Enhancing Authenticity in XR Heritage: Practitioner Insights and Preliminary Recommendations

Description

Digital technologies, such as Extended Reality (XR) applications, are playing an increasingly important role in heritage spaces and generating new possibilities for enhancing visitor experiences. However, the need for greater authenticity in these XR heritage experiences has become increasingly critical to prevent Disneyfication, deliver higher quality, and increase engagement. The definition of authenticity has long been a subject of debate within analogue heritage spaces, ranging from the objectivist perspective that centres on material authenticity to constructivists who prioritise the social value of heritage spaces and artefacts to subjectivists who leave it to the individual to determine what is authentic and what is not (Wang, 1999). When translated into the digital context, XR experiences can enhance object-based authenticity by informing the visitor of the value of the object or site, constructive authenticity by narrating their social value, and subjective authenticity by creating unique experiences for visitors (Vichnevetskaia et al., 2025). Existing research suggests that all three primary types of authenticity positively influence visitor experiences in heritage XR environments. Despite this, a clear framework for achieving authenticity in digital heritage projects remains underdeveloped.

This research seeks to address the question: What strategies can enhance authenticity in XR heritage experiences? The objective is to offer preliminary recommendations for practitioners in the digital heritage space so they can create more authentic XR experiences. The paper explores how various definitions of authenticity can be applied in the design and delivery of digital heritage projects. The outcomes are based on an empirical study of 37 semi-structured interviews conducted with a diverse range of professionals working in the digital heritage space. These participants include developers, designers, heritage managers, tourism managers, funding bodies, academics, and storytellers who have been involved in a variety of XR heritage projects globally. The interviews took place primarily online, and the questions were designed to gather insights into the processes, challenges, and opportunities in the XR heritage sector. The responses were coded using thematic analysis and then analysed through the lens of the existing definitions of authenticity within the digital heritage field.

Period	26 Aug 2025
Event title	30th CIPA 2025 Symposium: Heritage Conservation from Bits: From Digital Documentation to Data-driven Heritage Conservation
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	International