While digital heritage preservation often prioritizes visual fidelity, it frequently overlooks cultural narratives and emotional resonance. This study proposes a systematic human-centered design (HCD) framework integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to optimize Virtual Reality (VR) museums for ancient bronze vessels. By mapping 35 user requirements onto 25 technical parameters through the House of Quality (HOQ), the research identifies “Cultural Memory Inheritance,” “Artistic Expression,” and “Emotional Resonance” as the pivotal requirements. These findings suggest that technical specifications should serve as a foundation for narrative depth rather than as ultimate objectives. A synergistic strategy—comprising technical implementation, semantic translation, and effectiveness enhancement—is delineated to guide design priorities. Validated through a prototype VR system, this framework offers a replicable, data-driven methodology for cultural digitization, advocating for a value-oriented paradigm in immersive museum design grounded in authenticity and emotional engagement.
Fang et al. (2026) studied this question.