Interactive storytelling in a mixed reality environment : how does sound design and users’ preknowledge of the background story influence the user experience?

Interactive storytelling in a mixed reality environment merges real and virtual worlds, and physically immerses the participant in a narrative. The participant is engaged to participate in an exploratory experience, which is influenced by personal and situational factors. We used three stages from the ALICE installation to investigate the effects of sound design and participants’ preknowledge of the background story. The study was carried out with 60 participants and the results show that immersiveness (presence) is influenced by both factors. Furthermore we discuss the user experience through observations and information gathered in interview sessions.