Visiting a museum can be inspiring, but for many people the experience still relies heavily on static displays and written panels. New research suggests that blending cultural heritage with story driven augmented reality can make visits more engaging and significantly improve how much people learn and remember. The findings were published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.
The study explored how narrative based augmented reality affects visitors’ emotional engagement, motivation, mental effort, and learning in a real cultural heritage setting. Rather than focusing on technology alone, the research examined what happens when historical content is presented as a guided story that visitors actively follow on their phones.
Researchers developed two mobile augmented reality experiences using content from the Shenyang Palace Museum in China. One version presented information in a straightforward way, allowing users to explore objects and locations without a storyline. The other version embedded the same content within a structured narrative, complete with characters and a sense of progression through the site.
Sixty university students took part and were randomly assigned to one of the two versions. After using the application, participants completed a series of assessments measuring motivation, user experience, cognitive effort, emotional response, and how well they had learned key historical information from the museum.
The results showed clear advantages for the narrative driven approach. Participants who used the story based augmented reality reported higher intrinsic motivation, meaning they were more interested and invested in the experience. They also rated the overall user experience more positively, describing it as more engaging and enjoyable.
Most strikingly, learning outcomes were significantly better in the narrative group. Participants who followed the story remembered more factual information about the museum and its cultural artefacts compared with those who used the non narrative version. This suggests that storytelling helped users organise and retain information more effectively.
Interestingly, the study found no meaningful difference between the two groups in terms of emotional arousal or perceived mental effort. Both versions of the application generated similar emotional responses and levels of cognitive load. The researchers suggest this may be because augmented reality itself already creates a strong sense of novelty and immersion, which can limit the additional emotional impact of narrative elements.
The findings highlight an important shift in how digital tools can support cultural education. Augmented reality is often promoted for its visual appeal, but this research shows that design choices matter just as much as the technology. When historical information is woven into a coherent story, users appear more motivated to explore and better able to learn from what they see.
The study also has wider implications beyond museums. Story based augmented reality could be applied to heritage tourism, education, and even public history projects, where engaging diverse audiences is a constant challenge. By turning visitors from passive observers into active participants, narrative design may help cultural institutions connect more deeply with the public.
While the research focused on a single museum and a relatively small sample, it provides strong evidence that storytelling can play a central role in the future of digital heritage experiences. As museums increasingly adopt mobile and immersive technologies, how stories are told may be just as important as what is being shown.