Digital Storytelling. Interactive multimedia supporting the cultural experience

Interaction design and human computer interaction in the cultural field have literally transformed languages and fruition codes through original ways for dissemination and engagement not only based on visual and sound stimuli. Low attention span or absent-minded enjoyment are the main problems to avoid while developing multimedia installations: movies, three-dimensional models and graphics used as information support in museums or architectural heritage, often reflects the obsolescence of a passive reception in the age of information overload. Tangible interaction removes the gap between physical and digital world and allows access to digital contents in cultural institutions; embodied interaction promote dialogue with applications through body and gestures which create engaging and realistic learning experiences. The designer's choices become the key to the cultural experience: the definition of the context, the frame, the style in which digital interactions will take place could provide a panorama of possibilities to involve users and their behavior. We discuss how interactive exhibit and digital character affected visitors' behavior, effectively capturing their attention and fostering interaction; an intriguing research that combines cultural operators and interaction designers in the development of an effective design and exhibits to access culture in an entertaining and involving way.