Muse.: A Cultural Experience Made Simple
This is where locals and tourists can find, book, and manage tickets to cultural events, museums, and galleries.
App name / Client
Muse.
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Industry
Travel & tourism, Arts & Culture
Platform
Mobile-first Application
Have you ever been to a new country but forgot to buy a ticket to a major attraction? Or worse, you didn't know how because the website was only in the local language? Or maybe you already had all the tickets but kept losing track of them? Those are exactly the problems I set out to solve when I designed Muse.
⏰ Timeline:
4 months to launch, with iterations that continue to this day.
🛠️ Tools used:
Figma, Miro, Notion, and Maze.
The challenge:
Finding and booking cultural events is often frustrating due to scattered ticketing, language barriers, and accessibility concerns. Muse. simplifies this by offering a centralized platform to discover events, book tickets, and access accessibility details—all in one app.
User research:
I conducted interviews with six users, including individuals with disabilities, to understand their struggles.
Key User Groups & Pain Points:
- Tourists – Struggle with event discoverability and language barriers.
- City dwellers – Find it hard to keep track of upcoming events.
- Users with disabilities – Face challenges booking tickets and navigating venues.
Main Issues: ❌ Hard-to-find events ❌ Scattered ticketing process ❌ Language barriers ❌ Accessibility uncertainty
Personas
Luna – The Frequent Traveler
Luna finds booking frustrating due to multiple platforms, language issues, and repeated payment entries.
🎯 Her goal? A harmonious way to book, track, and access tickets in one place.
Andre – The Avid Museum-Goer
Andre, a wheelchair user, often discovers too late that venues are inaccessible.
🎯 His goal? Reliable accessibility information before booking.
The Design Process
Wireframing & Prototyping
I used:
✅ Crazy 8s for idea generation
✅ Paper & Digital Wireframes to refine layouts
✅ Lo-Fi Prototype for testing core flows
Usability Testing & Iterations
🎯 Tested with 5 users
Key Findings & Fixes:
- Users wanted multi-ticket booking → Added bulk purchase option.
- Navigation was inconvenient → Adjusted placement.
- Users wanted cart editing → Added an edit feature.
- The name felt limiting (started as ArteApp) → Changed to Muse.
UI & Accessibility
🎨 Accessible Design – Readable typography, WCAG-compliant colors.
🌎 Multi-Language Support – Started with English & Spanish.
♿ Accessibility Features – Venue accessibility details in event descriptions.
Further Refinements
A second usability study confirmed improvements and suggested:
✔️ Displaying ticket availability on the calendar
✔️ Adding user reviews
Key Takeaways
🌟 User Research Drives Design – Insights shaped every decision.
🌟 Iteration Matters – Refinements made the app more user-friendly.
🌟 Problem-Solving is Essential – Addressing roadblocks strengthened my skills.
🌟 Inclusive Design is Crucial – Accessibility features improved usability for all.
Reflection
About a year after finishing this project, I returned to see my progress, and I can already feel the improvement in only 1 year. What I'd do differently now:
✅ Research, then run the findings with other people to see different perspectives.
✅ Get feedback early on and constantly.
✅ Use a design system, or create one using already-made components. Designing them from scratch takes too much time and usually doesn't look as professional and sleek.
✅ Don't be scared to use AI, as long as you use it well and take inspiration from it.
✅ Use the correct prompt to get good results.
Final Thoughts
Hearing a user during testing say, “This app would make outings so much easier,” validated my work. Muse. isn’t just about booking, it’s about making culture accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Interested in user-friendly, accessible design? Let’s chat! 😊
Email me at: hajarshakir0@gmail.com