Artique – Steve Farrar

Artique UX Design Project Overview:
Muse – Connecting Art & Audience

Role: Lead UX Designer

Timeline: 8 Weeks

Tools: Figma, Adobe XD, Miro

The Challenge
Museum and gallery visits are often solitary, silent experiences. Visitors frequently leave with unanswered questions or a desire to share their perspectives but lack a platform to engage with the art—or each other. The goal was to bridge the gap between the physical artwork and the digital community.

The Solution
I designed and prototyped Muse, an interactive mobile experience that transforms a traditional gallery visit into a social dialogue. The app allows users to navigate collections via digital tours, contribute personal reflections to specific artworks, and gain fresh insights by reading the commentary of fellow art enthusiasts.

The Design Process
1. Empathizing with the Visitor
Through user research and persona development, I identified a primary pain point: Inaccessibility. Many users felt intimidated by high-brow art descriptions and wanted a way to see "real people's" interpretations.

Key Insight: Users are more likely to spend time with an artwork if they feel part of a conversation.

2. Information Architecture
The architecture was built around three pillars:
Discovery: Finding tours based on mood or movement.
Interaction: A seamless interface for leaving "digital sticky notes" on specific works.
Insights: A curated feed of trending discussions within the gallery.

3. Ideation & Wireframing
I moved from low-fidelity paper sketches to digital wireframes, focusing on a minimalist UI. It was crucial that the app didn't distract from the physical art but rather acted as a secondary, "heads-up" companion.

4. Prototyping & Visual Identity
The visual system used a sophisticated, "gallery-dark" theme to allow artwork colors to pop.

View The Figma Prototype

Forever

Fundraising

Selected Works