Over the years, I noticed that many people find museums confusing and intimidating. As a museum lover, I always want to help people enjoy art.
"What does it mean?" We’ve all asked that question in front of an artwork, and often left the gallery without an answer. I noticed that this experience discourages people from going to museums.
Studies show that people enjoy art more when they understand the story behind it.
I decided to use the audio guide of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) as a starting point because they have a great visual identity, but the app is quite plain.
The old version of SFMOMA audio guide
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I first interviewed a few of my friends and then I observed people in museums to learn about how they behave in exhibitions and the issues they encounter.
Labels aren’t always next to the artwork. In grouped displays, it’s even harder to tell which label belongs to which piece.
They’re small, and popular works often have crowds around them.
Labels are usually small
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Visitor walked away from the artwork to find the label
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It's hard to find the right label
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To learn about an artwork, visitors must: Find the label, walk to the label, read the label, go back to the artwork. If using audio guide, user also need to scan the QR code or enter a number.
We go to exhibitions to see art, which is our priority. Therefore, the goal is actually to make visitor spend more time looking at art, not searching for information.
Audio guides have existed for decades and have had various versions. But most of them still depend on label-based codes to locate artworks, which adds friction.
I realized that to solve this problem, we have to reduce the dependency between the audio guide and labels.
When I worked at TopView (a double-decker bus tour company), we tried to auto-play audio when the bus passed landmarks. I thought about using the same tech in museums. In fact, I've used something similar on a tour in China.
However, there is one problem: Even though GPS knows my location, it can’t tell which artwork I'm actually facing. I could be facing multiple artworks, but I only want to learn about one.
AR is already used to preview furniture, try on clothes, and catch Pokémon. Why not use it to recognize artworks?
With AR, a visitor can simply point their phone at a piece, and the app will recognize it. After researching, I found this direction both feasible and exciting.
Though I couldn’t build AR features myself, I created a prototype to show what the experience could look like.
Home page
Exhibition page
Scan the room
Choose an artwork
Enter a gallery room
As someone who loves art, I believe museums should feel welcoming and engaging for everyone.
• Show my prototype to AR developers to get feedback.
• Test it in a real museum setting.