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
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%
5%
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.
• 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.