Database of Virtual Exhibition Experiences

The Database of Virtual Exhibition Experiences accompanies the PhD thesis "Digital Play Mediation: un approccio design-driven per le mostre virtuali", developed within the PhD Programme in Design. The database contains around 180 case studies of virtual exhibition experiences collected in 2024. It was developed as the empirical basis of the research and supports the comparative analysis presented in the thesis by providing a structured overview of contemporary virtual exhibition experiences. Each case study is documented through descriptive metadata and a set of qualitative and quantitative analytical variables describing institutional context, exhibited contents, spatial configuration, navigation, interaction and game-related features. The database was designed to investigate how virtual exhibition experiences relate to the conventions of physical exhibitions and to identify recurring design patterns across different types of experiences. The analytical framework adopted in the research distinguishes three categories of virtual exhibition experiences (Virtual Tour, Virtual Exhibition, and Virtual Museum) and classifies each case according to the variable Spatial Model (Modello spaziale), whose values correspond to the three interpretative modalities developed in the thesis (Replicative, Re-elaborative, and Speculative). The archive includes: a README file that describes the structure of the dataset, its purpose, and instructions for use and citation. a Three Categories worksheet that clarifies the classification system used in the dataset, detailing the three analytical categories and how they should be applied in practice. Spatial Model worksheet that explains the analytical framework used to interpret the relationship between physical and virtual exhibition space through three approaches: Replicative, Re-elaborative, and Speculative. This is Version 1.0 of the database. Future versions may include additional case studies, metadata refinements and updates while preserving the analytical framework developed in the research. If you use this resource, please cite both this Zenodo record and the associated PhD thesis.