Museum cultural and creative products (MCCP) are seen as carriers of museum cultural resources and are important for the sustainable development of cultural heritage, Nevertheless, the cultural aspect is often overlooked within the realm of sustainable product design. Hence, a primary objective of this research endeavour was to address this gap by developing a comprehensive framework that clarifies the interconnectedness between CS and MCCP. Furthermore, an additional objective of this study was to put forth a conceptual framework and specific indicators for the assessment of the cultural sustainability of MCCP. The indicator sets were designed through the literature and analytic hierarchy process. This process has yielded a tool that will undergo additional testing and practical implementation. The findings of this study will enhance comprehension of cultural sustainability within the context of MCCP and provide guidance for future MCCP design aligned with the principles of sustainable development.
TopResearch Objectives
Currently, there is a paucity of evaluative research on the design of MCCPs, as most research on MCCP focus on industrial development(Cascini et al., 2020), research and development strategies(Lu & Zhu, 2020; Jin, 2019; Chen & Yang, 2022), design methods, etc. However, this study can benefit from research on the evaluation of cultural and creative products in general. For example, Shen(Shen, 2022) presents a method for the evaluation and selection of cultural and creative product design solutions based on grey correlation multicriteria decision analysis and the indicators used are practicality, durability, energy efficiency, workability, loanability and innovation. Additionally, Cheng and Guo(Cheng & Guo, 2022) provide an analytic hierarchy process model for evaluating Yan'an Red CCPs. Nevertheless, the evaluation indicators employed by this model are constituted by constituent elements, functional experience, and cultural characteristics. The cultural characteristics include reference, integration, inheritance, commemoration, region, and region. These researchers acknowledged the influence of cultural factors on cultural and creative products but did not give a detailed analysis of the relationship between CS and MCCPs, nor did they explain the evaluation criteria in terms of achieving cultural sustainability. The director of the Development and Operation Department of Guangdong Museum mentioned in an interview that due to insufficient funds and the absence of a professional design director, the R$D of MCCPs had to be outsourced to a third party. However, their lack of understanding of the museum's collections has led to a serious homogenization of MCCPs. Meanwhile, museums lack evaluation indicators to screen creative programs that are culturally relevant. Ultimately, MCCPs of the Guangdong Museums are “distorted” and “unrefined” in terms of cultural symbols, which are not attractive to the market and do not truly reflect the characteristics of the museums' culture(Hu, 2018).