A Study on Virtual Tours of Iran's Museums Based on the Existing Evaluation Criteria and Proposals for the Improvement of the Current Status

This study attempted to identify the evaluation criteria for virtual tours of Iran museums, investigate the current status of the tours based on the identified criteria, specify their strengths and weaknesses, and present proposals for the improvement of the current status of these tours.Methodology/Approach: This study is in the form of an applied research and has been conducted through Library research and descriptive study methods. In the descriptive phase of the study, the research instrument was an evaluation checklist designed by the researchers which consisted of 8 components and 56 items. The components included: accessibility, ease of use and user friendliness, content, layout, interaction and feedback, the use of multimedia technologies, services for the disabled, and being up to date. The findings of the study revealed that the criterion of layout of the virtual tours of Iran museums with a mean of 18.4 (out of 20) and the criterion of content with a mean of 13.4 are in an appropriate status. Furthermore, the criteria of ease of use and user-friendliness with a mean of 9.8, and accessibility with a mean of 8.6 are in an average status and the remaining criteria are in an unacceptable condition. In a sample of 20 tours, none had any services for the disabled.