Are Surveys Necessary? Designing Virtual Environments for Participatory Research

This chapter argues that interactive Virtual Environments (VEs) can serve as powerful tools for participatory research, moving beyond the limitations of traditional surveys in the Digital Humanities. I present a case study of a prototype VE designed for a workshop on the intangible cultural heritage of Córdoba's communal patios. The environment functioned as an immersive online ‘guest book’ where hundreds of users could asynchronously decorate a shared virtual space and leave messages for one another. The work introduces key design strategies for asynchronous interaction, such as 'claims' and 'traces,' which allow participants to engage with artifacts left by others. Furthermore, it details a novel workflow that uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate the qualitative coding and moderation of text contributions from participants. Published in the 2025 Bloomsbury Academic volume, Clever Design in Critical Times: Conceptualizing the Callidocene, this research explores how VEs can generate rich, context-aware datasets for more inclusive heritage studies. The book is available from Bloomsbury Academic ↗.