Leading through virtual innovation: Enhancing sustainable heritage tourism through virtual avatars in Dezhou's digital museums

Abstract

interactivity, and cultural authenticity—shape visitor experience in digital museums in Dezhou, Shandong, and whether these effects operate through visitor engagement. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (perceived usefulness/ease of use) and Media Richness Theory (social presence/immediacy), the research proposed and tested a mediation model in which multi-dimensional engagement (cognitive, emotional, behavioral) links avatar design to sustained use intentions and perceived cultural value. Using a cross-sectional survey of visitors who interacted with avatar-powered guides, we will validate reflective measures and estimate the model via PLS-SEM, with robustness checks for common-method bias and sensitivity to digital literacy. Expected findings are that interactivity and cultural authenticity most strongly predict engagement and perceived cultural value; anthropomorphism and realism contribute nonlinearly, with over-realism risking uncanny-valley effects. Engagement is expected to fully or partially mediate the impacts of design attributes on visitor experience, and perceived usefulness will amplify these pathways when ease of use is high. The study’s originality lies in isolating avatar-specific levers (beyond generic VR/AR tools), integrating TAM and MRT into a single, testable mechanism, and providing evidence from a non-megacity Chinese context with practical design heuristics for resource-constrained museums. We contribute empirical validation of the framework and actionable guidelines for culturally resonant avatar design to advance sustainable, inclusive heritage interpretation.