The effects of layout types and spatial information display types on presence and spatial identification for the elderly in the 3D virtual art gallery

When the elderly visit the 3D virtual art gallery, the problem of spatial disorientation may occur. Some researchers found that the layout is an essential determining factor for visitors to build a cognitive map. Similarly, spatial information displays need to be considered how to convert the data into the valuable and meaningful spatial information. Therefore, the layouts and spatial information displays of 3D virtual art gallery will affect whether the elderly are easily immersed in the exhibition. The objectives of this study are to analyze the effects of layout types and spatial information display types on the elder visitors’ presence and spatial identification, and investigate what layout type will create a pleasant atmosphere and provide the elderly with the opportunity to easily explore the variety of artworks. A 3D virtual art gallery containing: painting (35 PCS), pottery (12 PCS), statue (12 PCS) and copper and silver artworks (5 PCS) was constructed and a hypothesized model of the impact process of layout types and spatial information display types within the 3D virtual art gallery was developed. The results show that differences of 3D virtual art gallery layout types affect the presence and spatial identification of the elder participants. Differences of spatial information display types affect the presence, but do not affect the spatial identification. Presence and spatial identification positively affect emotion of the elderly. The results suggest that the layout of “radiation type” combined with “area allocation map” in the 3D virtual art gallery, the elder participants would have better evaluation of presence and spatial identification, and then a positive emotion would be induced. The results could serve as a useful source for designing a virtual worlds’ 3D art gallery which meet preferences of the elderly.