Re-creating Edinburgh: adopting the tourist gaze

Abstract

Motivation -- The work described in this paper investigated the potential of a low fidelity desktop application using the metaphor of the 'tourist gaze' in conveying a sense of place. Research approach -- An exploratory study was used, in which an application was developed and evaluated by 25 participants. Findings/Design -- The results suggest that the simple, non-immersive representation of Edinburgh through augmented images and sound supported a reasonable degree of sense of place. Research limitations/Implications -- This was a small scale study and trials against other environments are required. Originality/Value -- Relatively economical applications of this type could be of value in resource-constrained contexts such as therapeutic arenas. Take away message -- Low fidelity virtual reality applications may be surprisingly effective if expectations are constrained.