Most people will never visit the Louvre, The Met, or any major art institution outside their country. Distance, cost, and mobility make the physical museum experience a privilege rather than a universal one. Artual is built on a different premise: that standing in front of a remarkable work of art shouldn't require a flight.
I led full UX design: from research that upended my initial assumptions about what users actually needed, through a high-fidelity prototype that spent more time than expected with one user who lost track of time in a virtual Rococo exhibition.
The problem
Three barriers kept users from getting what they actually wanted from digital art experiences:
• Geography as a gatekeeper. The most celebrated art in the world is concentrated in a handful of cities. For the vast majority of people (including dedicated art lovers) physical access simply isn't possible.
• Digital experiences that disappointed. Existing virtual offerings fell into two traps: superficial homepage tours that scratched the surface, or paywalled content that frustrated users who arrived curious and left underwhelmed.
• Technology that overpromised. VR and AR have been "the future of museum engagement" for a decade. Cost, technical barriers, and institutional risk-aversion have kept truly immersive experiences out of reach for most users and institutions alike.
Research (and what it actually showed)
I went into this project assuming users couldn't visit museums because they were too busy... but the research proved me wrong.
1) Busyness was the smallest barrier. Navigation confusion, inability to find artwork information, and a complete lack of interactivity were what drove users away from existing digital experiences. They weren't too busy to engage, but too frustrated.
2) Empathy mapping surfaced a secondary finding that reframed the entire design brief: the most underserved users weren't young professionals with busy schedules. They were older users with limited mobility who had once been active museum-goers and had no viable alternative.
Designed for two primary users: cultural professionals who needed a platform sophisticated enough to reflect well on an institution, and users with limited mobility who deserved to engage with art on their own terms... not just a WCAG-compliant version of an experience designed for someone else.
The spatial design challenge
How do you create the feeling of moving through a gallery on a phone screen?
Low-fidelity sketches explored multiple navigation models (map-based exploration, linear gallery walks, free-roam navigation) before settling on a room-based structure that preserved the physical metaphor without requiring users to manage complex spatial orientation.
Defining the User Journey (Information Architecture)
Exploring Initial Layouts (Paper Wireframes)
Visualizing the User Experience (Close-up Storyboard)
Developing Digital Blueprints (Digital Wireframes)
Creating an Initial Interactive Model (Low-fidelity Prototype).
Interactive prototype here.
Usability Study
An unmoderated remote study (5 participants, 30–50 minutes each) produced three findings:
• First-time users needed a guide. Entering a virtual exhibition without orientation was disorienting: participants weren't sure where to tap, what was interactive, or how to move through the space.
• Navigation elements were invisible. The 'map' button (critical for spatial orientation) was buried where no one looked for it. The 'sign up' button was similarly lost: neither was helping users.
• Payment flexibility was expected, not optional. In a cultural context where spontaneous purchases are common, checkout friction was a real abandonment risk.
Iterations
Interactive onboarding cues. A first-visit overlay guides users through the navigation model: tap to move, tap to zoom, tap to read. Disappears after first use so returning users aren't interrupted.
Map relocated to main menu. Removed from the gallery view where it caused confusion and placed in main navigation where spatial orientation tools belong. The gallery view became cleaner; the map became more useful.
Signup/Login surfaced. Renamed and added to the main menu for all non-authenticated users. Categories button made more prominent to support content discovery from the first visit.
Expanded payment options. Digital wallets and alternative payment methods added to checkout, reducing the friction between impulse and transaction.
Key Mockups
The core user journey (Exhibit Categories → Exhibit Room → Painting → Summary → Close-up) designed to feel like moving through a physical space, not clicking through a website.
Outcome
"I never thought I would be spending so much time on a virtual gallery app! It's fun; I love the dark mode, and I enjoyed the Rococo exhibition. I can't wait for more new and virtual exhibitions."
Losing track of time in a virtual gallery is exactly what the design was trying to achieve. That's engagement: not as a KPI, but as an experience.
Tools: Figma
Role: Lead UX Designer: concept to delivery. User research, IA, wireframing, prototyping, usability studies, accessibility implementation, iterative design.
Built in 2021 as a Google UX Certificate capstone.
Prototype only, not developed for commercial release.
