About the Project
In 2018, The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) launched a future vision initiative to reimagine the museum experience through human-centered design, strategic service innovation, and emerging technologies. I collaborated with stakeholders to create a bold roadmap for enhancing visitor engagement, personalization, and operational resilience.
Challenge
Traditional museum models were losing relevance with digital-first audiences.
Visitor journeys were fragmented and lacked personalization.
The AGO needed a bold, future-oriented vision to guide strategic evolution.
Leadership and cross-functional stakeholder alignment was critical for success.
Solution
Led cross-sector design thinking workshops with AGO leadership, curators, and operations teams.
Synthesized insights into a cohesive set of Now, Near Future, and Far Future experience journey maps.
Created a prioritized roadmap linking immediate improvements with long-term innovation goals.
Introduced Watson AI as a conceptual tool to spark boundary-pushing ideas and future-ready thinking.
Impact
Established AGO’s strategic future vision and provided leadership with a structured, inspiring roadmap.
Encouraged bold, imaginative thinking about the role of AI and digital experiences in museums.
Strengthened stakeholder alignment, fostering cross-departmental collaboration toward future goals.
Positioned AGO to remain relevant, dynamic, and deeply engaging for new generations of visitors.
Future Vision Discovery and Design for AGO Toronto
The future of AGO’s museum experience required bold, visionary thinking—moving beyond static exhibits toward dynamic, interactive, and personalized engagements.
Through a series of co-creation workshops, we encouraged AGO stakeholders to push boundaries and envision an AI-assisted, data-driven visitor experience.
We structured the vision into three experience maps:
Now / MVP – Immediate improvements using existing technology.
Near Future – Enhancing digital touchpoints with personalization and predictive analytics.
Far Future – AI-powered guides, interactive visitor tracking, and deep personalization based on interests and past visits.
To bridge imagination with reality, we introduced Watson AI as a conceptual tool—representing AI’s ability to revolutionize visitor interactions. Whenever stakeholders struggled with execution details, Watson served as a "magic wand" to push thinking beyond constraints.
The final deliverable provided AGO with an inspiring, structured vision, equipping leadership with a roadmap to future-proof museum experiences while enhancing engagement, personalization, and operational efficiency.
Sponsor Users
AGO Executive Leadership
Curators and Programming Staff
Visitor Experience and Operations Teams
AGO Members and Visitors (indirect users influencing journey mapping)
Product Design Team
Design Researchers
UX Designers
Strategists
Museum Staff
My Contributions
Developed three phased Experience Journey Maps (Now, Near Future, Far Future)
Facilitated co-creation workshops with leadership, curators, and operational teams
Conceptualized integration of AI, beacon technology, and predictive analytics into the visitor experience
Delivered a structured strategic roadmap guiding short-term and long-term transformation
Tools
Stickies & Sharpies Miro Google Forms Keynotes
