The (Virtual) Louvre

Thanks to this assignment, I got to visit The Louvre much earlier than I thought I ever would! The rise of virtual experiences has brought traveling to the individual’s home this pandemic and it offered a way of escape through imagination. This was my first time doing a virtual tour of something other than a house or apartment during moves in the past. Right away when navigating the website, I found it interesting that the virtual tour was split up by various exhibits/rooms. But as the fan of my computer started to roar I had a feeling this was a smart choice file size wise. When beginning my tour, I was given the normal controls of turning my point of view, clicking forward down a hall and back, and so on. The UI seemed a little out dated to me but really I think all of this virtual reality software is still pretty new so it may be high expectations for it to be seamless like Apple design at this point. The visual quality was pretty good but lagged as I moved throughout. There were added features that really took my focus away from these flaws like being able to see a clear and crisp version of any and all of the art pieces, as well as getting text based descriptions of all of the accompanying signs next to the pieces.

I also enjoyed getting to see the physical signage and way finding materials used in The Louvre. Often there were podiums next to the art pieces with a paper booklet on top left open to read about the piece. I think this is a fun and unique way of sharing information with the viewer rather than having it printed on a plaque. I noticed their signage that was printed directly on the walls used the space very nicely. Banners and way finding spread long and wide across the walls to make use of the space and increase readability from any point in the room. It was fun to follow these points of way finding as a virtual user as I wondered where to click my mouse next. 

One of the last things I noticed was the color of some of the rooms within the museum. The last room I was in was painted red on all the walls. It featured two accent chairs of the exact same color and many other elements of the room shared this as well. It was a really interesting and fun monochromatic experience that brought a strong theme to the room.