Improving habitat dioramas through the use of augmented reality technology at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan

To serve the community they intend to represent, contemporary museums must be relevant to both current and future visitors. One such way to retain and attract a visitor base is through the application of simple technology to permanent and temporary exhibits. This thesis examines the impact of adding augmented reality technology to outdated habitat dioramas to improve educational outputs and increase visitor interaction. More specifically, this thesis monitors levels of visitor engagement before and after the addition of augmented reality technology to a dated habitat diorama at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the completion of the study, several conclusions were reached: first, augmented reality can update inaccurate, static, or dated dioramas without physically altering the display; second, augmented reality content can cover several topics at varying depth through a number of media, ultimately offering more to a wider range of visitor types; third, augmented dioramas can introduce visitors to pressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and conservation by capitalizing on the inherent vice of aged habitat dioramas, such as outdated ecosystems; and finally, augmented reality is currently a realistic and feasible option for museums of varying size and financial capability looking to improve their exhibits. Ultimately, this thesis not only offers a positive solution to museums struggling to decide the fate of dated habitat dioramas, but also hints at the potential uses of augmented reality within museums beyond habitat dioramas.