Museum AR/VR Experience for the Art Institute of Chicago

Redesigned the museum journey through an immersive, multi-platform AR/VR guide that helps visitors navigate, discover, and connect more deeply with exhibits. I led research and design efforts to address disorientation, lack of exhibit awareness, and accessibility gaps—transforming passive visits into personalized, guided experiences.AskSearchMake ImageResearch

Image of an iPhone lying on a table
Image of an iPhone lying on a table
Image of an iPhone lying on a table

Timeline

2023 - 2024

Team

1 PM, 1 Designer, 10+ Developer

Industry

Museums / Art & Culture Tech

Company size

2,00+

Introduction

When I was still an architecture student, I had always held a deep admiration for Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago. Located in the heart of the city, this urban sanctuary blends natural beauty with contemporary art, where visitors can stroll between Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion by Frank Gehry, and the serene Lurie Garden—all within walking distance. Together, these elements form a graceful, flowing spatial experience that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who visits.

This project was born from that fascination. I wanted to enhance the visitor experience in this iconic space by building a virtual guide that offers personalized, custom-tailored tours. The system would not only optimize routes for efficiency but also provide intuitive guidance and context—making the museum visit more immersive and meaningful.

Over the course of four months, I led the design of a multi-modal experience for the museum, spanning desktop, mobile, AR, and VR applications. I also developed a supporting design system to ensure consistency and scalability. The goal was to make the museum journey more engaging, interactive, and deeply immersive.

The Problem Space

The Art Institute of Chicago, while world-renowned for its collections, faces several user experience challenges:

79%

of surveyed visitors desired better guidance during their visit.

of surveyed visitors desired better guidance during their visit.

of surveyed visitors desired better guidance during their visit.

5%

opted for in-person guided tours, and 18% used rented audio guides.

opted for in-person guided tours, and 18% used rented audio guides.

opted for in-person guided tours, and 18% used rented audio guides.

89%

said they would use a digital guide—if it were easy and intuitive.

Despite offering a Mobile App & Audio Tour, usage rates remained disappointingly low. Visitors had to manually enter exhibit numbers into the app to receive audio descriptions, a process that 64% found only moderately usable. Additionally, one visually impaired visitor noted that the current system was not accessible for users with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the museum’s popular Free Daily Tours were consistently overbooked. Many out-of-town visitors faced difficulties with advance booking and meeting logistics, often leading to disappointment and missed opportunities—something even the tour volunteers expressed regret over.

These insights led to a clear conclusion: visitors were eager for guided experiences but lacked an accessible, personalized, and engaging solution.

Final designs

and solutions

Goal: Improve wayfinding, enrich content, and boost accessibility.

Immersive Map

An interactive 3D map with AR navigation overlays allowed users to visually explore and find their way without guesswork.

  • Tap-to-navigate points of interest

  • Real-time camera-based directional guidance

  • Heuristic Principles: Visibility of system status, Recognition rather than recall

AR-Powered Wayfinding

Scanning artwork or room-level markers revealed:

  • Narrated insights

  • Curatorial commentary

  • Suggestions for related works across the museum

Exhibition Reservation + Timely Notifications

Visitors could book exhibit entry slots and receive:

  • Personalized reminders before showtime

  • Dynamic map rerouting based on bookings

  • Integration with suggested tours and talks

User research

To get a baseline understanding of the public

space, I conducted 2 semi-structured

interviews. Additionally, 59 individuals

completed a survey. Here are the findings.

5

Days of Contextual Inquiry & Shadowing

I spent 5 days inside the museum, observing visitor movement, dwell times, hesitation points, and natural behavior. I also shadowed Free Daily Tours to see what kind of content resonated most.

21

In-depth Interviews

I conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with a diverse mix of local residents, international tourists, and museum staff. Many shared frustrations about getting lost, missing exhibits, or feeling unguided in such a large space.

6

Focus Groups

Held 6 sessions categorized by visitor types—families, solo travelers, students—to explore expectations and frustrations.

💡

Key Insights:

💡

Key Insights:

💡

Key Insights:

• Spatial Disorientation

Many users felt lost without clear paths and missed meaningful exhibits.

Lack of Real-Time Updates

On-site communication about exhibitions was poor.

• Craving for Immersive Interaction

Visitors desired multi-sensory content beyond static labels.

These insights highlighted a core need: transform passive visits into guided, empowering journeys.

Prototype

and solutions

Discover multiple solutions and deliver the final version that fits the developer habit and coding convention. The final version integrated the updated style guide and improve the accessbility.

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