Ubiquitous interactive art displays: are they wanted, are they intuitive?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to create a ubiquitous proximity activated interactive digital display system providing adjusted artworks as content for evaluating viewer reactions and opinions to determine if similar interactive ubiquitous systems are a beneficial, enjoyable and even an appropriate way to display art. Multimedia used in galleries predominately provides content following set patterns and disregards the viewer. Interactive displays using viewer location usually require the viewer’s conscious participation through carrying some form of hardware or using expensive sensing equipment. We created an inexpensive, simple system that reacts to the user in a ubiquitous manner, allowing the evaluation of the usability and suitability of such systems in the context of viewing art. Results from testing show that interactive displays are generally enjoyed and wanted for displaying art, however even simple ubiquitous displays can cause user difficulty due to the transparency of their interaction.