MM-WiMs: A Navigation Interface in ICH Multiscale Virtual Environments

Authors

Chenxin Zhang, School of New Media Art and Design, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Yong Hu, School of New Media Art and Design, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Ananta Satriadi Kadek, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Xukun Shen, School of New Media Art and Design, Beihang University, Beijing, China

Abstract

Navigating complex spatial-semanticstructuresinimmersiveenvironmentsremainsakeychallengein the digital preservation and public engagement of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This paper presents a navigation interface that integrates Multiples and Multilevel Worlds-in-Miniatures (MM- WiMs) to support efficient and meaningful exploration of multi-scale cultural information in VR. We conducted three formative workshops to identify six design considerations in immersive ICH exploration. Based on our findings, we designed a dual-view interface combining overview and semantic detail perspectives. A user study comparing MM-WiMs with single-view WiMs across four tasks shows that MM-WiMs significantly improves navigation efficiency, reduces cognitive load, and supports better understanding of spatial-semantic relations in Ich information. Our findings highlight the potential of structured multi-view navigation in enhancing immersive cultural experiences.

Keywords

Cultural Heritage; Virtual Reality; Navigationinterface; Worlds-in-Miniature

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1102

Citation

Zhang, C., Hu, Y., Kadek, A.S.,and Shen, X.(2025) MM-WiMs: A Navigation Interface in ICH Multiscale Virtual Environments, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.1102

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Conference Track

Track 3 - Design, Art & Technology