Interaction design for experience and inclusion in cultural heritage

BACKGROUND: one of the current challenges is improving the design of cultural heritage experiences, through the development of innovative services that foster inclusion, social innovation and intercultural dialogue. OBJECTIVE: the key mission of the cultural heritage sector today is to provide inclusive access to all groups of users, considering aspects connected to multiculture. Regard museums, for offering a satisfying experience to visitors, they have to transmit further meanings than the explanation of the exhibited artworks. The exhibition and the dissemination of cultural heritage are enjoying considerable benefits thanks to ICT. Museums are attracting the interest of researchers in the field of Interaction Design, for improving the so-called design of cultural experience and strategies to promote intercultural exchange and knowledge. METHODS: the research used the methods of design for inclusion to investigate needs of users and to explore innovative scenarios and concepts of inclusive products-services, aimed at innovating cultural heritage experience of visitors from different cultures and ages with the context of Opera del Duomo Museum in Florence. RESULTS: this paper presents an overview of the state of art in the Interaction Design context for museum experiential visits and the results of the design research conducted by University of Florence.