Abstract
This research explores how design mediates the digital transformation of cultural heritage through hybrid and multisensory installations in archaeological contexts. Using the Case Romane del Celio in Rome as a pilot site for the European project HeritAdapt, it aims to redistribute visitor flows and promote sustainable tourism by enhancing the intangible value of minor sites. The study contributes to the post-digital museology debate by framing design as a critical, participatory practice operating across physical and virtual dimensions, fostering collaboration among engineering, management and restoration. Combining Service Design, Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence technologies, qualitative research and iterative prototyping guided the creation of an integrated experience along the entire visitor journey. The approach seeks symbiotic interventions that ensure long-term sustainability, stakeholder involvement, storytelling-based engagement, heritage preservation and promotion. Following a testing phase, the project will develop toolkits and guidelines for GLAMs, enabling adaptable, accessible, and context-grounded digital interventions in heritage scenarios.
Keywords
participatory design, multisensory experience, service design, heritage enhancement
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2338
Citation
Barberis, L., Arena, L., Kasapakis, V., Malakuczi, V., and Chatziannakis, I. (2026) Mediating heritage through design: Participatory approaches to post-digital transformation, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2338
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Mediating heritage through design: Participatory approaches to post-digital transformation
This research explores how design mediates the digital transformation of cultural heritage through hybrid and multisensory installations in archaeological contexts. Using the Case Romane del Celio in Rome as a pilot site for the European project HeritAdapt, it aims to redistribute visitor flows and promote sustainable tourism by enhancing the intangible value of minor sites. The study contributes to the post-digital museology debate by framing design as a critical, participatory practice operating across physical and virtual dimensions, fostering collaboration among engineering, management and restoration. Combining Service Design, Extended Reality and Artificial Intelligence technologies, qualitative research and iterative prototyping guided the creation of an integrated experience along the entire visitor journey. The approach seeks symbiotic interventions that ensure long-term sustainability, stakeholder involvement, storytelling-based engagement, heritage preservation and promotion. Following a testing phase, the project will develop toolkits and guidelines for GLAMs, enabling adaptable, accessible, and context-grounded digital interventions in heritage scenarios.