يگانه خداقلي

This research aims to explain the role of audiences in the interior design programming of the Ashura Museum in Kashan. In view of the unique place of the Ashura event in Iran’s cultural–social memory, an‎d the ritualistic an‎d touristic potential of Kashan, the necessity of establishing a museum that offers a deep, meaningful, an‎d interactive visitor experience becomes evident. In recent decades, museums have shifted from merely displaying objects toward creating a live, meaning oriented experience — an approach grounded in a precise understan‎ding of audiences. This study employed a mixed methods (exploratory–sequential) approach with an applied–developmental nature. In the qualitative phase, semi structured interviews an‎d participant observation were used to identify the main themes of audience expectations an‎d preferences. In the quantitative phase, the findings were transformed into a structured questionnaire, which was distributed among a community comprising Kashan residents, pilgrims, an‎d cultural tourists, an‎d subsequently analyzed. The results indicate that the most influential factors in interior design programming include interactive visit routes, multimedia technologies, spatial representation of Ashura rituals, emotional–interpretive spaces, an‎d opportunities for active audience participation in storytelling. The integration of these elements formed the framework for an “Interactive Ashura Museum,” which, by emphasizing experience based design, enhances visit quality an‎d strengthens the connection between the audience an‎d the content. The findings can serve as a guide for designers, museum professionals, an‎d cultural policymakers in developing ritual museums in Iran an‎d the wider Islamic world.

موزه عاشورا , كاشان , مخاطب‌شناسي , برنامه‌دهي طراحي داخلي , طراحي تعاملي , تجربه‌محوري

Ashura Museum , Kashan , audience studies , interior design programming , interior design programming, interactive design , experience based approach

Yeganeh Khodagholi

Dr. Mahdi Hamzehnejad