Behavior-Driven Design Frameworks for Virtual Heritage Experience

Abstract. This study investigates how virtual reality (VR) and the game platform Minecraft can be employed to create an interactive digital pilgrimage experience centered on the Boudhanath Stupa in Nepal. Adopting a Behavior-Driven Design (BDD) approach, the design process focuses on modeling ritual interactions based on actual user behavior. Using Gherkin syntax with “Given-When-Then” statements, user scenarios are systematically defined to ensure that key religious actions—such as circumambulation, spinning prayer wheels, offering incense, and releasing animals—are meaningfully embedded into the virtual environment. This user-centered methodology informs not only the design of interactive features, but also the spatial configurations of the virtual environment, with each ritual scenario shaping corresponding experiential nodes. A user study involving fifteen Buddhist practitioners who had previously visited the physical site revealed that, despite Minecraft’s simplified aesthetics, the virtual pilgrimage effectively evoked emotional resonance and memory recall. Participants also valued the addition of symbolic and imaginative spaces unique to the virtual setting. Overall, the study demonstrates how BDD facilitates cross-disciplinary collaboration and enables the translation of cultural and spiritual practices into interactive experiences, thus redefining digital heritage as a dynamic and participatory space rather than a static representation.