Facilitating Human-AI Interaction in Museum Learning
EdTech
AI
B2B2C SaaS
Design System
IOS
Team
Product Designer (me)
Product Manager
AI Specialist
Skills / My role
User Research
UI Design
UX Design
Usability Testing
Company
MuseoGo is an EdTech startup aiming at making museum learning more personal and engaging
Challenge / Opportunity
How might we facilitate family learners to learn more effectively and engagingly in the museum?
Results
User Satisfaction
95%
95% of users surveyed reported feeling positive and satisfied with the app
Task Success Rate
+26%
Task success rate increased by 26% in the second round of usability testing compared to the first one
Presented at
2 conferences
ASU+GSV Summit@AI Show 2025, HCII Student Design Competition 2025
Overview
This case study showcases designing the mobile app from 0 to 1.
To create a more engaging and personalized learning experience for family visitors in museums, we designed a three-stage solution that spans the entire visit, using the Franklin Institute as a starting point.
Before Visit: A personalized itinerary and an AI-generated podcast provide a tailored preview experience.
During Visit: An interactive knowledge companion, collaborative activities, and quizzes enhance engagement and learning.
After Visit: An exit ticket, an AI-generated review song, and recommended resources support continued exploration and reflection.
Problem
Children often do not learn effectively in museums
Museums have great potential to foster curiosity and learning, but traditional visits often result in passive experiences and missed opportunities for deeper engagement. This can lead to decreased interest among children in visiting museums.
Are museums doing badly?
Not at all. In fact, statistics show that museums in the U.S. invest approximately $2 billion annually in educational activities. For instance, the Franklin Institute offers a wide range of learning resources, including events, lectures, curricula, and videos. However, many of these resources go unnoticed or are underutilized by family learners. As a result, the average museum engagement rate for 2023–2024 remains at just 46%.
Special event
Curriculum
Video
Research
What Prevents Children from Learning More Effectively in Museums?
Limited Parental Engagement
One study found that 16% of parents view museums primarily as places for play rather than learning, which often results in minimal efforts to support educational experiences during visits [1]. Additionally, many parents lack the confidence or knowledge needed to engage effectively with their children in a museum environment [2].
Exhibit Design
Some museum exhibits do not sufficiently promote parent-child interaction or are too complex for children to grasp without adult guidance.
What Are Real Users Saying?
We conducted interviews with parents, children, and museum educators to better understand their experiences and identify key pain points.
Parent
Children
Pain Points in the User Journey
After analyzing our interview findings, we identified key pain points in the user journey across three stages: before, during, and after the museum visit.
Before Visit
Lack of preparation
During Visit
Children as Passive Learners
After Visit
Limited Reflections
Opportunity
Considering user needs throughout the museum visit—and recognizing that we cannot easily alter exhibit designs—we decided to create a product that supports parents in engaging with their children during the visit. We envision MuseoGo as a personal learning companion for kids, helping them self-guide through the museum and fully explore a variety of educational resources.
We set our design goals for each stages: before, during and after visit.
Before Visit: Prepare kids for their museum visit by helping them plan a personalized itinerary and offering engaging previews of what they’ll explore.
During Visit: Kids can navigate the museum independently using the app, ask questions freely, and stay engaged through interactive activities and quizzes.
After Visit: Offer a personalized review of the visit and recommend follow-up learning resources to spark kids' long-term interest in museums.
Design Process
Design Overview
Design Hignlights
Form Design
Reduce the cognitive load by breaking a long form into several steps and categorizing them
Show the visibility of system status (Jacob’s Usability Heuristic)
Form Design
Lower entry barrier by setting optional questions
Error prevention by introducing a review page before submission
AI-generated Itinerary Design
Accessibility Consideration
Alternative options for AI guides to better support young children.
The tone of the AI will be age-appropriate.
Accessibility Consideration
Multilingual options to serve the diverse population in the U.S.
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
Exit Ticket Design: Transforming a physical-like format into a digitally friendly timeline
Final Solutions
Before Visit
Pain Points: Lack of preparation
During Visit
Pain Points: Children as passive learners
Solutions:
Real-time AI companion
Collaborative activities to connect in real world
Gamified quizzes
After Visit
Pain Points: Limited reflections
Solutions:
Unique exit ticket for each visit
AI-generated song for review
Long-term learning recourses recommendation
Result
Have we achieved our goals?
For Children
For Parents
For
Museum
Serve as a powerful alternative to human docents, especially where staffing is limited.
Gain data-driven insights from FAQs to inform exhibition redesign.
Reduce the underutilization of educational resources.
Potentially boost visitor numbers through improved engagement.
Impact
+26%
Task success rate increased by 26% in the second round of usability testing compared to the first one
95%
95% of users surveyed reported feeling positive and satisfied with the app.
“Encouraging multifaceted learning which is really beneficial to students!”
“Good long-term learning consolidation plan”
“Kids sharing what they’ve learned and what interests them - and connecting with like-minded peers”
AI SHOW @ ASU+GSV 2025
We spent 45 minutes at our poster booth introducing MuseoGo to educators and AI experts.
HCII 2025 Student Design Competition
MuseoGo’s product design has been selected for presentation at HCII 2025 and has made it to the final round of selections.
Reflection
Journey Mapping: Breaking down the user journey into three phases—before, during, and after the visit—allowed us to create a holistic experience that addressed pain points at every stage.
Gamification for Engagement: Incorporating gamified elements like badges, quizzes, and rewards made the experience fun and motivating, while also reinforcing learning outcomes.
AI as a UX Enhancer: The AI companion and personalized features (like custom itineraries and songs) added a layer of interactivity and personalization, making the experience feel tailored and engaging.
Visual and Interactive Design: The use of a cute AI character, vibrant visuals, and voice input created an inviting and intuitive interface that appealed to both kids and parents.
janie.zhaoy@gmail.com