The Role of Digital Service Design in Enhancing Visitor Experiences
Digital service design is transforming culture and heritage. Explore how digital tools like AI and immersive technologies are shaping more engaging, inclusive and accessible experiences for all.
Cultural experiences are being reimagined through digital innovation, allowing audiences to connect with heritage in new and more engaging ways. In the lead-up to X. Design Week 2025, we spoke with Fiona Mowat, Senior Marketing Intelligence Coordinator at Europeana, and Julie Van Oyen, Product Designer at Europeana, to explore how user-centred design and emerging technologies are reshaping the way diverse audiences engage with culture and heritage.
In this conversation, we delve into how digital service design can turn passive visitor experiences into engaging ones, both online and on-site. Fiona and Julie share their insights on the importance of accessibility, personalisation and trust when designing digital journeys, highlighting how cultural organisations can adopt inclusive design practices and make use of AI and immersive technologies in responsible ways.
The discussion also reflects on the four design sprints of X. Design Week 2025, including Digital Service Design, Shaping AI Strategy, Generational Intelligence and Spatial Computing & Immersive Storytelling. Fiona and Julie offer their perspectives on how these trends are influencing culture and heritage, from creating personalised interpretation paths to connecting stories across places, ultimately reimagining the visitor experience for the next generation.
How can digital service design be used to transform passive visitor experiences into active, engaging experiences for diverse audiences?
When applied correctly, digital service design addresses the whole visitor journey, which can begin long before the trip itself and can extend once the visitor has returned home. It takes into account both digital (planning, booking, checking in, post-trip experience, etc.) and physical (on-site experience) touchpoints. Thus, it can be used to enhance visitor experiences to become more accessible, immersive and personalised.
How can digital tools be used to create personalised interpretation journeys that cater to individual interests and learning styles?
Digital tools can use visitors’ data to provide a more personalised experience according to their language, accessibility, interests, past behaviours and other preferences. However, it’s important to mention that trust is a key aspect of a visitor’s feeling of satisfaction and safety in both physical and digital experiences. Thus, any personalisation data should only be collected at the visitor’s explicit and well-informed consent.
How can user-centred design and emerging technologies ensure that cultural and heritage experiences are accessible to visitors with diverse needs, including those with disabilities?
User-centred design focuses on user needs when designing experiences. If we start there, we get an understanding of any barriers that visitors may experience when trying to access a physical or digital site. For physical sites we can consider details like providing information on wheelchair accessibility, as well as the location of restrooms, drinking fountains, rest points, etc.
For digital sites we need to establish compliance with accessibility best practices as outlined in the Web Content Accessibility guidelines, ensuring compatibility with assistive devices, such as screen readers and multilingual options. Especially with digital experiences, emerging technologies can provide additional support for users who require it. For example, via virtual guides and expanded sensory experiences such as immersive soundscapes or haptic feedback.
At what stage is the culture sector in developing an AI strategy? Where do you see concerns in relation to AI and where is Europeana currently at when it comes to implementing AI?
We can’t speak for the whole cultural sector, but at Europeana, we have leveraged AI as a tool to improve our digital collections. This has resulted in exciting projects like the DE-BIAS project, which developed a tool to detect biased and potentially harmful language in cultural heritage collections.
It's important to highlight that the AI solutions that have been employed at Europeana so far have only partly included LLM-powered models. Using supervised learning to train on bespoke datasets has garnered some of the best results for us, perhaps because we mostly deal with specialist subject matter that is not easily parsed by general-purpose LLMs or neural networks. This approach has, for the most part, also allowed us to steer away from the ethical, moral and IPR issues that surround LLMs. Though we can see this being challenged in the near future.
Europeana has experimented with a combination of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML) models and basic algorithms. For example, to allow us to detect if language in metadata is potentially harmful e.g. colonial or racist language or to upscale images and detect watermarks in them. We've been using basic forms of classification, string matching and disambiguation for years so these approaches build upon that solid foundation.
Such 'classical' artificial intelligence and knowledge representation approaches are not so much a part of the new AI world, but they have been instrumental for us in improving our metadata, which in turn improves searchability and findability. We are committed to continuing work in this area and developing an AI strategy which will benefit our users.
As a cultural heritage organisation committed to the public good, we strive to put people first and to respect our data providers. In our experience, we’ve found it most useful to apply AI as a tool to enrich existing data. Also, checks are done by ‘humans-in-the-loop’ because, as we know, machines can make mistakes. Trust and transparency are essential to the kind of services we strive to develop.
Do you see generational divides in the way visitors engage with heritage attractions?
More heritage sites and locations are creating experiences within their exhibitions, which appeal to younger generations. Younger groups likely prefer interactive exhibits. They may like to experience culture outside of the more traditional popular spots such as famous landmarks or larger museums, favouring street art, food tours or hike through a beautiful area combined with an outdoor sculpture garden.
We also see a number of non-traditional museums trending as they translate well over social media, where aesthetic may take precedence over heritage. This may also include cultural experiences like virtual exhibition spaces, which can recreate cultural sites in a completely unrelated geographical location using lights, sounds and storytelling.
Enhancing a traditional cultural setting, like a museum or heritage landmark, with an interactive experience can increase its intergenerational appeal. Incorporating popular themes in the traditional setting also works well. This can include partnering with local makers, contemporary artists or performers and even corporate sponsorships with fashion, media or gaming brands.
In general, gamified experiences, such as treasure hunts or playable exhibits are also of increasing popularity among the very youngest museum and heritage visitors. Such enhancing experiences can increase the appeal to younger audiences who are looking for something different but without putting off the established audiences of the cultural site or museum who will in any case be interested in visiting and also curious to try the new technology or discover new experiences.
In what ways are recent technological advancements enhancing the interpretation of historical artefacts and cultural narratives?
Developments in digitisation, or the creation of digital versions of historical objects and places, enhances our understanding of the places and their related historical context. For example, 3D experiences based on digitised sites can virtually reconstruct ancient ruins showing how a place appeared in the past and allowing visitors to explore them in a completely new way.
Even digital archival objects can reveal interesting facts about the history of a place or the people who lived there, such as letters inhabitants have written. For example, these can be used to create more immersive and engaging guides of a cultural site by bringing together various digital objects into an XR experience.
Virtual tours can bring visitors to sites they would otherwise not be able to reach in real life. Likewise, walking tours or similar available via mobile apps can lead visitors to places of cultural interest, which they may not have been aware of previously. Such digital tours or guides contain narratives based on digital objects like historical images, video and audio content, or 3D reconstructions. These help visitors interpret what they are looking at. Tours can also contribute to sustainable tourism by leading visitors away from crowded areas.
What are the benefits and challenges of using augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance visitor experiences in the culture and heritage sector? Where do you see mixed reality disrupting or changing the way in which we look at this space?
The benefits of AR and VR can provide additional context not limited to an artefact’s physical location or time period, increasing the level of immersion and emotional connection to the experience. We are at an early point in discovering what this technology can do and realise its true potential as a tool for visitors to experience the past in ways not previously possible.
The challenges are that the hardware requirements may introduce barriers like cost, skill and comfort level, causing a less accessible experience. Visitors may also feel that digital layers between them and artefacts/sites result in a less authentic experience, or may resist ‘leaving’ the physical plane to interact on the digital one.
In order to overcome some of the challenges, locations can test and carefully choose appropriate user-friendly solutions that fit within their site and also aid visitors in navigating XR experiences. For example, incorporating them as seamlessly as possible in their visitor journey, giving them a chance to interact and explore without excessive time pressure and with ample assistance.
It's important to note that while VR and AR can result in more immersive experiences that visitors love, using these tools doesn't automatically create a more engaging experience. VR and AR can be a helpful tool for specific use cases, but we need to be careful to not try and force VR and AR on anything and everything just because it's cool, different or new. Sometimes a video presentation or even a text plaque can be just as effective in conveying a story to the visitor, without the added challenges and limitations that come with more advanced tech solutions.
Where are there opportunities for connecting storytelling across different heritage locations and where do you see the untapped potential of location-based storytelling?
Complementary digital experiences can be used to connect storytelling across different heritage locations using guided tours or experiential apps enhanced with digital content or tours which lead people to various heritage locations (either physically or virtually). A key feature of such experiences is to tell stories about places and their past inhabitants through digital objects and archival materials about those places.
On Europeana we produce editorial connecting our collections with stories spanning various time periods and locations and highlighting lesser known stories about cities and sites. Some example are:
Archival documentation revealing details of the lives of people who lived in locations, especially where this might be of use to individuals tracing their own genealogy and family history is a lesser tapped source for telling stories with a powerful impact on visitors. In a similar vein recorded oral histories or historical video can say so much about locations as they were in the past and allow visitors to connect with lost traditions.
We think there is still untapped potential in making deeper connections between digital and physical experiences which visitors can seamlessly navigate, one enriching the other. To that end, we are working on a series of walking tours which tell a variety of stories, to engage tourist audiences, by connecting cultural heritage collections with real-world locations.
Leveraging Emerging Technologies and User-Centred Design to Transform Cultural Heritage Experiences
In our discussion with Fiona and Julie, it is evident that the future of cultural and heritage experiences lies in the successful integration of digital service design, emerging technologies and a user-centred approach. The transformation of passive visitor experiences, into engaging and personalised journeys, is enhancing the visitor’s connection to culture and heritage. From accessibility to AI-driven personalisation, these innovations ensure that cultural institutions remain relevant and engaging to diverse audiences.
However, while the potential of these technologies is vast, there are challenges like ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all visitors, including those with disabilities. Europeana’s approach, focusing on enriching existing data and maintaining human oversight, serves as a powerful model for ensuring that digital tools are used responsibly and with a clear focus on trust and transparency.
The conversation also pointed to the growing influence of generational shifts in how people engage with culture, with younger visitors seeking more interactive and immersive experiences. By embracing digital tools such as AR, VR and mixed reality, cultural heritage sites can offer innovative ways to enhance traditional exhibits in an unprecedented ways.
About Europeana
Europeana is a platform that offers access to Europe's digital cultural heritage. It provides a vast collection of over 55 million cultural artefacts, sourced from more than 2,000 institutions across Europe. These institutions include galleries, libraries, archives and museums, which contribute to the platform’s extensive range of historical and cultural content. Through Europeana, users can explore a diverse array of digital collections, helping to connect people with Europe’s cultural legacy and enhancing the accessibility of heritage for educational, creative and research purposes.
Europeana's involvement in X. Design Week is an important extension of its commitment to using the value of technology in advancing culture and heritage to transform tourism experiences. As part of the event, Europeana joins a global community of destinations and tourism leaders, collaborating to shape the future of the industry through forward-thinking innovation. Don't forget that delegates from Europeana get up to 75% off their ticket. More information for this can be found on the XDW website. X. Design Week provides a unique platform for exploring trends in experience design, offering insights that can transform how destinations leverage digital tools and innovation to enhance their attractions.
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Cultural experiences are being reimagined through digital innovation, allowing audiences to connect with heritage in new and more engaging ways. In the lead-up to X. Design Week 2025, we spoke with Fiona Mowat, Senior Marketing Intelligence Coordinator at Europeana, and Julie Van Oyen, Product Designer at Europeana, to explore how user-centred design and emerging technologies are reshaping the way diverse audiences engage with culture and heritage.
In this conversation, we delve into how digital service design can turn passive visitor experiences into engaging ones, both online and on-site. Fiona and Julie share their insights on the importance of accessibility, personalisation and trust when designing digital journeys, highlighting how cultural organisations can adopt inclusive design practices and make use of AI and immersive technologies in responsible ways.
The discussion also reflects on the four design sprints of X. Design Week 2025, including Digital Service Design, Shaping AI Strategy, Generational Intelligence and Spatial Computing & Immersive Storytelling. Fiona and Julie offer their perspectives on how these trends are influencing culture and heritage, from creating personalised interpretation paths to connecting stories across places, ultimately reimagining the visitor experience for the next generation.
How can digital service design be used to transform passive visitor experiences into active, engaging experiences for diverse audiences?
When applied correctly, digital service design addresses the whole visitor journey, which can begin long before the trip itself and can extend once the visitor has returned home. It takes into account both digital (planning, booking, checking in, post-trip experience, etc.) and physical (on-site experience) touchpoints. Thus, it can be used to enhance visitor experiences to become more accessible, immersive and personalised.
How can digital tools be used to create personalised interpretation journeys that cater to individual interests and learning styles?
Digital tools can use visitors’ data to provide a more personalised experience according to their language, accessibility, interests, past behaviours and other preferences. However, it’s important to mention that trust is a key aspect of a visitor’s feeling of satisfaction and safety in both physical and digital experiences. Thus, any personalisation data should only be collected at the visitor’s explicit and well-informed consent.
How can user-centred design and emerging technologies ensure that cultural and heritage experiences are accessible to visitors with diverse needs, including those with disabilities?
User-centred design focuses on user needs when designing experiences. If we start there, we get an understanding of any barriers that visitors may experience when trying to access a physical or digital site. For physical sites we can consider details like providing information on wheelchair accessibility, as well as the location of restrooms, drinking fountains, rest points, etc.
For digital sites we need to establish compliance with accessibility best practices as outlined in the Web Content Accessibility guidelines, ensuring compatibility with assistive devices, such as screen readers and multilingual options. Especially with digital experiences, emerging technologies can provide additional support for users who require it. For example, via virtual guides and expanded sensory experiences such as immersive soundscapes or haptic feedback.
At what stage is the culture sector in developing an AI strategy? Where do you see concerns in relation to AI and where is Europeana currently at when it comes to implementing AI?
We can’t speak for the whole cultural sector, but at Europeana, we have leveraged AI as a tool to improve our digital collections. This has resulted in exciting projects like the DE-BIAS project, which developed a tool to detect biased and potentially harmful language in cultural heritage collections.
It's important to highlight that the AI solutions that have been employed at Europeana so far have only partly included LLM-powered models. Using supervised learning to train on bespoke datasets has garnered some of the best results for us, perhaps because we mostly deal with specialist subject matter that is not easily parsed by general-purpose LLMs or neural networks. This approach has, for the most part, also allowed us to steer away from the ethical, moral and IPR issues that surround LLMs. Though we can see this being challenged in the near future.
Europeana has experimented with a combination of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML) models and basic algorithms. For example, to allow us to detect if language in metadata is potentially harmful e.g. colonial or racist language or to upscale images and detect watermarks in them. We've been using basic forms of classification, string matching and disambiguation for years so these approaches build upon that solid foundation.
Such 'classical' artificial intelligence and knowledge representation approaches are not so much a part of the new AI world, but they have been instrumental for us in improving our metadata, which in turn improves searchability and findability. We are committed to continuing work in this area and developing an AI strategy which will benefit our users.
As a cultural heritage organisation committed to the public good, we strive to put people first and to respect our data providers. In our experience, we’ve found it most useful to apply AI as a tool to enrich existing data. Also, checks are done by ‘humans-in-the-loop’ because, as we know, machines can make mistakes. Trust and transparency are essential to the kind of services we strive to develop.
Do you see generational divides in the way visitors engage with heritage attractions?
More heritage sites and locations are creating experiences within their exhibitions, which appeal to younger generations. Younger groups likely prefer interactive exhibits. They may like to experience culture outside of the more traditional popular spots such as famous landmarks or larger museums, favouring street art, food tours or hike through a beautiful area combined with an outdoor sculpture garden.
We also see a number of non-traditional museums trending as they translate well over social media, where aesthetic may take precedence over heritage. This may also include cultural experiences like virtual exhibition spaces, which can recreate cultural sites in a completely unrelated geographical location using lights, sounds and storytelling.
Enhancing a traditional cultural setting, like a museum or heritage landmark, with an interactive experience can increase its intergenerational appeal. Incorporating popular themes in the traditional setting also works well. This can include partnering with local makers, contemporary artists or performers and even corporate sponsorships with fashion, media or gaming brands.
In general, gamified experiences, such as treasure hunts or playable exhibits are also of increasing popularity among the very youngest museum and heritage visitors. Such enhancing experiences can increase the appeal to younger audiences who are looking for something different but without putting off the established audiences of the cultural site or museum who will in any case be interested in visiting and also curious to try the new technology or discover new experiences.
In what ways are recent technological advancements enhancing the interpretation of historical artefacts and cultural narratives?
Developments in digitisation, or the creation of digital versions of historical objects and places, enhances our understanding of the places and their related historical context. For example, 3D experiences based on digitised sites can virtually reconstruct ancient ruins showing how a place appeared in the past and allowing visitors to explore them in a completely new way.
Even digital archival objects can reveal interesting facts about the history of a place or the people who lived there, such as letters inhabitants have written. For example, these can be used to create more immersive and engaging guides of a cultural site by bringing together various digital objects into an XR experience.
Virtual tours can bring visitors to sites they would otherwise not be able to reach in real life. Likewise, walking tours or similar available via mobile apps can lead visitors to places of cultural interest, which they may not have been aware of previously. Such digital tours or guides contain narratives based on digital objects like historical images, video and audio content, or 3D reconstructions. These help visitors interpret what they are looking at. Tours can also contribute to sustainable tourism by leading visitors away from crowded areas.
What are the benefits and challenges of using augmented reality and virtual reality to enhance visitor experiences in the culture and heritage sector? Where do you see mixed reality disrupting or changing the way in which we look at this space?
The benefits of AR and VR can provide additional context not limited to an artefact’s physical location or time period, increasing the level of immersion and emotional connection to the experience. We are at an early point in discovering what this technology can do and realise its true potential as a tool for visitors to experience the past in ways not previously possible.
The challenges are that the hardware requirements may introduce barriers like cost, skill and comfort level, causing a less accessible experience. Visitors may also feel that digital layers between them and artefacts/sites result in a less authentic experience, or may resist ‘leaving’ the physical plane to interact on the digital one.
In order to overcome some of the challenges, locations can test and carefully choose appropriate user-friendly solutions that fit within their site and also aid visitors in navigating XR experiences. For example, incorporating them as seamlessly as possible in their visitor journey, giving them a chance to interact and explore without excessive time pressure and with ample assistance.
It's important to note that while VR and AR can result in more immersive experiences that visitors love, using these tools doesn't automatically create a more engaging experience. VR and AR can be a helpful tool for specific use cases, but we need to be careful to not try and force VR and AR on anything and everything just because it's cool, different or new. Sometimes a video presentation or even a text plaque can be just as effective in conveying a story to the visitor, without the added challenges and limitations that come with more advanced tech solutions.
Where are there opportunities for connecting storytelling across different heritage locations and where do you see the untapped potential of location-based storytelling?
Complementary digital experiences can be used to connect storytelling across different heritage locations using guided tours or experiential apps enhanced with digital content or tours which lead people to various heritage locations (either physically or virtually). A key feature of such experiences is to tell stories about places and their past inhabitants through digital objects and archival materials about those places.
On Europeana we produce editorial connecting our collections with stories spanning various time periods and locations and highlighting lesser known stories about cities and sites. Some example are:
Archival documentation revealing details of the lives of people who lived in locations, especially where this might be of use to individuals tracing their own genealogy and family history is a lesser tapped source for telling stories with a powerful impact on visitors. In a similar vein recorded oral histories or historical video can say so much about locations as they were in the past and allow visitors to connect with lost traditions.
We think there is still untapped potential in making deeper connections between digital and physical experiences which visitors can seamlessly navigate, one enriching the other. To that end, we are working on a series of walking tours which tell a variety of stories, to engage tourist audiences, by connecting cultural heritage collections with real-world locations.
Leveraging Emerging Technologies and User-Centred Design to Transform Cultural Heritage Experiences
In our discussion with Fiona and Julie, it is evident that the future of cultural and heritage experiences lies in the successful integration of digital service design, emerging technologies and a user-centred approach. The transformation of passive visitor experiences, into engaging and personalised journeys, is enhancing the visitor’s connection to culture and heritage. From accessibility to AI-driven personalisation, these innovations ensure that cultural institutions remain relevant and engaging to diverse audiences.
However, while the potential of these technologies is vast, there are challenges like ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all visitors, including those with disabilities. Europeana’s approach, focusing on enriching existing data and maintaining human oversight, serves as a powerful model for ensuring that digital tools are used responsibly and with a clear focus on trust and transparency.
The conversation also pointed to the growing influence of generational shifts in how people engage with culture, with younger visitors seeking more interactive and immersive experiences. By embracing digital tools such as AR, VR and mixed reality, cultural heritage sites can offer innovative ways to enhance traditional exhibits in an unprecedented ways.
About Europeana
Europeana is a platform that offers access to Europe's digital cultural heritage. It provides a vast collection of over 55 million cultural artefacts, sourced from more than 2,000 institutions across Europe. These institutions include galleries, libraries, archives and museums, which contribute to the platform’s extensive range of historical and cultural content. Through Europeana, users can explore a diverse array of digital collections, helping to connect people with Europe’s cultural legacy and enhancing the accessibility of heritage for educational, creative and research purposes.
Europeana's involvement in X. Design Week is an important extension of its commitment to using the value of technology in advancing culture and heritage to transform tourism experiences. As part of the event, Europeana joins a global community of destinations and tourism leaders, collaborating to shape the future of the industry through forward-thinking innovation. Don't forget that delegates from Europeana get up to 75% off their ticket. More information for this can be found on the XDW website. X. Design Week provides a unique platform for exploring trends in experience design, offering insights that can transform how destinations leverage digital tools and innovation to enhance their attractions.
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