The aim of the master’s thesis was to investigate methods and develop technologies for the effective use of extended reality in the presentation of digitized or graphically reconstructed cultural heritage objects. The theoretical part addresses the processes of cultural heritage digitization, extended reality technologies, and issues related to digital reconstruction, interpretation, and perception of artworks. Special emphasis is placed on the presentation of reconstructed Roman mosaics, where conventional display methods do not provide adequate spatial and scale context.
In the experimental part, a prototype mobile augmented reality application was developed for presenting digital reconstructions of two Roman mosaics. The development followed an iterative prototyping approach and user-centered design principles. The implemented functionalities included spatial placement of the mosaic in a real environment at full scale, visualization of reconstruction phases, and interactive exploration of individual parts using interactive points. The application was evaluated through a comparative empirical study in which participants compared a traditional static presentation with a presentation in augmented reality.
The results of the study showed that the presentation using extended reality was perceived as more interactive, engaging, and memorable compared to the traditional presentation. Participants particularly highlighted the improved understanding of the mosaic’s size, spatial placement, and reconstruction process, as well as a greater sense of involvement in exploring the content. The findings confirm the proposed hypotheses that extended reality enables a more interactive, attractive, and memorable presentation of cultural heritage, while also improving the perception of actual size, spatial context, and understanding of the reconstruction process of digitally reconstructed objects compared to traditional presentation methods.
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