How Was It for You? Qualitative Observational Methods to Assess the Experiential Value of Two Immersive Augmented Reality Stories: A Case Study

Abstract Immersive storytelling using augmented reality is a well-established and widely researched practice with a growing body of literature spanning the last two decades in which researchers from various fields apply this technology to cultural spaces. Despite this, the methodologies used to assess the efficacy of these applications—even defined measures of what constitutes success—remain disparate and often aligned to the field from which they originated—these being HCI, Visitor Studies, and New Media Art. The form these interventions take and the modes of storytelling they employ is steadily diversifying alongside theories and definitions of what constitutes a story. In this context of divergence, a reimagination of the methods researchers use to evaluate and assess their projects would be useful to ensure the nuances of the engaged experience and the value it offers to audiences can be captured. This paper proposes a methodological approach, seeking to enable the evaluation of experiential value. This methodological approach is then applied to two augmented reality immersive stories, created by the author, the first an educational, linear narrative and the second a nonlinear narrative artwork. Using primarily qualitative narrative observation, participant interactions with both projects are explored, testing the application of experiential value as a measure and interrogating the chosen methodology's ability to capture it.