	26.19%	85.71%

and

Table A2. The sample of the 7UD scoring rate for each target audience. Source: Author.

Exhibition Hall: Suzhou Museum West International Hall—“King of Assyria: Ashurbanipal”
	Family	Single	Group	Elderly	Couples	College	special
UD1*	74.67%	84.00%	78.67%	81.33%	86.67%	86.67%	86.67%
UD2*	50.00%	53.45%	51.72%	48.26%	51.72%	51.72%	51.72%
UD3*	44.58%	54.22%	56.63%	51.81%	55.42%	54.22%	54.22%
UD4*	42.86%	61.04%	54.55%	47.55%	57.14%	58.44%	58.44%
UD5*	68.12%	69.57%	69.57%	68.12%	69.57%	69.57%	69.57%
UD6*	53.33%	62.22%	57.78%	57.78%	60.00%	60.00%	60.00%
UD7*	68.85%	73.77%	72.13%	69.57%	73.77%	73.77%	73.77%

UD1*, Equitable Use; UD2*, Flexibility in Use; UD3*, Simple and Intuitive Use; UD4*, Perceptible Information; UD5*, Tolerance for Error; UD6*, Low Physical Effort; UD7*, Size and Space for Approach and Use.

in Appendix A, and the UD scoring rate for each museum, as shown in

Table 10. The Summaries of the 7UD scoring rate for each museum. Source: Author.

Results Statistics Table of UD Principles Evaluation Checklist in 5 Museums
Museum	UD1*	UD2*	UD3*	UD4*	UD5*	UD6*	UD7*
SWM	75.93	47.76	50.93	49.50	62.49	64.32	67.53
GCM	53.71	45.82	71.86	61.15	62.37	46.34	70.80
WCM	56	53.99	46.5	48.83	61.07	62.01	66.17
CWM	73.56	44.51	49.67	44.55	53.16	56.69	62.6
WYM	81.24	61.6	55.27	60.23	61.44	66.37	71.70

UD1*: Equitable Use; UD2*: Flexibility in Use; UD3*: Simple and Intuitive Use; UD4*: Perceptible Information; UD5*: Tolerance for Error; UD6*: Low Physical Effort; UD7*: Size and Space for Approach and Use.

.

As indicated by Table 10, the overall score rate for the 7UD of the CWM is relatively low among the five museums. The score rate for UD5 is notably insufficient compared to the other museums; whereas the WYM has a high overall score rate but a lower score rate for UD3. The scoring rate of the WCM in UD1, UD3, and UD4 is relatively low. The GCM has significantly better results for UD3, but its UD1 score rate is the lowest, meaning that the digital media at the GCM has a stronger focus on the target audience.

4.2.1. Suzhou Museum West (SWM)

The digital media in the SWM is performing poorly in three aspects, as shown in Figure 16: UD2—Flexibility in Use, UD3—Simple and Intuitive Use, and UD4—Perceptible Information. In terms of meeting the needs of different types of visitors, there is a lack of support for family visitors, elderly visitors, and visitors with special needs. Specifically, the following problems are identified below.

First, regarding the UD2 indicator for SWM, when visitors have the flexibility to choose their tour routes, it results in an incomplete experience of the exhibition structure. Nonetheless, family visitors and student groups frequently alter their visitation path when drawn to digital media exhibits. Most digital media exhibits in the SWM are knowledge-based, lacking various forms to explain to elderly people, children, and foreign visitors. The digital media in the SWM are mostly content playback media, with abstract content or lists of information points, lacking various forms to interpret for elderly people, children, and foreign visitors. Second, for the UD3 indicator, the exhibits lack corresponding operational instructions and introductions, coupled with dim lighting, making it difficult for child audiences, elderly audiences, and foreign audiences without professional knowledge backgrounds to approach and read. Third, for the UD4 indicator, the content disseminated by the exhibits is highly specialized, making it difficult for child audiences, elderly audiences, and foreign audiences to obtain effective information.

4.2.2. China Grand Canal Museum (GCM)

As shown in Figure 17, the GCM mainly performs poorly in terms of UD1, UD2, and UD6, and the respective score rates are 53.71%, 45.82%, and 46.34%. In aspects of meeting the needs of different types of visitors, single middle-aged visitors and elderly visitors are insufficiently catered to.

First, in the UD1 indicator, the cramped and crowded viewing space makes middle-aged and elderly visitors feel a lack of security. At the same time, new digital media technologies are unfamiliar or off-putting to visitors. Second, in the UD2 indicator, the exhibition hall has a fixed visitor path, and visitors can only follow the crowd and proceed along the predetermined route. When the number of visitors increases, the feasibility of staying and carefully viewing the exhibition also decreases. Third, in the UD6 indicator, the environment is dim, and the interactive operation space is narrow, making it difficult for interactive facilities to be accessible. Due to the single route mentioned in UD2, visitors cannot flexibly stop and visit, resulting in long walks and a decrease in the comfort of the visit.

4.2.3. Museum of Wu (WCM)

The WCM, according to the assessment of the 7UD checklist, shows weaknesses in all indicators, as seen in Figure 18, especially in meeting the needs of visitors with special needs (such as international visitors and wheelchair users), elderly visitors, and families with children, despite the WCM emphasizing its concept and ideas of considering the Parent–child family.

First, for UD1, there are varying degrees of obstacles for foreign visitors, child visitors, and adult visitors. The exhibition lacks English guidance and visual visitation systems, preventing foreign visitors from effectively obtaining information. The interactive exhibits have a distinct child-like style that deters elderly visitors from engaging with them. Second, for UD2, the digital exhibits at the WCM offer a single form of operation, and many exhibits are located at the back of the main visitor route. Visitors need to seek them out to have a good experience. Regrettably, aside from dedicated museum aficionados, few visitors seem inclined to interact with the media exhibits. For indicators of UD3 and UD4, the digital exhibits at WCM are deficient in clear functional descriptions and operational guidance. Interaction devices are frequently activated by accidental touches from child visitors or when parents guide their children to explore. Furthermore, the content in the interpretation and presentation of the media exhibits is overly specialized, lacking in logic, and poorly related to the structure of the exhibition. Both elderly visitors, family visitors, couples, and middle-aged visitors have expressed difficulty understanding the media.

4.2.4. Chiangnan Watery Region Culture Museum of China (CWM)

The largest number of digital media exhibits were in the CWM. Among the five museums, CWM also had the lowest score rates in the 7UD Checklist assessment. Except for UD1, the score rates for the other six UD indicators were the lowest. At the same time, the scoring rate for UD5 is significantly lower than the other four museums. The specific 7UD scoring rate of CWM is shown in Figure 19.

First, for UD1, the exhibition lacks English explanations, resulting in foreigners being unable to understand the digital media exhibits, and some of the interactive exhibits presented in the desktop form are difficult for child visitors, wheelchair users, and visitors who are on exhibition tours to approach. Second, for UD2, the exhibition hall features a scattered visitation path, coupled with densely distributed media exhibits, allowing visitors to change their route at any time, which leads to some exhibits being missed and visitors getting lost. Some digital media have been placed in corners without exhibition content, only visited by professional and interest-based visitors (such as college students and museum enthusiasts). Third, for UD3, the interactive exhibits in the exhibition hall lack instructions and visual icons, making it difficult for visitors of all types to understand and operate easily. Fourth, for UD4, the content of the digital media is abstract and lacks clear information points, making it difficult for visitors of all types to focus. Additionally, the height and viewing angle of the interactive tables or screens do not conform to ergonomic principles, meaning only visitors who are diligent in their exploration can discover and participate. Fifth, for UD5, there are no error prompts for incorrect operations in the interactive exhibits, which easily leads to repeated touching and unconscious repetitive behavior among child and student visitors. In the two immersive audio–visual spaces, the excessively dark environment and dense giant monitors cause discomfort to visitors of different types, leading them not to stay. It should be noted that the failure rate of the digital media in the CWM is also higher than that of the other four museums.

4.2.5. Wu and Yue Culture Museum (WYM)

As can be seen from Figure 20, the WYM has shown relatively high score rates on all 7UD indicators, and among the five museums, the score rate for UD1 is the highest. There are two reasons for the analysis: first, the media exhibits are located at important nodes of the exhibition structure, and the spatial scale and operational difficulty are reasonable, and suitable for visitors of all types to participate; second, the content of digital media presentation that visually explains archaeological knowledge and the difficulty level is suitable for viewing by visitors of all types. Despite this, the digital media of the WYM still has the following current situations that do not conform to the 7UD principles: (1) confusing operation instructions and unclear labels make it difficult to understand the function of the media exhibits; (2) unreasonable media devices’ height and scale lead to more physical exertion for visitors; and (3) the inappropriate placement of digital media exhibits causes interference with surrounding exhibits.

4.3. Analysis of the Comparative Study Results: The Five Museums

During the preliminary research phase, the research team visited 58 tourism museums related to culture and heritage across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. After a rigorous selection process, five museums with the most representative characteristics were ultimately identified as research cases. These museums not only showcase exhibitions with distinctive features but utilize a variety of digital media technologies.

The SWM is dedicated to creating interactive digital media art installations that enhance the visitors’ aesthetic appreciation of local culture. These installations are diverse and primarily draw in residents and external research teams. However, during the 7UD evaluation, the indicators UD2, UD3, and UD4 were found to be unsatisfactory, and the actual usage rate of digital interaction was relatively low. A middle school student expressed, “I hope to gain deeper knowledge through interactive digital media, but here it’s just image displays, which makes me lose the interest of engagement”. The GCM is located adjacent to the Canal Site Park, and boasts numerous large-scale immersive digital interactive spaces that cater to the leisure and entertainment needs of visitors. The museum has drawn visitors from all age groups, including students, family groups, and the elderly. While younger visitors and family groups have highly praised the digital media displays, some elderly and middle-aged viewers have expressed discomfort with the environmental design and have raised concerns about potential safety hazards within these spaces. The digital media in the WCM focus on interpreting archaeological knowledge, yet they have not attracted a diverse audience. Both the GCM and the WCM exhibit significant deficiencies in the UD2 and UD6 indicators. The digital interactive display layout of the Chiangnan Watery Region Culture Museum is densely packed, with numerous issues related to its location and size. Furthermore, the absence of an engaging visual presentation results in visitors rarely pausing to appreciate it. Only the UD1 indicator has achieved a Good level, while the others remain at Fair or below. Whether it is college students, the elderly, or single visitors, none have been effectively engaged. Only parent–child audiences sometimes choose to stop and interact, often due to accidental touches. Currently, the motivation behind this behavior is not yet understood. At the WYM, the utilization of digital media is markedly more frequent than in the other four museums, which is characterized by engaging visual imagery, captivating storytelling, and interactive display methods that leverage innovative materials. It excels across all seven UD indicators, particularly in UD6 and UD7, where it holds a considerable edge over other museums. Visitors from various age groups are drawn to it, pausing to engage in the interactive experiences.

Although the common goal of these museums is to attract more tourists to participate in cultural tourism, the actual survey results show that there is a significant difference in the appeal of digital media to the target audience, and it seems that the desired results have not been achieved.

5. Discussion

5.1. Consistency Between Issues and 7UD in Exhibition Environmental Composition Containing Digital Media

Through a comparative analysis of the results from environmental assessments and the 7UD checklist access audits, additional issues were identified with the digital media during the environmental inspections in the five museums. These issues became apparent when the 7UD scores were low. This suggests that the results of the 7UD checklist access audits are consistent with the environmental assessments. For instance, in the SMW, there were several exhibits with many issues. Exhibits SW9-1, SW9-6, and SW9-9 all had a low score rate in the 7UD checklist access audits. In the GCM, the issues of congestion and inaccessibility in the “Boats on the Canal” exhibition hall are reflected in the 7UD assessment as insufficient scores in UD1, UD2, and UD6. In the WCM, the digital media exhibits are difficult to recognize, the content is lacking and hard to understand, and the operation and interaction of the media exhibits are difficult, corresponding to low satisfaction rates for UD3 and UD4 in the UD score. In the CWM, issues such as the disordered route of the exhibitions and low usage rates of the digital media items failed to attract visitors to stay. The principles of UD can be analyzed to determine the reasons corresponding to UD2, UD3, UD5, and UD6. In the WYM, there were several issues, such as the flow of visitors crossing over and interfering with other visitors viewing surrounding exhibits and well-positioned exhibits, which failed to attract visitors to stop. These issues can be explained by UD2, UD3, and UD4.

5.2. Consistency Between 7UD and Visitor Diversity and Behavior Characteristics

In the assessment with the 7UD checklist audit, it was discovered that the behavioral characteristics of different visitors vary. Elderly visitors are more concerned with UD3 and UD6, hoping to obtain the information points of the exhibition straightforwardly. Middle-aged visitors have higher demands: they focus on UD2, UD3, and UD4, as well as UD5, UD6, and UD7, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of knowledge points through the digital media while also seeking a comfortable and concise exhibition environment. College students, couples, and other young visitors pay more attention to UD2. They have no specific preferences and are willing to explore and discover according to their desires. Parents with children paid more attention to UD1 and UD3 as they tried to find exhibition items and content more suitable for children. Teenage students paid more attention to UD6 and UD4. They usually participated in group activities without a clear visit objective, thus, they hoped that the exhibits were visually appealing and suitable for small groups to visit together, which is consistent with the results of the on-site interviews. International visitors were more focused on UD4 and UD6, and they hoped to have a more direct way or guidance to help them obtain information. Upon the discussion results, we propose optimization design suggestions from two primary perspectives: the physical environment and the display content. These suggestions aim to address the numerous problems and obstacles, adhering to seven universal design principles and the principles of visitor attention.

Table 11. Comparative results and relevant 7UD recommendations. Source: Author.

Problems and Obstacles Encountered During the Visit	With 7UD	Suggestions for Museum Exhibition Design with Digital Media
Physical Environment
The location of the exhibit is hard to reach. Based on the visual materials, it is believed that the exhibit is not designed for oneself.	Not UD1 Not UD7	Design an entrance that is accessible to everyone in conjunction with the spatial arrangement of the exhibition item. Digital exhibits should feature a visual image and guidance that are in harmony with the psychological characteristics of various types of visitors. The scale of digital devices should be applied to all people, including the elderly, children, and the disabled. The spatial configuration and interaction form of the digital devices are very comfortable for all visitors.
Due to the improper location/scale of the exhibit, it was not noticed and therefore ignored.	Not UD3 Not UD4	If possible, place the digital exhibits on the main exhibition line—visible and easy to find. The visual image of the digital interaction and devices should have a significant contrast with the surrounding environment. The location of the exhibit should be at important nodes of the content—a clear content structure.
The lighting is dim, and the environment is dark, making it difficult to read or causing discomfort to the eyes.	Not UD3 Not UD5 Not UD6	Suitable lighting and environment for digital media exhibits, easy to recognize and read. Using glare-free spatial decorative materials in media space.
The projection height is too high for comfortable viewing.	Not UD7	Digital devices should be placed within a suitable line of sight. Visual elements are visible, accessible, and approachable to everyone.
The operation interface is too high, making it difficult to operate.	Not UD6 Not UD7	Comfortable operating, interaction time should not be too long. Low energy consumption operation console or device.
Digital exhibits affect the surrounding exhibits, causing mutual interference.	Not UD2 Not UD7	Appropriate partitions and dividers for screening. Independent exhibits can better attract the attention of visitors. There is enough space between exhibits, such as between digital media and physical exhibits or explanatory information, to avoid information overload.
Due to congestion resulting in a poor experience, to abandonment of the visit.	Not UD5 Not UD7	Appropriate safe evacuation routes should be considered around the digital devices. No risk in the environment, no darkness or protrusion, and not too narrow.
Disorder in movement caused by the attraction of people to digital media.	Not UD2 Not UD4	Set clear direction signs or maps in places that could potentially confuse. Color contrast in specific areas. Set the route as simple as possible, with no more than three routes.
The operation instructions and trigger guidance are not clear, making it difficult to identify the functionality of the exhibits.	Not UD4	Multiple forms of information communication (including prominent location, language, visual icons, good lighting). The eye-catching and prominent signs apply to diverse visitors.
Meaningless actions, such as repeatedly slapping or clicking.	Not UD4 Not UD5	To design aesthetic and easy-to-understand signs and pictograms to help everyone recognize the function of the digital exhibits. Set error operation prompt for the visitors, especially for children.
The interaction cannot meet the expectations.	Not UD2 Not UD4	Various ways of perception and interactive exhibits establish a content framework that caters to the cognitive levels of visitors across all age groups, ensuring it is neither too difficult nor too simplistic. Digital interaction or exhibit should choose interesting content, rather than blindly pursue professional.
Equipment damage.	Not UD3 Not UD5	To design clear and precise operating instructions to reduce damage for digital interaction devices. Choose digital interaction devices and operationally simple configuration, has a high fault tolerance, and is easy to maintain later on.
The device is not responsive when starting up.	Not UD7	Consider the operational characteristics of visitors with different body features, reduce the need for fine manipulation. Trigger keys are prominent and easy to activate.
The film is too long, standing for a long time.	Not UD4 Not UD6	Seating support for temporary rest for visitors. Use a visual interpretation form to deliver engaging and interesting content within an appropriate duration to maintain attention.
Informationspace	With 7UD	Suggestions for museum exhibition designwith digital media
Can not obtain knowledge related to the exhibition content.	Not UD4	Organize information by importance, presented intuitively and concisely. A content structure that progresses from basic to advanced can meet the needs of visitors from any professional background.
The content is too professional, with a dense amount of information that is difficult to accept in a short time.	Not UD3 Not UD4	Strengthen the connection with daily life, which can provoke visitors’ contemplation. Colorful illustrations for easy reading should accompany information and knowledge.
Lack of explanation leading to neglect and loss of interest.	Not UD4	Set clear, concise, and explicit instructions in English at the main location—highlighting effects for content identification.
The content is abstract and artistic, making it difficult to understand its message. The picture is not refined and lacks appeal.	Not UD4	The content and picture of the digital exhibit should convey the information of the exhibition. Strongly related to the surrounding exhibits in terms of logic or content, aiding understanding. There are multiple ways of communication, allowing visitors to understand the content from different perspectives and avoid similar content and narrative forms.

displays the comparative results. Based on this, relevant UD recommendations are proposed.

5.3. Discussion of the Limitations

Firstly, this study focuses on five newly built cultural heritage museums in China, encompassing institutions with excellent evaluations in various aspects, such as “visitor-friendly museums” and “digital heritage museums”. Its purpose is to reveal the obstacles and limitations these museums face when adhering to UD principles while also exploring their appeal to visitors, to gain insights and revelations when problems arise. While these five museums are advanced and popular, we must recognize that they do not encompass all applications of digital media technology. The improvement suggestions for these case studies are based on a general framework. In principle, this framework applies to cultural tourism museums, yet it still necessitates specific analysis. Secondly, in this study, we categorized digital media based on device configuration and content form into four major types: viewing, trigger viewing, interactive display, and interactive gaming. In subsequent research, we will conduct studies based on digital interactive types to explore factors that affect the visitors’ interest and participation, such as the form of storytelling with numbers and the characteristics of narrative content.

6. Conclusions

This study created, applied, and evaluated an assessment framework and checklist that applies the seven principles of Universal Design to assess museum exhibition environment composition containing digital media interaction and specifically targeting the interactive behaviors of different audience target groups within the exhibition environment. To complete this study, the researchers conducted field investigations at five of the most popular museums to identify and summarize the issues present in the exhibition environment composition affected by digital media combined from three aspects: information, space, and visitor behavior. The final assessment checklist was determined using the heuristic evaluation method.

During the implementation and evaluation phases, researchers conducted a scenario assessment audit in five museums, and 85 groups of participants were invited. The results show that the exhibits with a UD score rate below 50% in the 7UD assessment coincide with the problematic exhibits found in the environmental measurement and evaluation. It was also discovered that the relationship between visitor behavior and the exhibition environment, supplemented by 7UD checklist assessments, is consistent with the conclusions drawn from visitor interviews, and there is a possibility of addressing current issues in the exhibition through the application of the 7UD principles. These findings confirm that, by utilizing the seven principles of UD, it is possible to effectively assess and evaluate the museum exhibition environment composition containing digital media and to propose corresponding solutions to meet the needs of different types of visitors, thereby enhancing museum-visiting efficiency.

The evaluation framework, grounded in the 7UD principles, merges theoretical frameworks with practical methods. It aids researchers in the study of museum architecture and exhibitions, making their evaluation practices more complex, useful, and efficient. Consequently, it provides visitors with a more meaningful and impactful exhibition experience.

6.1. Concept: Designed for All

Museums are designed for all and should consider the interest preferences, cognitive levels, and physical limitations of different types of visitors to create a better experience [16,51]. Universal Design principles can and need to be introduced into museum exhibition design [6] to enhance inclusiveness and visitor diversity. Research on visitors is a necessary accomplishment for museum designers [35].

6.2. Pre-Organization and Multi-Sectoral Collaboration

Museum exhibition design is a multidisciplinary and collaborative process that encompasses space, environment, content, and interaction. Particularly after incorporating digital media interaction, the collaboration becomes even more complex [15,31]. The results also confirm that the obstacles and problems in the exhibition environment, including the layout, content framework, space configuration, and line of the digital device, lead to low utilization and lack of attraction. This is due to the lack of collaboration and overall planning at the beginning of the design.

6.3. Evaluation

Evaluation of the exhibition after its completion is essential. Only through systematic and standardized evaluation, can designers effectively identify the visitor’s user experience and whether or not the design is effective [29]. This study confirms that the seven principles of UD can be used to predict problems in the exhibition environment, and verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the evaluation framework through surveys of the five different types of museums, which can provide new evaluation methods for museum workers.