Lucida is a mobile application that brings the experience of visiting an art gallery to your phone
Still Struggling
Despite efforts to recover, major museums and galleries were still struggling to reach pre-pandemic attendance numbers in 2022, according to this study. Through user research, three contributing key barriers emerged:
Economic limitations: entry fees and travel costs can be restrictive.
Time commitment: visiting a gallery requires planning and availability.
Geographical dependency: many people simply don’t live near major museums.
Digital Limitations
While digital solutions could address these issues, existing platforms fail to fully capture the physical art-viewing experience. A competitive analysis revealed several missing components:
Social connection: ways to engage with others through art
Guided discovery: help for users who don’t know where to start.
Reliable information: content that allows deeper exploration.
A holistic experience: a seamless, intuitive way to view and interact with art.
Introducing Lucida
Lucida was conceived as an innovative response to the challenges of the COVID-19 era, merging the strengths of physical museum visits with the accessibility of digital platforms, creating an experience that is immersive, engaging, and socially connected.
Much like its namesake, the camera lucida, the app seeks to project the beauty of the world onto a surface right at your fingertips.
Connecting Through Art
One of the most valued aspects of a physical museum is the ability to share and discuss art with others. Lucida fosters this by providing interactive ways for users to connect, engage in dialogue, and explore art together.
Discover at Your Own Pace
Lucida offers curated art tours for guided exploration while ensuring users have the freedom to navigate collections on their own terms. Artworks are tagged by artist, time period, and medium, making it easy to search, discover, and engage with content based on personal interests.
A Holistic Experience
Lucida ensures a seamless, cohesive art-viewing experience, mirroring the minimalistic aesthetic and flow of a physical gallery. Beyond viewing, users can curate, shape, and share their own evolving collections, transforming their engagement with art into a personal archive that grows over time.
Research is Rocket Fuel
User research was essential in shaping Lucida’s design. Engaging with users early on helped identify key barriers and uncover insights that guided every stage of the process.
Test Early, Test Often
Through this project, I came to truly appreciate the value of testing early and often when resources allow. The more I tested, the more I understood how users naturally engaged with the platform, and features were greatly altered because of this.
Stay Adaptable
Design is an iterative process. Keeping an open mind and being willing to pivot based on user feedback led to a more intuitive and impactful final product.
Strengthening Social Engagement
Finding the right balance between social interaction and art-viewing is still not completely solved. Further work is needed to enhance social features without distracting from the art itself.
Expanding Educational Potential
Two key user groups identified in research were aspiring artists and academic professionals. Lucida has strong potential as an educational tool, both inside and outside the classroom.