New York City boasts a vibrant and diverse cultural landscape, with over 170 museums spread across its five boroughs.
At major museums like The Met and MoMA, visitors spend just 17 to 27 seconds on average viewing each artwork.
Engagement drops significantly after 30–45 minutes, often due to fatigue and lack of direction.
But why should we care about these facts?
MuseAR
March 2025 - May 2024
Role: UX Researcher + AR Tech
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Research Methods: Interviewing, Surveying, Observations, Usability Testing, Competitive Analysis, Journey Mapping, Thematic Analysis, Feature Mapping, User Flows, Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping
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Platforms: Figma, Lens Studio
Problem Area
Business Gap
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Lack of Personalized Planning Support
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Visitors are often left to navigate large collections without help prioritizing what to see based on interest, time, or energy.
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No Data Driven Break Recommendations
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Current systems don’t detect when visitors might need a physical or cognitive break, leading to burnout mid-visit.
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Limited Adjustments
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Few tools offer real-time, AI-based suggestions that adapt to a visitor’s pace, mood, or changing interests throughout the visit.
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Inefficient Route Mapping
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Museums rarely offer dynamic maps and are not optimized for flow, accessibility, or individual goals.
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User Problem
Museum fatigue, a physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to numerous exhibits, often leads visitors to disengage before reaching displays that match their interests.
Without personalized navigation or guidance, visitors may waste time and energy on exhibits they find unengaging, which reduces the overall quality and enjoyment of their museum experience.
Research
Which museum visitors is this experience designed for?
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Explorers: Inquisitive visitors who follow their interests, often spending more time with exhibits that resonate personally.
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Experience Seekers: Visitors motivated by the cultural value of being in the museum; they often prioritize seeing iconic or "must-see" exhibits.
Field Observations
I performed passive, unguided observations at three major NYC museums, focusing on how visitors engaged with signage, layout, and both digital and static elements.
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Here are some observed behaviours:
1. Only about 2 in 10 people, mostly older visitors, stop to read the large wall plaque near the elevator, while texts accompanying exhibits are briefly viewed at but are often skipped.
2. Students with sketchbooks are a common sight, engaging through drawing rather than reading.
3. The exhibit layout is loosely chronological, with some long-standing displays in the American art section.
4. Younger visitors tend to gravitate toward interactive elements, while older ones linger at standout pieces.
Interviews
Recruited 5 diverse participants (primarily in their 20s and 30s) through a Google Form.
Conducted semi-structured interviews in-person and online to allow for open-ended storytelling and follow-ups.
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Insights:
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Cognitive Overload: Excessive information and confusing navigation lead to mental exhaustion, reducing engagement and enjoyment.
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Anchor-Based Navigation: Visitors plan trips around specific "must-see" pieces, then shift to free exploration after completing their primary goals.
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Documentation vs. Presence: Visitors rely on photos/videos as memory aids, often at the expense of in-the-moment absorption.
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AR Awareness Without Experience: High awareness of AR technology but minimal hands-on museum experience; participants expressed curiosity and willingness to try.
Objectives
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Reduce cognitive overload by providing streamlined, context-aware information that adapts to user preferences.
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Increase engagement through interactive AR features and gamification that transform passive viewing into active discovery.
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Enable personalization by offering flexible learning modes (Quick Peek vs. Deep Dive) tailored to individual time constraints and interests
Ideation
Initial Idea
After multiple rounds of How Might We prompts and sketching exercises, I landed on an idea aimed at deepening engagement with artworks in a fun and interactive way.
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Intial Problem Statment:
​Museum visitors struggle to maintain meaningful engagement with artworks that resonate with them, often moving past pieces they love without any tangible way to preserve the emotional connection or revisit the experience beyond a quick photo.
Proposed Solution:
An AR Gallery designed for when visitors encounter exhibits that resonate with them, they can collect a 3D model, creating a personal digital memory of the experience that they can revisit later.
Shortcomings
1. Technical Constraints
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AR tracking proved unreliable in crowded museum spaces with inconsistent lighting and varied phone hardware, limiting accessibility and functionality.​
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2. Content Overload, Not Cognitive Relief
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While the concept added novelty and interactivity, it didn’t help alleviate museum fatigue. Instead, it layered on more content without changing the physical or mental pace of the visit.​​
Refined Problem Statement
"How can we aid museum visitors in navigating the museum and tailor it to their interests while curbing museum fatigue?"
New Solution
Why does this make sense?
Based visitor’s preferences when they scan an exhibit, the ML-powered system provides real-time directions to similar or thematically related exhibits, helping visitors discover more of what they enjoy without wasting energy or time.
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Minimizes cognitive load with simple "like" interactions
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Guides visitors to related artworks for personalized discovery
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Encourages deeper engagement through thematic connections
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Reduces decision fatigue with smart, intuitive navigation
Design
Takeaways
1. Issues with AR development
Custom AR experiences tied to physical locations often fail to trigger accurately. This was an issue that did not let me fully implement the features I was going for real time in Lens Studio. So I decided to use it for minimal interaction testing and continue with a Figma prototype.
2. Understanding when to pivot
The post-visit reflection tool made sense conceptually, but when tested in real scenarios, it didn't address the urgent need for guidance during the visit. So, I switched to designing and problem solving for the moment when help was actually needed.