Amuseum Me

Why weren’t people in town engaging with the great museums on their doorstep? We found this was not an isolated observation but a broadly evidenced gap.

Why

Locals say they love museums but rarely go. They miss events because information is scattered, planning feels cumbersome, and museums seem intimidating. I focused on reducing this communication and planning gap so “someday” becomes a concrete museum visit.

My Role & Scope

With two colleagues, I led the end-to-end product design of a mobile-first responsive concept during a product design bootcamp. I conducted research, defined the problem, led ideation, structured the information architecture, and produced low-fidelity wireframes. The objective was not to redesign a museum website, but to create a focused experience that prompts local residents to visit.

Discovery

I interviewed three local non‑visitors living near museums but rarely going. They described low visibility of events, friction at every planning step, outdated digital tools, and an elitist image that felt “not for people like us”. I synthesized this into the persona “Uninformed Ingrid”, an educated local who wants cultural outings but lacks a simple, reliable way to stay informed and plan. A user journey map of a missed weekend event revealed key pain points: scattered information, no timely reminders, and regret when discovering the event too late.

Exploration

I reframed the challenge as: “How might we help busy locals effortlessly discover and plan museum visits?” Using Crazy 8s and “worst idea” exercises, I generated multiple flows and concepts. I evaluated options against three criteria: does it increase event visibility, reduce planning friction, and fit existing habits? This led me to a simple core: a personalized cultural feed, clear event details, social planning, and streamlined group booking.

User Feedback & Iteration

At this stage, I conducted formal usability tests with target users. The concept was very well received, and the feedback confirmed the clarity of the main flow (discover → understand → plan). I iterated based on observed behaviors and participant input, simplifying navigation and removing features that did not clearly support Ingrid’s needs.

Final Solution

The solution is a mobile‑first experience called Amuseum Me. It offers a personalized event feed, trending highlights for last‑chance or popular exhibits, social planning tools to share and coordinate with friends, and group ticket booking to remove “who buys what” friction. I also explored physical reminder cards with QR codes in cafes and public spaces to complement the digital product and boost visibility. Together, they directly tackle the initial problem: locals no longer need to hunt for information or over‑plan.

Impact & Learnings

Qualitatively, the concept shifts focus from “making museums cooler” to making information obvious and actionable. I learned how a clear persona and journey map can anchor decisions and prevent feature creep. I also realized the main barrier is not motivation, but poor communication infrastructure around events. A key limitation is the lack of real‑world testing with museum partners and a broader sample of locals.

Next

Next, I would test the QR event cards in the wild and track pick‑ups and visits. I would run usability tests on the prototype with locals like Ingrid, then refine navigation, copy, and notification strategy. Finally, I would explore a museum‑side dashboard so institutions can publish events easily and see how locals engage over time.