(Reiya)
ON SHOW
Visual · UIUX
Exhibition Discovery and AR Companion App
ON SHOW helps audiences explore art exhibitions through a clean discovery feed and an AR companion mode. It bridges digital browsing and on-site experience, making exhibition visits easier, more contextual, and more immersive.
Design Principles
Three core experience principles guided this project:
People discover art through fragmented channels — websites, social posts, and direct messages — and often miss smaller independent exhibitions. Once they arrive at a gallery, they are frequently left without orientation or context. Discovery and on-site experience feel like two separate worlds.
I initially focused on improving discovery through better feeds and maps. However, testing revealed that users were not leaving because discovery was difficult. They dropped off because the experience ended upon entering the gallery. Curiosity did not carry through from browsing to being on-site.
What I Explored
I explored three approaches to address this gap:
A. A dynamic discovery feed with rich filtering
B. A map that clusters exhibitions by distance
C. An AR companion mode inside exhibitions
The feed and map improved discovery efficiency, but users still treated them like passive scrolling tools. The AR mode, however, created continuity by extending the same product into the physical visit.
The AR companion mode extends discovery into the gallery space. It reuses a familiar interaction pattern — “tap to reveal, scan to go deeper” — allowing visitors to access contextual information without competing with the physical environment. Each interaction quietly rewards curiosity with optional layers of content.
The visual system borrows from editorial layouts, prioritizing clarity and calm. Image-first cards, subtle gradients, and restrained motion create a catalog-like experience while maintaining a sense of digital depth. Motion is used to support exploration rather than draw attention away from content.
The experience is designed as a continuous loop. Users discover exhibitions, explore them on-site through AR, and later revisit them through ticket and exhibition records. Discovery, visit, and memory are treated as one connected journey rather than isolated moments.
The information architecture prioritizes clarity and reduces cognitive load across different exhibition systems. Core actions—discover, scan, collect—remain accessible throughout the experience, while secondary information remains optional and contextual.
In prototype testing, users found exhibitions faster and spent more time engaging with AR content on-site. The most valuable insight was that discovery and experience should share one emotional thread. Curiosity doesn’t end when arrival begins.
Next Steps
• Partner with local galleries to integrate live exhibition data
• Add ticketing and calendar synchronization
• Explore multi-user AR routes for shared exhibition tours