Augmented Reality in Portuguese Museums: A Grounded Theory Study on the Museum Professionals’ Perspectives

Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly present in several fields, including the museological space, where the challenges of presenting objects interactively and attractively are constant, especially with the sociocultural changes of recent decades. Although there are numerous studies on AR in museums, the perspective of museum professionals on the technology still needs to be explored. Thus, in this study, we use a qualitative design and conduct in-depth interviews with professionals from 10 Portuguese museums involved in creating or applying AR within these environments. Applying the grounded theory, the researchers propose a framework to understand Portuguese museum professionals’ practices, perceptions, and experiences with AR in museum environments. The findings allow the creation of a theoretical framework divided into four levels, namely the perceptions of museum professionals on the role and use of AR, the understanding of departments, museum teams, and digital strategies, the perceived challenges, limitations, and advantages in the use of augmented reality technologies, and the future perspectives of AR in museums. The theory resulting from this study may also contribute suggestions for the design and implementation of AR in museums, which both museum professionals and designers can use.