Role
UX/UI design, content structure and CMS-based implementation

Audience
International visitors with diverse languages, abilities and levels of art familiarity

Languages & accessibility
9 languages • Multiple accessibility modes, including visual, auditory (with sign language), motor and easy-to-read content (FALC)

Status
Ongoing project • 3 phases
Phase 1 & 2 delivered • Phase 3 in progress

Context & challenge

The Louvre is one of the most visited museums in the world, welcoming a highly diverse audience in terms of age, language, cultural background and accessibility needs.

The multimedia guide needed to support visitors while moving through a complex physical space, across multiple floors, rooms and collections, without distracting from the artworks themselves.

This project started as a competitive design proposal. We were asked to design and present a first set of key screens and interaction concepts. After advancing to a second phase, the project was awarded, leading to the full redesign and implementation of the Louvre’s multimedia guide.

Language and accessibility selection screens. Visual elements were defined by the Louvre as part of their brand identity and accessibility requirements.

The main challenge was to transform a complex, content-heavy and fragmented system into a clear, intuitive and inclusive visitor experience.

Key challenges included:

• Designing for visitors in a physical space, not traditional app users

• Ensuring orientation and clarity inside a very large, multi-level museum

• Structuring content to scale across artworks, rooms and collections

• Supporting 9 languages and 5 accessibility modes

• Designing internal CMS screens that did not previously exist, to support the management and tracking of ~5.000 physical devices

• Balancing rich editorial content with clear, simple interactions for visitors with different levels of art familiarity

From legacy to modern experience

Before this project, the Louvre’s multimedia guide was based on a Nintendo DS system. While functional, the platform was not designed to support the scale, accessibility needs and evolving visitor expectations of a contemporary museum experience.

The goal was not only to modernize the interface, but to rethink the entire experience: from how visitors enter content, to how they navigate artworks, rooms and audio tracks throughout their visit.

My role & responsibilities

I worked as a UX/UI designer with a strong focus on structure, clarity and real-world usability.

My responsibilities included:

• UX/UI design for core flows and key screens

• Wireframing, GUI design and interactive prototyping

• Designing scalable UI patterns for artworks, rooms and playlists

• CMS-based implementation and content logic

• Device-based testing and validation in real-world conditions

• Identifying issues on physical devices and reporting them to developers and technical teams

• Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, including content editors, developers and museum stakeholders

System overview: a high-level view of the core screens that support the visitor journey through the museum.

Core user flow

Navigating a museum the size of the Louvre can be overwhelming. The media guide was designed to reduce complexity by providing a clear navigation structure while preserving the freedom to explore at each visitor's own pace.

A simple and repeatable interaction model allows visitors to access content effortlessly, discover artworks throughout the museum, and continue exploring as they move through the exhibition.

Simplified overview of the core visitor journey, from device pickup to return.

Designing under real constraints

A significant part of the work involved designing within real, non-negotiable constraints driven by both content scale and institutional infrastructure.

Beyond the visitor-facing experience, the project required close collaboration with internal systems used by museum and technical teams. These systems were essential to operate the multimedia guide at scale, both from an editorial and an operational perspective.

Key constraints included:

• Large amounts of pre-existing editorial content

• Fixed CMS structures and technical limitations

• The need for consistency across thousands of artworks

• Multiple accessibility requirements running in parallel

• Operational constraints related to the distribution, tracking and maintenance of the devices

Outcome

The result is a multimedia guide that supports visitors throughout their visit, offering a clear, calm and inclusive experience that adapts to different needs without overwhelming the user or competing with the artworks.

By aligning digital interaction with the physical museum journey, the system helps visitors orient themselves, access content confidently and move through the space with minimal friction.

The solution is designed to scale over time, supporting new content, exhibitions and future phases of the project.

Learnings

This project reinforced several key principles in my practice:

• Designing for physical spaces requires different assumptions than screen-only products

• At scale, clarity and structure become critical to usability

• Accessibility decisions tend to improve the experience for all users, not only specific groups

• Good UX often means making complex systems feel simple, rather than removing complexity altogether