The reflection framework to enhance the user experience for cultural heritage spaces’ websites during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Emerging interactive technologies enable users to engage with cultural artefacts in innovative ways, significantly benefiting the cultural heritage sector. Issues with these interactive applications can be assessed through various methods, including usability surveys and evaluations. The severe usability problems for museums’ interactive technologies commonly involve interactions, control and navigation processes. This study proposes the reflection framework to enhance User Experience (UX) on cultural heritage websites during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the Wayback Machine, usability surveys, heuristic evaluations and preliminary interviews with museum service providers at two Vietnamese institutions, we analysed interactive technologies at three Cultural Heritage (CH) museums in Vietnam and Australia from 2019 to 2021. The findings reveal low immersion and interaction quality in audio guides and websites, with usability issues in navigation and control. The framework offers 15 guidelines, emphasising two-way interaction, multilingual support and high-quality content to improve accessibility and engagement. These advancements enable CH institutions to connect effectively with global audiences, fostering sustainable digital engagement. The framework is preliminary and case-based, derived from three national CH museums in Vietnam and Australia; further empirical testing with diverse institutions and user groups is needed before broader applicability can be claimed.