Enhancing Art Gallery Visitors' Experiences through Audio Augmented Reality Technology

Audio Augmented Reality (AAR) applications are gaining traction, especially for entertainment purposes. To that extent, the current study explored its use and effectiveness in enhancing art gallery visitors’ experiences. Four paintings were selected and sonified using the Jython algorithm to produce computer generated music (Basic AAR); the audio was then further enhanced with traditional music by a musician (Enhanced AAR). Twenty-six participants experienced each painting in Basic, Enhanced, and No AAR condition. Results show that AAR cues had a significant effect on participants’ subjective feedback towards the paintings. Sentiment Analysis shows that participants mentioned significantly more positive words from Enhanced AAR than the others. Enhanced AAR also made participants express a sense of immersion, whereas Basic AAR made them concentrate more on forlorn aspects of the paintings. Findings from this study suggest ways to improve and customize AAR cues for different painting styles, and indicate the need for multi-modal augmentations.