Visual Research Methods by Shailoo Bedi;Jenaya Webb;

Author:Shailoo Bedi;Jenaya Webb;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lightning Source Inc. (Tier 3)
Published: 2021-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 4.6 Interview participant interacting with image researcher Andy Grinnall (top); Professor Richard Laing demonstrating visualizations (bottom)

While none of the participants had direct experience of laser scanning, many commented that they were familiar with the use of technologies in a heritage context from the media, including popular TV shows such as Time Team. This familiarity mitigated potential barriers to the use of unfamiliar technology and made the area’s heritage itself seem more valuable, since it had been deemed worthy of capturing in this way. Through the course of the interactions, respondents reflected on their understanding of the heritage of the area – most were either from the area or had lived there for some time – and reflected that they ‘took for granted’ many of the impressive local landmarks because they saw them every day. As they were viewing the scans, many respondents commented about areas that had changed over the years and asked whether it would be possible to remove newer buildings from the scans so that people could see how the area used to be.

Interacting with the technologies disrupted previous perceptions of the area and encouraged new perspectives on its history and heritage. For example, some respondents commented that the scan visualization allowed them to ‘see it in a new way’ by displaying Ladyhill from different perspectives. Many respondents commented that they had either never been to the top of Ladyhill or had not done so in years, so viewing the site from these angles was a different experience for them. The aesthetics of the visualizations were also a point of discussion. Several respondents remarked that the area looked better or ‘more romantic’ on the scans than it did in real life.

Participants suggested that integrating into the scans further contextual information and artifacts, such as texts, photographs, sounds and comments from users, would add value to the scans and broaden the applications. Some participants had more ambitious but very creative ideas for augmented reality applications, which again were based on their engagement with technologies at other sites and museums. Many users suggested that the scans could be used to develop ‘heritage trails’ for tourists to use on smartphones or tablets. These could alert tourists to areas of historical significance and would allow for crowdsourcing of experiences. Some participants suggested that this could facilitate linkages with other local initiatives. For example, one respondent mentioned a collection of old photographs of the area, some of which had been digitized and could therefore be included. A further suggestion was to work with a group conducting citizen archaeology in the area. Finally, participants discussed the venue of the library space and suggested that more digital and non-digital heritage initiatives could be held there, including events where members of the public could see the scanner working on site. The research team had not previously considered this idea and the level of interest in the technical details was something of a pleasant surprise. As the team had a keen interest in public engagement, we decided that this was an idea worth trialing and included it in our next project.

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