Enhancing Cultural Sustainability in Ethnographic Museums: A Multi-Dimensional Visitor Experience Framework Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Abstract

This study examines how a visitor-centered approach enhances engagement, participation, and intangible heritage transmission to support cultural sustainability in ethnographic museums. We conducted online and on-site behavioral observations, questionnaire surveys, and in-depth interviews at the She Ethnic Minority Museum to identify gaps in current visitor experience design. We combined the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the Contextual Model of Learning (POE) and Emotional Experience Theory (EET) to develop a hierarchical evaluation model. The model comprises one goal layer, three criterion layers (Experience, Participation, Transmission), and twelve sub-criteria, each evaluated across People, Object, and Environment dimensions. Quantitative weighting revealed that participation exerts the greatest influence, followed by transmission and experience. Findings indicate that targeted interventions promoting active participation most effectively foster emotional resonance and heritage transmission, while strategies supporting intergenerational engagement and immersive experiences also play a significant role. We recommend prioritizing small-scale, low-cost participatory initiatives and integrating online and offline community engagement to establish a participatory chain where engagement leads to meaningful experiences and sustained cultural transmission. These insights offer practical guidance for museum practitioners and policymakers seeking to enhance visitor experiences and ensure the long-term preservation and vibrancy of ethnic minority cultural heritage.

1. Introduction

In recent years, museum experience research—across both ethnographic and comprehensive institutions—has largely concentrated on integrating new technologies and exhibition design, with a predominant focus on the exhibited objects themselves [1,2,3]. Although user experience is often mentioned in these studies, there is still a large research gap in the measurement of user experience [4,5,6,7,8]. Ethnographic museums in China are unique in that they have the promotion of ethnocultural sustainability as their core objective, unlike other comprehensive museums. Cultural sustainability is intrinsically linked to the tourist experience, and it is only through the participation and experience of tourists that cultural identity and the transmission of cultural heritage, among other things, can be achieved [9,10,11]. This relationship can be conceptualized as follows. The quality of visitor experience and participation promotes cultural identity, which in turn enhances the willingness to inherit and maintain cultural traditions [12]. As digitization becomes one of the key strategies to enhance the museum visitor experience, technologies such as immersive and interactive exhibitions are mainly adopted by large-scale comprehensive museums in urban centers with sufficient funding [12,13]. However, many initiatives that combine intangible cultural heritage with technology tend to prioritize tourism development over genuine cultural sustainability. Moreover, ethnographic museums tend to be smaller than well-resourced comprehensive museums and often face challenges such as limited funding and a shortage of digitization expertise [14,15]. For ethnographic museums operating under funding and resource constraints, the development of cost-effective and agile experience strategies is an area where further research is urgently needed.

At present, although the research on ethnic museum experience in China has established foundational principles such as participatory and cultural identity, these principles are more often reflected in policy-oriented macro-expressions and lack clear implementation and evaluation mechanisms [16,17]. More notably, the measurement models, empirical principles, and structured research methods for museum visitor engagement and satisfaction that underpin these principles are significantly underdeveloped, with the majority of research findings relying on the unidimensional research method of qualitative interviews alone, and rarely integrate systematic, mixed-method analytical frameworks suitable for capturing the multidimensionality of museum experience [12,18,19,20]. This study aims to develop a systematic analytical framework that integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to assess visitor engagement and experience—key factors in formulating experience strategies aimed at cultural heritage preservation. Based on these key factors, the study proposes low-cost, high-convenience strategies to enhance visitor experience at ethnic museums, using the She Ethnic Group Museum as an example.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has become a widely used tool for assessing tourist satisfaction in tourism research due to its ability to quantify subjective factors within a structured decision-making framework [12,21]. However, the application of AHP to cultural sustainability research in museums remains underexplored. While the method excels at prioritizing key factors that influence visitor experience, it typically relies on expert judgment rather than direct visitor feedback [22], which can lead to bias. In addition, AHP assumes that assessment criteria are independent, whereas the museum experience is inherently multidimensional and interdependent.

To address these limitations, this study integrates the “Person–Artifact–Environment” theory with the dynamic “Experience–Engagement–Transmission” framework into the traditional Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach. By merging quantitative AHP with qualitative visitor interviews, we develop a multidimensional evaluation framework for ethnographic museum visitor experiences. This framework encompasses three major dimensions—experience, engagement, and transmission—which are mapped onto the three elements of person, artifact, and environment, generating a twelve-subcategory system. The model draws on the Contextual Model of Learning proposed by Falk and Dierking [23], and Pekarik et al.’s [24] analysis of visitors’ object-centered experiences, emphasizing the critical role of interactions among visitors, exhibits, and spatial contexts in fostering cultural identity. Based on this, this study explores which of the three dimensions of “experience, participation, and inheritance” has the greatest impact on the visitor experience at ethnographic museums, and what are the key indicators at the “people, objects, and place” levels that influence the visitor experience in each of these three dimensions.

After refining the model, we propose integrating online visitor experience data into the assessment of visitor experience in museums. Existing research demonstrates limited studies on the combined online and offline experiences in Chinese ethnographic museums. Previous research highlights the impact of digital tools on physical access, perceived value, sensory immersion, and their connection to cultural heritage preservation in folklore museums [25,26,27,28]. Therefore, our research also considers how to effectively integrate online and offline visitor experience data to evaluate and improve museums’ cultural sustainability strategies.

We applied this model to a field study at the She Ethnic Minority Museum in Jingning She Autonomous County, Zhejiang Province. Anchored in a historical narrative, the museum presents both tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the She people through scene reconstructions and artifact displays, serving as a vital platform for understanding She culture. By focusing on a small-scale, resource-constrained, and relatively young local museum, this study directly examines the real-world challenges grassroots institutions face in engaging visitors in cultural transmission. Specifically, it explores how visitor experience can inform the development of low-cost, flexible, and adaptive strategies to achieve cultural sustainability.

2. Literature Review

2.1. The Role of Ethnographic Museums in Cultural Sustainability

Traditional museum models emphasize object-centered curation, but contemporary practice increasingly promotes a people-centered philosophy [29,30]. This indicates that museums not only serve as repositories of cultural relics but also function as active platforms for cultural dialogue and participation. As Naguib emphasizes, cultural sustainability requires active community involvement rather than passive preservation [31]. The move toward a participatory model has enabled museums to become spaces of co-creation, where cultural narratives are continuously redefined through visitor engagement. Falk and Dierking’s “contextual learning model” [23], along with recent extensions such as the interactive exhibition model proposed by Hong et al. [32], emphasize enjoyment and sharing during the pre-visit, visit, and post-visit stages, underscoring the evolving role of museums.

In line with broader museum trends, ethnographic museums are likewise called to transition from a model focused solely on cultural preservation to one that emphasizes cultural production. They are shifting from being mere repositories of artifacts to becoming hybrid cultural spaces, evolving from passive guardians to active promoters of cultural vitality. Consequently, ethnographic museums are no longer limited to curating static displays; rather, they increasingly prioritize participatory experiences by facilitating exhibitions, workshops, and interactive activities that enable community members to share their knowledge, perspectives, and traditions, and reduce the distance between visitors and cultural heritage [23,31,32,33]. In recent years, many museums have adopted technologies such as 3D projection mapping, gesture-based interactive installations, and immersive media to enrich visitor experiences and attract broader audiences [34,35,36,37]. However, research suggests that beyond the appeal of technological innovation, the sustainability of cultural heritage depends critically on the museum’s ability to embed visitors deeply within ongoing cultural processes—transforming them from passive observers into active stakeholders in living traditions. This consideration is particularly crucial for small and medium-sized ethnographic museums, which often have limited access to digital technologies. Under resource-constrained conditions, such institutions have promoted cultural transmission and deepened visitor engagement with intangible cultural heritage by organizing workshops that allow direct participation in traditional practices, crafts, and performances.

In summary, the challenge for museums of the future lies in transforming visitors from passive spectators to active participants in cultural co-creation [38]. This shift moves museums from mere preservation to a mode of cultural production, where visitors engage in interactive and participatory activities that contribute to the dynamic evolution of cultural heritage [39,40].

2.2. Visitor Experience and Cultural Sustainability

Visitor experience plays a key role in linking museum practices to cultural sustainability. It is increasingly recognized that museums are not only repositories of artifacts but also dynamic environments where cultural meanings are continuously constructed through visitor interactions [23]. Studies have demonstrated that high-quality visitor experiences, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and participatory dimensions, significantly contribute to visitors’ cultural understanding, identity formation, and willingness to engage in heritage transmission [41].

The Contextual Model of Learning proposed by Falk and Dierking highlights how personal, sociocultural, and physical contexts jointly shape the museum experience, suggesting that cultural learning and identity development emerge through complex interactions rather than passive observation [23]. Similarly, Pekarik et al. (1999) found that visitors’ strongest memories are often tied to personal, emotional, and participatory experiences rather than to factual information acquisition [24].

In the specific context of ethnographic museums, visitor experience is even more critical because the sustainability of intangible cultural heritage depends heavily on affective engagement and active participation [42]. In recent years, some well-funded ethnographic museums have actively adopted digital technologies to enhance visitor experiences. Current research also shows that interactive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and multimedia presentations can significantly increase visitor engagement, deepen the understanding of ethnic cultures [43], encourage visitors to pay greater attention to historical preservation, and enhance audience satisfaction in terms of cultural understanding, knowledge acquisition, and emotional involvement [44,45], thereby strengthening perceptions of cultural continuity [46,47].

Despite the critical role of visitor experiences in ethnographic museums, systematic evaluation frameworks remain significantly underdeveloped. While museum experience research has evolved over the past two decades, systems for understanding visitor needs and behavioral perceptions are still incomplete, particularly in relation to fostering cultural transmission awareness among visitors. Existing studies often prioritize exhibition design or curatorial practices, with limited direct data on how visitors perceive, interact with, and internalize cultural content [48], and sparse investigation into visitor interactions directly linked to cultural sustainability [49,50,51]. Moreover, most studies lack robust survey methodologies capable of assessing key factors such as visitor perceptions of authenticity, emotional resonance, and intergenerational transmission outcomes [52,53].

Therefore, exploring specific and multidimensional frameworks to evaluate visitor experiences offers a promising pathway toward more sustainable museum practices. By applying structured assessment methods, such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to systematically evaluate visitor experience, engagement, and cultural transmission, researchers can refine their understanding of visitor participation and better align museums’ cultural missions with the actual experiences of their audiences.

2.3. The Application of the AHP Method in Cultural Studies

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), developed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s, is a widely adopted multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method that facilitates complex decision processes by structuring them into hierarchical models of objectives, criteria, and alternatives [54]. Originally prominent in fields such as engineering, business, and environmental science, AHP has increasingly found application in cultural studies, especially in the assessment and prioritization of heritage preservation efforts, sustainable tourism strategies, and cultural resource management [55,56].

In the context of cultural sustainability, AHP has been widely utilized to assess the relative importance of various factors influencing the conservation and promotion of both tangible and intangible heritage. For instance, Li et al. (2023) applied AHP and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to analyze renovation priorities in traditional houses in Yunnan Province, China, highlighting criteria such as building geometry, traditional craftsmanship, and flexibility solutions [55]. Similarly, Bao and Huang (2024) constructed a cultural heritage value assessment model for Naxi traditional villages, emphasizing historical, economic, artistic, and sustainable dimensions [56]. These studies illustrate AHP’s versatility in systematically quantifying subjective judgments across multidimensional heritage value systems.

In recent years, the hierarchical analysis method (AHP) has been widely used in research on sustainable tourism in China’s ethnic minority regions. Studies such as those by Cai and Lou [57] developed systematic evaluation frameworks to assess the tourism competitiveness of minority areas in Yunnan Province, while research in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture used AHP and fuzzy methods to analyze spatial structures and propose optimization strategies [58]. Despite these advances, much of the existing research remains focused on resource assessment and strategic planning, with limited attention given to tourists’ participation experiences and their cultural interactions. There is a lack of effective interface between the strategic recommendations proposed by some studies and actual policies and management practices, which affects the practical application value of the research results.

So as AHP gains popularity in cultural research contexts, several methodological limitations have become increasingly evident, particularly when evaluated against the demands of ethnographic museum experiences and cultural sustainability objectives. Firstly, AHP traditionally relies heavily on expert-driven judgment matrices, which may introduce biases detached from the lived experiences and perceptions of actual museum visitors [59]. Particularly in contexts where user-centered experience is vital, such as in museums aiming to cultivate cultural identity, the absence of direct visitor input undermines the relevance and validity of evaluation outcomes.

Secondly, AHP assumes the independence of evaluation criteria. This assumption may hold in engineering systems, but it proves problematic when applied to the multidimensional, interdependent nature of visitor experiences in cultural settings. Emotional resonance, cognitive learning, sensory immersion, and participatory interaction are deeply intertwined processes in museum experiences [23], rendering the assumption of independent criteria methodologically flawed. The dynamic and affective character of museum engagement necessitates a more integrated evaluative framework.

Furthermore, AHP traditionally treats evaluations as static snapshots, failing to account for the temporal and experiential evolution that defines visitor interactions with cultural exhibitions. Visitor engagement is not a singular moment but a process unfolding across pre-visit expectations, on-site interactions, and post-visit reflections [24]. Static hierarchical models fail to capture this temporal complexity, thus limiting their ability to inform adaptive and responsive cultural sustainability strategies.

Although no studies specifically focus on mixed-methods research comparing online and offline visitor experiences at folklore museums in China, relevant work [25,26,27,28] provides insights into the mediating roles of digital tools in influencing physical visits, the perceived value and sensory immersion of digital platforms, and their interplay with cultural heritage preservation efforts, broadly applicable to folklore museums.

Therefore, while AHP provides a strong foundational methodology for structuring and prioritizing evaluation criteria, advancing its application in cultural sustainability—particularly in user-centered, experience-driven settings such as ethnographic museums—requires additional methodological innovations. By embedding visitor-centered, interaction-driven frameworks into AHP, this integration enriches the evaluative power of the method and better aligns it with the complex realities of visitor experience and cultural sustainability in ethnographic museum contexts.

2.4. AHP Judgment Model Explanation and POE Theory

Donald Norman’s user experience model delineates three layers [60]—visceral, behavioral, and reflective—which map directly onto museum visitor engagement: sensory stimulation, interactive participation, and emotional resonance. In museums, sensory experience (visceral layer) draws attention through visual and auditory stimuli. Interactive participation (behavioral layer) engages visitors in hands-on activities, strengthening operational involvement. Emotional resonance and cultural identification (reflective layer) arise from immersive experiences, cultivating pride and heritage connections that motivate cultural preservation [61]. These layers form a dynamic progression—from sensory attraction, through active engagement, culminating in emotional reflection—highlighting the process from initial interest to sustained cultural commitment within ethnographic museum contexts.

The Person–Object–Environment (POE) framework and Falk and Dierking’s contextual model both posit that the museum experience arises from the interaction among personal context (including visitors’ motivations, prior knowledge, and identities), objects/content (such as exhibits, narratives, and artifacts), and the environment (including gallery space, atmosphere, and social context). These three elements collectively influence outcomes such as engagement, learning, and satisfaction [23]. Empirical studies confirm the interaction mechanism, showing that authentic experiences centered on real exhibits enhance visitor satisfaction, while environmental factors like lighting and layout evoke positive emotions and improve memorability [62,63]. Consequently, POE-based approaches are now widely adopted in museum design, interpretive strategy, and post-visit evaluation to assess how personal relevance, artifact content, and environmental comfort collectively influence engagement, learning, and satisfaction [64]. This integrated perspective enables practitioners to pinpoint key drivers of quality visitor experience—whether personal, material, or environmental—and apply these insights to enhance exhibition effectiveness.

By incorporating experience models like POE or EET into the AHP framework, a user-centered and flexible multi-criteria evaluation method can be established. This involves constructing a decision hierarchy reflecting experience stages (e.g., experience, participation, transmission) and assigning weights based on visitor input. Such integration leverages AHP’s structured decision-making strengths while addressing its limitations by accounting for the complex, interrelated nature of cultural experiences. Consequently, this approach reduces over-reliance on expert judgment and relaxes the assumption of criterion independence, resulting in evaluation outcomes that better reflect the realities of visitor experiences.

This study introduces POE’s ‘People, Objects, and Environment’ into the exploration of visitor experience factors in the target museum and proposes hypothetical policies for improving user experience based on the three dimensions of visitor experience factors. ‘People’ refers to role objects, “Objects” refers to the material background composed of natural or man-made objects, and ‘Environment’ refers to the overall environment in which individual behavior occurs [65]. In an in-depth exploration of the visitor experience at the target museum, the study identified several core dimensions through people, objects, and environment that together shape the overall visitor experience [66].

This study examines visitor experience at the small-scale She Ethnic Museum, operating for less than 15 years, using interviews and evaluation forms rather than literature review. It develops a user-centered evaluation system based on the museum contextual experience model, focusing on personal, social, and physical contexts. The system proposes indicators across three dimensions—experience, participation, and inheritance—each evaluated through people, objects, and space. This framework links sensory experience to cultural inheritance, with the three dimensions providing structural support for more objective assessment. The model is shown in Figure 1.

In ethnographic museums, experience, participation, and inheritance are core design objectives. Visitors gain cultural knowledge and unique experiences through exhibits, technology, and space. Participation reflects the active role of visitors as both receivers and creators of culture [67]. Inheritance depends on interactions between people, objects, and the museum environment, shaping cultural continuity [68]. In ethnographic museums, the dynamic interaction between people and objects, people and fields determines whether culture can be successfully inherited. Therefore, based on the above six dimensions, the user experience quality judgement model of ethnographic museums can be extended to nine dimensions, as shown in

Table 1. The judgment model for user experience quality in ethnographic museums.

Dimension	Sensory Experience	Interactive Participation	Cultural Transmission
People (Personal Context)	Emotional resonance, interest, motivation, modes of interaction	Visitor communities, social sharing, intergenerational interaction	Cultural identity, learning and creativity
Objects (Physical Context)	Exhibit aesthetics, curatorial style, sense of immersion	Interactive devices, digital panels, creative workshops	Cultural symbols, intangible heritage craftsmanship
Environment (Social Context)	Spatial atmosphere, exhibition layout and guidance	Offline communities, educational activities, volunteer programs	Cultural dissemination, community collaboration, digital heritage transmission

This table is constructed based on the POE framework by mapping Donald Norman’s three layers—visceral, behavioral, and reflective—onto the objectives of ethnographic museum design, which correspond to users’ sensory experience, interactive participation, and cultural transmission, thereby expanding users’ cognitive and emotional responses into nine specific dimensions.

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3. Materials and Methods

This study is based on Folk and Dierking’s “Situated Learning Model” (which integrates personal, social, and physical contexts) [23] and proposes a six-dimensional visitor experience framework. This framework combines the “person-object-environment” model with the dynamic chain of “experience-participation-transmission”. The interactions among the six dimensions in the model are crucial for maintaining the cultural vitality of ethnic museums and enhancing user experience. Specifically, experience encompasses sensory and emotional engagement; participation reflects social interaction and collaboration; and transmission involves the internalization and projection of cultural knowledge and identity.

The research follows a mixed-methods approach. Firstly, selective coding refines core concepts related to the three pillars—experience, participation, and transmission—and qualitatively extends their dimensions. Secondly, a hierarchical AHP model is constructed to quantitatively assess user needs. This yields a structured model of user requirements through rigorous Analytic Hierarchy Process analysis. The result is a clear, multi-layered framework for evaluating and improving ethnographic museum experiences.

3.1. User Data Collection Objectives and Methods

As part of a combined qualitative and quantitative research approach, we planned to survey museum visitors using behavioral observation, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews. In this study, 125 participants were recruited through open calls via WeChat communities and from on-site visitors, using convenience sampling (a type of non-probability sampling). Ultimately, we collected 10 sets of visitor behavior data from the She Ethnic Museum in Jingning She Autonomous County, Zhejiang Province, and 100 electronic questionnaire responses from online WeChat communities and on-site visitors. We also conducted in-depth interviews with 25 visitors, with participants aged between 18 and 24. Among these, the 10 sets of visitor behavior data were sourced from the 25 visitors who participated in the in-depth offline interviews. During the study, the basic demographic data of the sample included in the questionnaire is shown in Figure 2.

This study focuses on the She Museum in Jingning She Autonomous County, Zhejiang Province. This local ethnic museum has a series of pain points and challenges in its visitor experience during actual operation, particularly in public engagement. Despite efforts such as handicraft workshops and traditional festival events, these initiatives lack clear user-centered objectives, do not adequately address diverse visitor needs, and have failed to significantly boost engagement or deepen cultural understanding. Therefore, the core objectives of this study in terms of user data collection are to identify the key problems in the current visitor experience design of the She Museum, to analyze the gap between the existing strategies and the needs of the users, and to explore the possibility of optimizing the paths of visitor engagement in order to more effectively achieve the museum’s core objective of ‘passing on the culture of the She people’.

Among these methods, the non-participatory behavioural observation approach was employed to investigate how target users engaged with the exhibitions at the She Museum. Specific tasks and activities during the viewing process were recorded to gain insight into the real-life exhibition experience of different user groups and to explore their viewing behaviors and habits. Subsequently, in the quantitative phase, questionnaires and interviews were used to examine users’ basic characteristics and behavioral patterns, as well as their experiences in the museum, their areas of dissatisfaction, and their expectations regarding the exhibition process.

Before distributing the questionnaires and conducting the interviews, the researcher carried out a pilot test to evaluate both instruments. After making the necessary revisions based on the test results, the final questionnaire and interview content were organized into five sections: (1) basic demographic information, (2) motivation for visiting, (3) evaluation of the museum experience, (4) evaluation of museum facilities, and (5) willingness to recommend the museum and the reasons behind this willingness, including opinions on potential program offerings with varying themes.

Observations of user behavior were carried out in the halls and galleries of the selected case museum. Prior to the observation, the researcher informed participants about the project topic, the purpose of data collection, and the specific observation points, and obtained their informed consent. All eligible participants, based on age and background, completed the questionnaire in a public space and did so voluntarily.

3.2. Constructing an AHP Hierarchical Model

This study constructs a hierarchical model through literature and user research [69]. The demand items in the user experience evaluation are rearranged and summarized, and the hierarchical structure model of user demand is constructed through the hierarchical analysis method. In the context of museum visitor experience, we designed and expanded the AHP model. The AHP judgement model in this study uses three dimensions—experience, participation, and transmission—as the criterion layer, as these dimensions better align with the criteria for evaluating museum user experience under the objective of cultural heritage preservation. To avoid the subjectivity that may arise from expert judgements in conventional AHP methods, three additional criteria—people, objects, and environment—were added horizontally within each dimension. This resulted in 12 sub-criteria layers based on the three dimensions of experience, participation, and transmission, with each sub-criteria layer having three evaluation criteria: people, objects, and environment. When evaluating and scoring, comparisons between sub-criteria layers are made using the aforementioned people, objects, and environment criteria to compare and score their importance. Additionally, to incorporate the user experience of online museums and digital museums into the evaluation, we collected corresponding data from online museums in addition to offline data and organized the sub-criteria layers accordingly. The structural model is divided into three levels, where the target level P is the top-level goal to enhance the strategy of the visitor experience of the Folk Museum; the criterion level and sub-criterion level are the factors that are assumed to influence the user experience in the second subsection, as shown in

Table 2. AHP hierarchical model of user needs.

Criteria	Code	Sub-Criteria	People	Objects	Environment
Experience	A1	Multimodal Interactivity	Visitor engagement with digital devices	AR/VR equipment, tactile exhibits (e.g., bamboo, fabric)	Virtual gallery layout, sensory stimulation from interaction devices
	A2	Visual Aesthetics	Visitors’ visual impression of the museum	Aesthetic elements such as ethnic ribbon patterns, phoenix installations, and digital panels	Exhibit and signage design clarity, multilingual navigation system
	A3	Emotional Resonance	Visitors’ emotional response to exhibits	Documentary scripts, interactive theater scripts, endangered language recordings	Immersive AV rooms, emotional ambiance created by lighting and sound
	A4	Personalized Adaptability	Visitor age, interest-based visit pathways	AI recommendation algorithms, adaptive difficulty in interactive modules	Mobile UI adaptability, multi-scene switching logic
Participation	B1	Community Collaboration	Volunteer coordination skills, visitor collaboration willingness	Collaborative tools (e.g., shared whiteboards, digital task systems)	Offline workshop spaces, online community platforms (WeChat 8.0.61, rednote v8.93, TikTok 35.2.0, Bilibili 8.55.0)
	B2	Intergenerational Interaction	Willingness to transfer knowledge, learning motivation of visitors	Cultural knowledge learning kits	Family interaction zones, intergenerational event scheduling
	B3	Cultural Regeneration	Visitor creativity, guidance from culture bearers	Pattern design kits, user-generated content sharing tools	Creation workshops, digital exhibition display zones
	B4	Cross-Context Continuity	Visitor habits in using digital platforms	QR code devices, virtual identity systems	Entry points for online-offline linkage, sustained digital scenario design
Transmission	C1	Ethnic Symbol Recognition	Visitors’ ability to learn symbols, authority of interpreters	Q&A systems, pattern-matching games	Educational test zones, AI feedback correction interface
	C2	Ethnic Study Practices	Learner engagement persistence, willingness to cooperate with communities	Bamboo weaving kits, joint admission tickets	Intangible heritage workshop spaces, She village field visit routes
	C3	Cultural Identity Alignment	Visitors’ sense of belonging, expression on social media	She language learning applets, virtual avatar dress-up modules	Cultural identity questionnaire zones, online community discussion boards
	C4	Intergenerational Cultural Transmission	Youth knowledge articulation, elder digital adaptability	Oral history recording devices, VR teaching tools	Intergenerational task zones, digital skill training corners

User requirements identified through questionnaires and interviews were reorganized and synthesized. Based on the previously developed visitor experience evaluation model, a hierarchical model of user needs was constructed. The criterion layer comprises three dimensions—Experience, Participation, and Transmission—while the sub-criterion layer includes specific design strategy recommendations for the target museum, each assigned a unique identifier. Drawing on the POE framework, each sub-criterion was clearly defined, resulting in twelve strategy dimensions under the criterion layer.

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3.3. Hierarchical Single Ordering and Consistency Test Measurement

After carrying out the hierarchical model establishment of AHP, in order to construct the judgement matrix and scientifically determine the user demand weights, so that the qualitative problem can be quantitatively analyzed, this study adopts the scale method of scale 1–9 to judge the importance of each demand element, as shown in

Table 3. Scale of proportional weights for criteria and sub-criteria levels.

Comparison Between Factor i and Factor j	Quantitative Value
Equally Important	1
Slightly More Important	3
Moderately More Important	5
Strongly More Important	7
Extremely More Important	9
Intermediate Values Between Two Adjacent Judgments	2, 4, 6, 8

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The relative weights of the elements in the matrix of each level are calculated (relative weights indicate the importance of the elements), and the AHP method deals with subjectivized judgements by gradually removing subjectivity from the calculation step and converting the demand weights into objective descriptions as far as possible [70]. The reasonableness of its calculated objective description needs to be tested for consistency.

4. Results

In this study, we used quantitative questionnaires and interviews to understand the actual experiences and feelings of different user groups regarding museum visits, as well as their dissatisfaction with museums and expectations for the visiting process. The research objective is to identify key factors that affect visitor experiences and to design practical strategies to enhance the cultural sustainability of ethnographic museums. Experimental data shows that young visitors (aged 18–24) are the primary visitor group for ethnic, niche, and specialty museums, and they demonstrate a high level of interest in interactive activities and digital multimedia displays. This reflects the current audience structure of the museum, which is primarily concentrated among young people with a bachelor’s degree. After in-depth research, it was found that this is due to the following factors. (1) The museum is located in a cultural tourism district, and young people are the main mobile population in these areas. (2) The museum offers community-based experiences such as intangible cultural heritage workshops, which align with the lifestyle of young people who share their lives through electronic media. (3) Young people, through their higher education and exposure to topics like “She ethnic group,” “ethnic culture,” and “intangible cultural heritage” on social media, have the knowledge to understand these concepts and are more willing to explore them in depth. (4) Among the groups recruited through WeChat communities, young people are more eager to express their opinions. The primary purposes of visiting ethnic/niche/specialty museums for most visitors are leisure and entertainment (68%) and knowledge acquisition (48%). Consistent with the findings of Vanessa Cesário et al., our study confirms young visitors’ preference for participatory forms of experience [71,72]. The data indicates that 44% of respondents believe there is room for improvement in exhibition guidance experiences and specialized workshops at ethnic/niche/specialty museums, with these two areas receiving the highest proportions of feedback. This suggests that visitors have a high demand for interactivity and educational content, seeking better experiences in these areas, with the highest demand for engagement within the museum.

According to statistics from 100 valid online questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 25 offline visitors, 76% of tourists believe that intangible cultural heritage workshops are most effective in fostering a sense of ethnic cultural identity among tourists.

After analyzing the results of the questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, it is recommended that museums increase the number of interactive and entertaining exhibition projects, such as online interactive experiences and handicraft workshops, in order to enhance visitor participation and satisfaction, with a focus on the needs of young visitors in their future development. Additionally, museums should focus on the application of low-cost digital multimedia to attract visitors’ attention through innovative display methods, thereby enhancing the interactivity and appeal of exhibitions. Furthermore, museums may consider offering personalized guided tours and immersive exhibitions to meet visitors’ demands for personalized and in-depth experiences. Through these measures, museums can not only attract more young visitors but also enhance the overall visitor experience, thereby promoting the inheritance and dissemination of ethnic culture.

Subsequently, based on the results of the above user needs evaluation, we calculated the corresponding weights using the visitor experience system evaluation model and ranked the user experience factors in the sub-criteria layer.

In terms of data analysis, we used SPSS 21.0 and MatLab 2023 software to analyze the AHP model structure according to the steps outlined in Section 3.2 and Section 3.3. We determined the weights for the three criterion layers of experience, participation, and inheritance. The results are shown in

Table 4. Weights of criteria at the Criteria level.

	Experience	Participation	Transmission	Eigenvector	Weight (%)	CR
Experience	1	1/3	1/2	0.491	16.378
Participation	3	1	2	1.617	53.896	0.005
Transmission	2	1/2	1	0.892	29.726

CR ≤ 0.10 → judgments are consistent and acceptable. CR between 0.10 and 0.20 → tolerable in practical settings; consider reviewing if above 0.20. CR > 0.20 → indicates significant inconsistency; decision-makers should revisit their pairwise comparisons.

, where the weight for the ‘Participation’ dimension reached 53.896%, the ‘Experience’ dimension weight is 16.378%, and the ‘Transmission’ dimension weight is 29.726%. The weighting order of the criterion layers is participation > transmission > experience. Based on the sub-criterion layers derived from the comprehensive user experience indicators as shown in Table 2, the specific weights of user demand indicators were determined. The user experience factors within the sub-criterion layers were ranked, with the results shown in

Table 5. Weights of criteria at the Sub-Criteria level.

Main Criteria	Sub-Criteria Code	Judgment Matrix				Eigenvector	Weight (%)	CR
Experience	A1	1	2	1/3	4	1.352	33.805	0.039
	A2	1/2	1	1/4	3	0.651	16.275
	A3	3	4	1	5	1.702	42.547
	A4	1/4	1/3	1/5	1	0.295	7.373
Participation	B1	1	1/2	1/3	2	0.644	16.107	0.01
	B2	2	1	1/2	3	1.109	27.714
	B3	3	2	1	4	1.863	46.582
	B4	1/2	1/3	1/4	1	0.384	9.597
Transmission	C1	1	1/2	1/2	2	0.734	18.362	0.015
	C2	2	1	1/2	3	1.147	28.668
	C3	2	2	1	4	1.73	43.245
	C4	1/2	1/3	1/4	1	0.389	9.724

CR ≤ 0.10 → judgments are consistent and acceptable. CR between 0.10 and 0.20 → tolerable in practical settings; consider reviewing if above 0.20. CR > 0.20 → indicates significant inconsistency; decision-makers should revisit their pairwise comparisons.

. In the ‘Experience’ dimension, the sub-criterion layer with the highest weight value is ‘Emotional Resonance,’ at 42.547%. In the ‘Participation’ dimension, the sub-criterion layer with the highest weight value is ‘Cultural Regeneration,’ at 46.582%. In the “Transmission” dimension, the sub-criterion layer with the highest weight value is ‘Cultural Identity Alignment,’ at 43.245%. After calculation, the criterion layer CR is 0.005, and the sub-criterion layer CRs are 0.039, 0.01, and 0.015, respectively. All consistency results pass, and the confidence levels of the criterion layer and sub-criterion layers are established and the confidence level is greater than or equal to 95%. These analyses explore the demand items in user experience evaluation, determine the corresponding weights, and summarize the findings. Through the table, we effectively demonstrate the relative importance of each element and its contribution to enhancing user experience.

This study provides a multi-dimensional analysis of its performance in terms of visitor experience. The results indicate that in the overall composition of visitor experience, the ‘Participation’ dimension accounts for 53.896% of the total weight, significantly higher than the “Experience” dimension at 16.378% and the ‘Transmission’ dimension at 29.726%, highlighting its dominant role. This suggests that enhancing visitor participation is key to improving the overall experience. Under the ‘Participation’ criterion, the sub-criterion of ‘Cultural Regeneration’ holds the top position in terms of overall weight. This phenomenon not only reveals the important role of ethnic museums in cultural inheritance and innovation but also highlights the importance of ‘Participation’ in visitor experience at ethnic museums, surpassing “Experience” and ‘Transmission.’ Cultural regeneration capacity not only reflects the museum’s protection and respect for She ethnic group traditional culture but also demonstrates its ability to disseminate and innovate culture in the context of modern society. This capacity enables visitors to feel the vitality and contemporary value of She ethnic group culture, thereby positively influencing the quality of the museum experience. While ‘Community Collaboration’ and ‘Cross-Context Continuity’ also have some impact on user experience, their weights are relatively low. This indicates that while museums have a foundation for promoting community interaction and cross-scenario experiences, the influence of these factors on user experience is relatively limited.

Under the principle of ‘Transmission’, the weights assigned to ‘Cultural Identity Alignment’ and ‘Ethnic Study Practices’ are relatively high, reflecting the need for museums to enhance visitors’ sense of identity with She ethnic culture and provide ample opportunities for research and study practices. Under the “Experience” principle, the weight assigned to ‘Emotional Resonance’ is the highest, emphasizing the importance of emotional resonance in the user experience of ethnic museums. Emotional resonance not only enhances visitors’ willingness to participate and the quality of their experience but also strengthens their sense of cultural identity and belonging to Chinese culture. In contrast, the weights assigned to ‘Visual Aesthetics’ and ‘Personalized Adaptability’ are relatively low, indicating that museums have a minimal impact on user experience when it comes to conveying aesthetic appeal and designing personalized exhibitions for visitors.

Overall, the She Ethnic Museum has demonstrated strong performance in visitor experience quality. By strengthening the ‘participation’ mechanism, particularly through its outstanding efforts in ‘cultural revitalisation’ and ‘intergenerational interaction,’ the museum has established an interactive experience system centered on participation, significantly enhancing the overall visitor experience quality. Additionally, its advantages in ethnic research and study practices and emotional resonance are also quite evident. These factors collectively form the core competitiveness of the ethnic museum’s user experience, giving it a unique charm in cultural dissemination and display. Under the principle of ‘transmission,’ the weights of ‘ethnic cultural identity’ and ‘ethnic research and study practices’ are relatively high, reflecting the museum’s outstanding performance in enhancing visitors’ sense of identity with She culture and providing opportunities for research and study practices.

However, the She Ethnic Group Museum still has room for improvement in terms of ‘Cultural Identity Alignment’ at the ‘Transmission’ level and ‘Emotional Resonance’ at the “Experience” level. The corresponding strategies are as follows. In terms of ‘People,’ it is necessary to stimulate visitors’ sense of belonging to the ethnic group, their tendency to express themselves on social media, and their emotional resonance with the exhibits. Under the ‘Objects’ dimension, the museum can develop a She dialect learning app, design a virtual avatar costume change module, write interactive play scripts, and record endangered languages. Under the ‘Environment’ dimension, the museum can set up a cultural identity questionnaire section and a virtual community discussion forum, and utilize an immersive audio-visual hall. The emergence of ‘Cultural Regeneration’ as the primary sub-standard is particularly innovative, emphasizing that ethnographic museums can not only serve as guardians of intangible cultural heritage but also as innovators. In the future, museums should prioritize optimizing these aspects, focusing on small-scale, highly participatory, and cost-effective solutions rather than large-scale, resource-intensive projects.

5. Discussion

This study demonstrates the utility of AHP hierarchical analysis for understanding whether the weighting of engagement, experience, and cultural heritage in quantifying the museum visitor’s experience is influenced by the psychological field theory of ‘people, objects, and fields’.

Specifically, we explored how to reach the goal of ethnocultural sustainability from the user experience of ethnographic museum visitors. Using AHP hierarchical analysis to construct a user experience model that combines online and offline visits to the museum, we examined (1) the indicators that affect each of the three dimensions of participation, experience, and inheritance, respectively, and (2) the dimensions that play a dominant factor in the museum visitor’s experience. The results of the AHP hierarchical analysis model indicate that the most influential factor in the experience of the Ethnographic Museum visitor is the visitor’s participation, and the smallest is the visitor’s sense of direct experience.

Implications and Future Research

The significance of this study is threefold. First, this study combines the ‘person-object-place’ model with the dynamic chain of ‘experience-participation-transmission’ to expand traditional static evaluation schemes into a visitor-centered user experience evaluation system. By examining the factors that may influence visitors’ experiences when visiting ethnic museums, the AHP hierarchical analysis method is used to expand the operational strategies of local ethnic museums to achieve cultural sustainability goals.

Although visitor engagement includes instinctive, behavioral and reflective levels [73], scholars have paid more attention to the instinctive and reflective levels, i.e., cognitive and affective dimensions [74,75], while less attention has been paid to the behavioral dimensions, and even more limited studies have taken all three levels into account. Measuring these three levels of engagement is crucial in ethnographic museums‘ ethnocultural sustainability research, where visitors’ motivations and individual characteristics are closely linked to their behaviors, forming a chain of ‘engagement-interaction-transmission’ [76]. Therefore, multidimensional data collection methods such as observation, interviews and questionnaires can be used to more accurately identify visitors’ on-site experience and their true level of participation. It is important to emphasize that mere experience does not directly contribute to cultural transmission; only through active participation and interaction can we effectively guide and realize the continued transmission of culture.

Second, because visitor engagement may vary according to the various classifications of psychological field theory [77], this study explored the engagement factors of each sub-criterion level in the visitor experience of the Ethnographic Museum based on the classification of ‘people, objects, and fields’ [78]. Our research on engagement in the visitor experience of ethnographic museums can not only enhance the interactivity and engagement of visitors and enable them to better understand the interaction-triggered visitor activities, but also effectively convey the sense of identity of the ethnic culture to the visitors, thus enhancing the effect of cultural transmission. For example, museums can collaborate with digital app developers to design interactive tasks that guide visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural stories behind the exhibits, stimulating their desire to explore and interest in learning.

Finally, this study emphasizes that ethnographic museums should effectively integrate online and offline visiting modes when planning visitors’ visiting experience in order to enhance the depth and breadth of cultural heritage. With the development of digital technology, online digital museums have become an important form of museum display, expanding the museum’s display space and audience groups [79]. However, many current online exhibitions still have problems such as single content and insufficient interactivity, making it difficult to fully stimulate the audience’s interest in participation [80]. Therefore, ethnic museums should focus on the redesign of online exhibitions in the process of digital transformation to enhance their interactivity and education. Online, museums should strengthen community operation, establish stable online communities, extend offline experience through live explanation, virtual tours, interactive Q&A, etc., and promote communication and interaction among visitors. For example, the Linyi City Museum has expanded its educational functions and met the cultural needs of different groups through ‘cloud exhibitions’ and ‘cloud classes’. The Lushun Museum has achieved good results by redesigning online exhibitions to enhance the audience’s sense of participation and experience. In addition, the museum can also make use of the online platform to carry out live explanations, virtual tours and other activities to enrich the audience’s visiting experience.

On the offline side, museums should focus on guiding visitors to participate in activities with heritage significance, such as traditional craft experiences and ethnic festival interactions, so as to closely combine participation with cultural inheritance and enhance visitors’ immersion and sense of belonging. For example, Lanzhou City Museum makes young people feel the charm of national culture in practice by organizing students to participate in traditional cultural performances and handicraft production [81]. Through the organic combination of online and offline, the Ethnic Museum can not only expand the coverage of cultural dissemination, but also enhance the participation and satisfaction of visitors, realize the double enhancement of cultural dissemination and educational functions, and reach the purpose of cultural sustainability.

Beyond its practical contributions to optimizing museum experiences, this study situates participatory ethnographic museums within a broader cultural ecosystem framework. Reframing the museum as a platform for participatory cultural production allows for a more integrated response to contemporary sustainability challenges. It aligns with recent discourses in sustainability science and cultural policy, which stress the importance of cultural sustainability not only in preserving traditions but in actively shaping future-oriented, inclusive, and resilient societies [82]. Such institutions are not merely sites of display but function as dynamic nodes that interlink social cohesion, cultural continuity, and economic resilience [83]. By facilitating experiences that engage local communities, encourage intergenerational exchange, and support creative reinterpretation of heritage, ethnographic museums can contribute to a triple-bottom-line sustainability model. As such, participatory strategies in small-scale, resource-limited folk museums can yield systemic value far beyond their immediate institutional goals.

The limitations of this study provide an opportunity for researchers to explore new research topics. First, in terms of engagement dimensions, this study mainly focused on visitors’ behavioral engagement and failed to explore other dimensions such as psychological outcomes, cognitive and affective engagement in depth. As visitors‘ engagement behaviors are influenced by a variety of factors, future research could further introduce psychological and sentiment analysis methods to comprehensively assess visitors’ engagement experiences. Second, our participant sample was narrowly focused on individuals aged 18–24, which limits the generalizability of the results to the broader population. Third, the data in this study came from a specific time period and geographic region, which may not fully reflect the differences in visitor experience in different regions and time contexts. Future research should expand the scope of data collection to cover more ethnic museums and different time points to improve the representativeness and generalizability of the findings. Finally, although this study considered both online and offline visiting modes, the specific mechanisms and effects of the integration of the two were not explored in sufficient depth. Future research could further analyze how online platforms can effectively support offline activities and how the overall visitor experience can be enhanced through digital technologies.

6. Conclusions

This study proposes an integrated analytical framework to evaluate and enhance visitor experiences in ethnographic museums through a combination of qualitative research and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). By introducing a structured model built upon six dimensions—experience, participation, transmission, person, object, and field—the research constructs a nine-factor system that systematically captures user perceptions and prioritizes key experiential components.

This study proposes an interactive chain model of “Participation–Interaction–Transmission.” This approach conceptualizes cultural sustainability not as a byproduct of exposure but as an active, dynamic process driven by visitor engagement. By emphasizing participatory mechanisms over display-oriented design, the study redefines the museum experience as a co-creative process in which visitors contribute to the living transmission of heritage. This participatory logic marks a shift from object-centered preservation to people-centered continuity, offering a more resilient path for cultural sustainability.

This study shows that ethnic museums, with limited resources, can effectively enhance the visitor experience and achieve the goal of cultural identity and transmission through low-cost, flexible and agile strategies. Specifically, the museum can adopt a ‘lightweight’ operation mode, using existing exhibits and space to carry out interactive educational activities, such as handicraft experiences and traditional culture lectures, to enhance visitors’ participation and sense of belonging. At the same time, with the help of digital technology, museums can set up online platforms to provide virtual tours, online exhibitions and other services, expanding the channels of cultural dissemination and attracting the attention and participation of more young visitors.

Future optimization should focus on participation both online and offline. Offline, museums can enhance cultural dissemination by combining participatory activities with cultural heritage-related content to guide users from engagement to meaningful cultural transmission. Online, fostering active digital communities and integrating cultural communication into interactive and experiential content can extend the museum’s reach beyond physical boundaries. In addition, museums should focus on building a highly integrated interactive heritage chain of ‘participation-interaction-inheritance’—participation precedes experience, and experience supports inheritance! In addition, museums should focus on building a highly integrated interactive inheritance chain of ‘participation-interaction-inheritance’, where participation precedes experience and experience supports inheritance, which may be more effective than mere experience in passing on intangible heritage, stimulating the initiative and creativity of visitors, and facilitating the sustainable transmission of culture. These strategies not only help to alleviate the pressure on small museums in terms of funding and talent, but also provide a new path for the preservation and dissemination of national culture.