Applying Interactive Storytelling In Cultural Heritage: Opportunities, Challenges And Lessons Learned

Digital storytelling in cultural heritage contexts has been recognized as a direction that cultural heritage institutions, including museums and historical sites, need to invest in to attract and engage their audiences. The term "interactive storytelling" is often used to characterize existing digital applications, whether these incorporate narrative structures or not. However, is "interactive storytelling" with its strict definition actually strongly present as an art form within the domain of cultural heritage, especially for on-site mobile experiences? In this work, we report on our experience and lessons learnt during our efforts to apply the genre of interactive storytelling in the heritage sector with the aim to more effectively support both authors and users of mobile interactive storytelling apps.