ʔeləw̓k̓ʷ – Belongings: Embodied cultural values in tangible interaction design

In this thesis through an exploratory study I investigate the ways that an interactive tangible tabletop about aboriginal heritage enabled museum visitors to experience intangible cultural values. Belongings is a tangible tabletop that uses replicas of ancient and modern belongings of the Musqueam people to interact with digital activities and content. I situate my research by describing the system and a previous study that lead to the redesign of the tabletop. I then describe the field interview methodology for my study that took place at the Museum of Anthropology (UBC) with 20 visitors. Based on thematic analysis of responses, I present 10 themes, from which I derive design guidelines for tangible tabletop design for intangible culture heritage. Guidelines highlight the importance of the fidelity of replicas, breaking museum practices and using objects that visitors can relate to in order to enable visitors to experience aboriginal values through tangible interaction.