XR-based cultural heritage information spaces: Towards a new paradigm of information encoding and decoding guided by embodied cognition

Abstract

Embodied engagement in immersive information contexts is an emerging trend in informatics research. This study conceptualises XR-based cultural heritage information spaces as multimodal, open-ended environments shaped by embodied interaction. Based on a meta-synthesis of 67 empirical studies, we identify 22 core components and eight main categories across five dimensions of embodied interaction, forming a theoretical model of information flow and cognitive development in XR-based cultural heritage spaces. Embodied interaction is framed as a dual-phase information process: structured encoding of physical, sociocultural, and embodied elements, and user-driven decoding through emotional-aesthetic resonance and cognitive integration. The human body is positioned as an active human-computer interaction interface and processor, enabling the transformation of encoded content into self-constructed meaning. We propose a dual-path evaluation framework that combines system-level performance metrics with embodied-level cognitive and affective outcomes to assess interaction effectiveness. Furthermore, we highlight the role of physiological measures in capturing real-time user responses and enhancing the observability and interpretability of encoding-decoding dynamics. This study advances a human-centred perspective on information processing and offers actionable insights for analysing information behaviour in immersive environments.