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Enhancing User Engagement in Heritage Sites through Interactive Digital Design: Development and Evaluation of a Web-Based Application at the Qalawun Complex
This study develops and evaluates a web-based interactive application for the Qalawun Complex in Cairo, a fourteenth-century Mamluk monument of significant tangible and intangible cultural heritage value, with the aim of enhancing visitor engagement beyond the passive observation that characterizes...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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AUC Knowledge Fountain
2027
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| Summary: | This study develops and evaluates a web-based interactive application for the Qalawun Complex in Cairo, a fourteenth-century Mamluk monument of significant tangible and intangible cultural heritage value, with the aim of enhancing visitor engagement beyond the passive observation that characterizes most heritage visits. The research is structured within an Asset-Design-Evaluate (ADE) framework and grounded in Radical Constructivism, Situated Learning theory, and the Design-Dynamics-Experience (DDE) framework, positioning the physical architecture of the site as the primary source of visitor knowledge through observation-based interaction tasks.
The application, titled "Qalawun's Treasure," comprises eight spatially anchored hotspots across the mausoleum, madrasa, and bimaristan of the complex. Each hotspot presents an observation-based task requiring visitors to examine a specific architectural feature before receiving narrative content connecting that feature to the site's intangible heritage. The application operates entirely through a standard mobile browser, requiring no download or physical installation, in compliance with ICOMOS and UNESCO conservation standards.
A pilot study was conducted with 31 participants during March and April 2026. Data were collected through methodological triangulation: server analytics, a post-experience questionnaire completed by 26 participants, and structured field observation. Results indicate strong engagement outcomes, with sustained attention scoring 4.27 out of 5, perceived learning scoring 4.46 out of 5, and all 26 respondents stating they would recommend the application. The triangulation revealed that engagement is multi-dimensional, with divergences across instruments providing design insights unavailable through any single measure.
The findings are indicative rather than generalizable given the single-site scope and small sample size, and point toward future work involving offline functionality, GPS-based wayfinding, and testing across multiple heritage sites. |
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