Virtual reality (VR) technology is currently applied primarily to gaming, virtual tourism, and educational training. However, integrating VR into the agricultural sector presents new opportunities for agricultural experience and tourism innovation. This study develops an immersive VR experience centered on tea agricultural culture, in which a virtual tea farmer guides visitors through a tea factory to experience the tea-manufacturing process, followed by a virtual excursion to a tea plantation where participants engage in tea picking and explore the surrounding ecological environment. To enhance users' immersion and engagement, the study adopts the Scenario-Based Design approach, which consists of four sequential stages: User Stories, Conceptual Scenarios, Concrete Scenarios, and Use Cases. These stages are employed to systematically construct interactive scenarios that progressively guide visitors toward a deeper understanding and appreciation of tea culture. The experimental results indicate that the VR experience was particularly well received by younger participants due to its convenience and high level of interactivity. By overcoming geographical and temporal constraints, VR enables users to experience tea culture anytime and anywhere, providing significant advantages for individuals with busy schedules or limited access to tea-producing regions. Furthermore, the virtual environment offers multiple viewing perspectives, allowing participants to freely explore different areas and interact with cultural content in ways that are difficult to achieve through conventional media.

Authors:
Hung-Cheng Tsai, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Yun-Hsiang Hsieh, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Hung-Cheng Tsai is currently an Asssociate Professor of Department of Industrial Design at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

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