FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mukden Palace Experience Mixed Reality Interface is Silver Design Award winner in 2023 - 2024

Mukden Palace Experience introduces a groundbreaking mixed reality interface that revolutionizes the way visitors interact with cultural heritage at the Shenyang Palace Museum. Inspired by the imperative to balance immersive digital experiences with the preservation of cultural authenticity, this innovative project empowers visitors to explore artifacts with unprecedented depth, fostering a profound and emotionally resonant connection to our shared " historical legacy ". The Mukden Palace Experience project commenced in March 2023 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, and concluded its design, development, and testing phases in January 2024 in Plano, Texas, USA. Utilizing the Apple Vision Pro platform, this experience enables users to engage with exhibits in mixed reality through eye-tracking and gesture controls, such as grabbing and zooming, to achieve a truly immersive exploration of artifacts and exhibitions. The interface adheres to Apple Vision Pro’s design standards for Ensuring optimal usability, the button size and spacing are carefully designed to facilitate precise gesture recognition and enhance the overall museum visiting experience . The project team conducted comprehensive user research, encompassing field observations, surveys, and interviews, to gain a thorough understanding of user requirements. Analyzing this data, the team focused on the question: “How might we enhance the immersive touring experience for visitors to cultural heritage sites?” Through user personas, empathy maps, and stakeholder analyses, Mukden Palace Experience identified key challenges and addressed them by creating an experience tailored to the needs of both visitors and stakeholders. During research, feedback regarding “boredom” with traditional museums emerged, underscoring users’ desire for engaging and interactive experiences. By integrating internet ethnography with in-depth user motivation analysis, the project revealed that visitors seek immersive digital interactions that are comparable to those offered by contemporary museums .Mukden Palace Experience pioneers a groundbreaking approach for heritage museums globally by harmonizing cultural preservation with innovative digital engagement. This project transcends technological advancements in exhibit presentation, inspiring a visionary future for the future of cultural heritage interaction.

-END-