Virtual Galleries as Promising Tools for Research into Visitor Behavior

Scholars and cultural institutions have become interested in the experience that digital tools, particularly virtual gallery environments in which users navigate and interact with 3D spaces, offer visitors. However, the potential for virtual gallery tools as a resource for research into visitor behavior—as opposed to simply an end-user product aimed at museum visitors—has not been widely explored. In this methodological review, we illustrate how virtual galleries afford some new opportunities for research on the psychology of arts and visitor studies. To address this claim, we highlight the potential of virtual galleries for three research contexts related to visiting art museums. First, we discuss how virtual galleries are useful in situations where traditional museum research is not realistic or achievable. Second, we describe how virtual galleries can complement in-person work. Finally, we expand on the importance of studying virtual galleries as interesting, emerging visitor contexts in their own right.