A Case Study of Visitor Behavior with a Location-Based Storytelling App

Do museums truly understand how visitors behave with digital guides, and what managerial decisions follow from that knowledge? This case study reports findings from field pilot studies at the Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem, combining live observation of visitors using a storytelling app with location-based AR navigation and an AI chatbot. Walking beside individuals and small visitor groups, from young couples to families and seniors, we watched how people actually move, listen, and make decisions in the galleries: what captures their attention, what they ignore, how they respond when technology works seamlessly, and what they do when it does not. The pilot studies revealed clear patterns of engagement, but also recurring points of friction that no lab test would have exposed, with direct implications for managerial decisions on visitor engagement, content, navigation, and on-site support. The session turns these observations into practical guidance for designing, implementing, and managing digital museum experiences.