Extended Reality for Museums and Exhibit Design: Experiences in Didactic Activities

The paper illustrates the didactic activity of the introductory seminar Inside the Museum, held since 2021 for the master's degree courses of the Department of Architecture and Design DAD of the Politecnico di Torino. The paper describes the innovative character undertaken during the seminar and how it has evolved in parallel with the digital transition affecting education and cultural heritage. The central theme of the seminar is the relationship between digital technologies and museum institutions, which was investigated according to a multidisciplinary approach that involves the disciplines of drawing and representation, with the themes of exhibit design and museography addressed using Extended Reality as the communicative medium of the project design. The main applications used for the teaching activity were web-based tools for creating virtual, immersive and augmented reality experiences. Video storytelling, a passive entertainment-oriented product, 360 virtual tours that allow interactive enjoyment, and HeritageMaps, used for developing interactive maps with georeferenced content, were addressed. From low-cost and sustainable web-based solutions, the latest activities tried customising AR applications using Unity and Vuforia Engine tools.