An evaluation of research-oriented Virtual Reality: co-designing an immersive tool for interpreting Roman excavations

Juckette, Cole Freeman (2026) An evaluation of research-oriented Virtual Reality: co-designing an immersive tool for interpreting Roman excavations. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The use of Virtual Reality concepts and technologies in Archaeology has evolved through multiple eras of archaeological methods design, from its early use and aspirations in “virtual archaeology” through the embodied intentions of “cyber archaeology” and these continue to adapt as the landscape of immersive technologies change and new applications are inspired by various objectives (Forte 2016, 277-285; Reilly 133-135, 1991;Keep, 2022; Kyrlitsias et al. 2020; Goodwin and Lercari, 2023). Now, VR accessed content through fully immersive head mounted displays are more popular and accessible than ever with the advent of consumer grade hardware. This has inspired and normalized the use and development of VR as a medium in fields including psychology, education, and heritage. While it is an established technology in all of these fields, its applications in heritage work are primarily in the creation of archaeological “products”, finished interpretations that need to be transmitted to broader audiences leveraging the engaging affordances of VR content. Consequently, to date, the impact of VR on archaeological projects is overwhelmingly through systems that use VR to translate their findings to an audience, in other words projects and designs that are “public facing”. Archaeological VR projects tend to be designed in a manner that is best suited for this purpose, and the discipline lacks practical examples of VR developing any interpretive power for researchers during an excavation.

In this study I will seek to develop an understanding of ways archaeologists themselves might use VR to explore their own data and assist or alter how they arrive at interpretations. In doing so, I use two case studies that comprise active research projects and excavations in Roman Archaeology. With these collaborators I employed participatory design methods to produce a series of VR experiences to allow them to explore their excavation data through a social VR system. Once these platforms were built, I used a mixed methods approach to carry out a series of demonstrations with my participants where I observed their use of the system, and then used surveys aided by an interpretive phenomenological analysis of participant interviews to understand the outcomes of their time using the system. In designing a new tool, I ask primarily: What prevents practitioners from seeking out VR solutions? How should interpretive VR look and function? What affordances does it possess or need to develop to be useful for experts and practitioners with years of experience conducting archaeology in well evaluated ways? Where should virtual designs fit in established archaeological methods, and how can VR be adapted for diverse project topics and circumstances?

In co-designing, developing, and testing a customized VR tool I have established positive interpretive conditions, planned uses, and identified technological pitfalls that would accompany any project that develops or embraces a similar virtual component. Critical insights reveal the great importance of embodied visualisation, cooperative play, flow, and empowering interoperable data accessibility in the virtual setting, and this study lays further groundwork toward developing practical and thoughtful interpretive tools for digital archaeology.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Supervisor's Name: Beale, Dr. Gareth, Opitz, Dr. Rachel and Mcdonnell, Professor Neil
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-85869
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 16 Apr 2026 12:45
• Last Modified: 16 Apr 2026 12:45
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85869
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85869