Interface Evaluation for Cultural Heritage Applications: the case of FERRUM exhibition

Intuitive access to information in real environments is a challenge for Information Society Technologies. Having this in mind, a new device for Mixed Reality applications called Virtual Showcase has been developed. It has been conceived to be used in museums and exhibitions, due to its compatibility with traditional museum showcases, offering additional information to the public by means of a simple, direct and intuitive interface. This paper presents the real implementation and usability evaluation of a Virtual Showcase passive-stereo prototype exhibited in a museum for three months. Some results concerning the evaluation process have also been included. Although the technology seems to be promising, implementation aspects such as size should be improved.