(Background and Purpose) Intangible Cultural Heritage is a living cultural memory that is continuously generated and transmitted through human practice and emotional engagement. However, many Intangible Cultural Heritage museums in China still adopt o...
(Background and Purpose) Intangible Cultural Heritage is a living cultural memory that is continuously generated and transmitted through human practice and emotional engagement. However, many Intangible Cultural Heritage museums in China still adopt object-centered and static exhibition approaches. This tendency often leads to decontextualization of display spaces, fragmentation of visitor experience, and insufficient emotional resonance. Such limitations hinder the effective communication of cultural meaning and the embodied understanding of heritage practices. In response to these challenges, this study integrates Donald Norman's Emotional Design Theory with the Kano Model to quantitatively analyze visitors' emotional needs regarding exhibition elements in Intangible Cultural Heritage museums. The purpose of this research is to propose an experience-centered exhibition design optimization strategy that strengthens emotional engagement and enhances the sustainable transmission of heritage culture. (Method) This study follows a three-stage research procedure: theoretical construction, quantitative analysis, and case validation. First, through a comprehensive literature review, the concepts of active transmission and recontextualization in Intangible Cultural Heritage museums were clarified. Based on Norman's three levels of emotional design—visceral, behavioral, and reflective—fifteen exhibition design elements were identified, encompassing sensory perception, interactive behavior, and reflective meaning-making. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and 216 valid responses were collected. The Kano Model was applied to classify the attributes of each exhibition element, and the Better–Worse coefficients were calculated to evaluate their respective influence on visitor satisfaction. Finally, three representative museums—the China National Arts and Crafts Museum, the Suzhou Silk Museum, and China Kunqu Opera Museum—were selected as case studies to examine current exhibition characteristics and validate the analytical results derived from the Kano classification. (Results) The findings reveal that exhibition design elements in Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage museums exhibit a hierarchical structure.‘Authentic environmental reconstruction’and‘interaction fluency’were identified as must-be attributes that guarantee the fundamental quality of visitor experience.‘Multisensory experiential installations’and‘virtual experiences based on VR and AR technologies’were categorized as one-dimensional attributes, showing a linear relationship with visitor satisfaction. In contrast,‘live demonstrations by heritage inheritors’and‘emotionally structured narrative composition’were identified as attractive attributes with high Better coefficients. These elements play a crucial role in creating differentiated exhibition experiences and fostering deep emotional resonance among visitors. (Conclusions) Based on these findings, this study proposes a staged exhibition design model consisting of sensory immersion, behavioral interaction, and emotional reflection. The results suggest that exhibition design in Intangible Cultural Heritage museums should move beyond technology-oriented representation and instead emphasize human-centered emotional experience. This research provides both theoretical insight and practical guidance for promoting embodied transmission and sustainable exhibition design in the context of Intangible Cultural Heritage museums.