SurfaceLens: near-surface spatial interaction with science museum exhibits

Abstract

Smartphone applications have become an essential tool for museums because of their positive impact on visitor experience. However, smartphones can potentially distract visitors from the exhibit, crippling the hands-on experience. In this study, we present SurfaceLens which is a smartphone-based peripheral device enabling near-surface spatial interaction with exhibits. SurfaceLens detects proximity, location on the surface, and orientation of the device while a visitor moves it along the surface of exhibits like using a magnifying glass. It provides an information space and audio-haptic feedback reflecting its location and orientation so that the visitor can feel like seeing-through the exhibit. We compared this near-surface spatial interaction with on-screen touch interaction to investigate their effect on visitor experience and behaviour. The results indicate that SurfaceLens provided a more intuitive and transparent understanding of the content when used as an observation tool. Moreover, narrowing down the distance between visitors and exhibits promotes exploratory behaviours.