Immersive Technologies and Digital Heritage Valorization: Modeling, User Experience, and Cultural Mediation

Manel Ben Ayed is Associate Professor (HDR) in marketing at the Institut des Hautes Études Commerciales de Sfax (IHEC Sfax), University of Sfax, Tunisia. Her research interests include territorial marketing, digital marketing, experiential marketing, green marketing, design thinking, and marketing innovation. She has published in international journals and has actively participated in numerous international scientific conferences. She is also Certified Trainer and UX Designer and has been Member of the Interaction Design Foundation since 2022. Over the past decade, she has been actively involved in interdisciplinary research and applied projects related to green projects, women’s entrepreneurship, social innovation, soft skills development, and the promotion of Tunisian local products. She currently serves as Head of International Relations and contributes to several international and European academic cooperation projects. Manel Ben Ayed is also President of the Association des Patrimoines et des Propriétaires des Anciennes Demeures (APPAD). Lamia Ben Hamida is Associate Professor at the Institute of City and Territory Management at the Haute École de Gestion Arc (HEG Arc), part of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Fribourg. Her research focuses on knowledge sharing, spillover effects, and the role of human and transversal skills in innovation processes, as well as on the design and analysis of cultural experiences through immersive technologies. Her recent work explores how soft skills and organizational change contribute to digital transformation and innovation within organizations. She also investigates how immersive technologies can be mobilized to enhance the valorization, accessibility, and transmission of cultural heritage, particularly in the context of Tunisia. Through these research streams, she aims to better understand how technological and human factors interact to create meaningful, sustainable, and innovative experiences.  Rim Jallouli is Professor of Marketing and Innovation Management at the Higher School of Digital Economy (ESEN), University of Manouba (Tunisia), where she served as Director from 2011 to 2017. Her research focuses on digital transformation, data-driven marketing strategies, and the impact of emerging technologies on economic and cultural ecosystems. She has published more than fifty scientific articles and book chapters and co-edited fifteen volumes and special issues on digital economy, innovation, and technology-driven transformation. Rim Jallouli is Co-Founder of the Tunisian Association of Digital Economy (ATEN) and Co-Initiator of the International Conference on Digital Economy (ICDEc), fostering academic collaboration across Europe, Africa, and the MENA region. She is recognized for her expertise in innovative cultural strategies, the purple economy, and the role of digital and immersive technologies in the valorization of cultural heritage and creative industries.

• From the Real to the Virtual: Synergy Between Photogrammetry, HBIM and Immersive Technologies for Heritage Enhancement.- Bridging Technical and Processual Gaps in HBIM: Lessons from the Great Mosque of Kairouan .- Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) for Pathology Assessment: Toward a Preventive Conservation Strategy for the Medina Ramparts of Sfax.- Virtual Architecture in Museum Design.- Evaluation of the User Experience (UX) Through a Multi-Scale Approach: A Pilot Study Using Cognitive Gesture Chronophotography and HBIM.- Cultural User Experience (CUX) and Valorization of Cultural Heritage (CH): From a Marketing Perspective of Immersive Cultural Experiences.- Influence of Virtual Reality on Consumers’ Implicit Attitudes towards a Territory.- Visual Subliminal Stimuli in VR Tourism Marketing: Effects on Flow, Emotional Engagement, and Visit Intentions.- Immersive Narration and User Experience as core Principles of Expography in the Design of a Virtual Museum.- Innovative promotion of Sfax's heritage: synergy between storytelling and holograms A pilot study on generation Z engagement.- The Archaeological Marvel of Chemtou:Bridging History and Technology with Augmented Reality.- Immersive Technologies as a Space of Mediation Between Reality and Imagination: Virtuo-Morphosis for the Promotion of Cultural Heritage.- Performing Heritage in the Digital Age: Algorithms, Immersion, and Participatory Storytelling.- Modes of Engaging with History in Augmented Reality: A Conceptual Framework and an Artistic-Reflective Case Study.- Valorization of Tunisian “Malouf” Musical Heritage Via Immersive Technologies : A Design Thinking Perspective.- A World-Building Approach to Sound Design and Sonic Interaction Design in Cultural Heritage Immersive Experiences.