## 4 Discussion  
In a initial public showcase, the alpha version of the developed Metaverse Exhibition Space was exhibited at the III CM Malaga (Culture & Museums International Tech Forum, 19-20 June 2023, Malaga, Spain) (see Figure 12), albeit in an earlier version than the one presented in the current study. The demonstration involved using a VR headset and a laptop, allowing attendees to observe the virtual space in real time as users explored it. Notably, one of the authors of this study, represented by an avatar and operating from the laptop, accompanied the user in the space, fostering interaction and preventing the user from feeling isolated. This setup aimed to introduce a novel exhibition format within a metaverse, exploring the potential for visitor interaction in a virtual museum setting centered around Mars. The space was presented to the public as a new form of exhibition for museums, within a metaverse, with which it is sought to investigate the potential for social interaction among visitors. Specifically, the creation of a virtual exhibition around the planet Mars, which they could see with VR headset, was explained to them along with the different elements they could interact with. A concise questionnaire, featuring four quantitative and two qualitative questions, was administered to attendees post-experience; see Table 3. Seven random users aged between 25 and 65 years completed this survey, which aimed to gauge their navigation  
Figure 11: Results of the SUS questionnaire: data (red dots), mean (blue bars), and standard deviation (vertical black lines) per question. Figure 12: Alpha version of the Metaverse Exhibition Space exhibited at the III CM Malaga (Culture & Museums International Tech Forum, 19–20 June 2023, Malaga, Spain). and interaction within the Spatial.io metaverse, their engagement with overlay maps and interactive 3D Mars maps, their views on the animation quality, and their social experience within the virtual space. They were then given complete freedom to explore the space without any time restrictions. The quantitative responses were assessed using a scale of 1 (\"Very unsatisfactory\") to 5 (\"Very satisfactory\"). The mean score obtained was 3.6, with a standard deviation of 1.3, indicating a promising yet improvable application. Notably, among all users, only two users rated any of the questions with a score of 1 out of 5. Upon further discussion with them after the test, it became evident that they faced difficulties interacting with the buttons in the immersive space. Furthermore, the results revealed that four out of the seven users were proficient in activating the interactive 3D maps without external assistance. In contrast, the remaining three users expressed their inability to do so. These findings underscore the importance of addressing usability issues, particularly concerning navigation within the immersive environment, to enhance user experience and application effectiveness. The qualitative feedback also highlighted areas for enhancement, such as UI improvements, graphic quality, and clearer interaction cues. Some of the comments were as follows:  
* \"I found it very interesting, easy, and quick to learn how to use it. Congratulations!\";
* \"It is a very interactive experience with a lot of potential.\";
* \"Possibility to manage the vehicle. Some improvement in UI (change the position of the button to activate the vehicles).\";
* \"Further research.\";
* \"Improve the graphics.\";
* \"The audio helps the experience!\";
* \"It is not very clear which are the buttons to trigger interactions. It would be nice to be able to go down from the platforms to the ground. The vertigo sensation is interesting\". This valuable input informed subsequent refinements, including clearer signage to aid interaction with the virtual environment. Specifically, a distinct signal was integrated at the virtual space entrance as shown in Figure 7a.