Challenge
Connect the Thyssen Museum with Gen Z through an educational and emotional experience that speaks their digital language.

Goal
Bridge art and youth culture by designing a hybrid (digital + physical) experience that feels authentic, interactive, and emotionally engaging.

Research

• Benchmark of 6 cultural apps and digital trends.

• Interviews with users aged 16–22: they value emotional, visual, and participatory experiences.

• Key insights:
  Art must speak their language.
  Emotion drives exploration.
  They want to create, not just observe.

Solution
An Emotional Recommender that invites users to select how they feel and discover artworks and collections that match their mood — turning art into a personal, expressive journey.

Design Process

• Sketches and wireframes of the recommender, explorer, and interactive artwork cards.

• Visual system inspired by Plutchik’s emotion wheel: modern, bright, and digital.

• Prototype included features like likes, comments, and saving artworks.

Testing & Outcomes

• Users loved the emotional tone and social-style scrolling.

• Highlighted need for clearer color coding and more gamification.

• Iterations focused on simplifying navigation and enhancing playful interaction.

Conclusion
Thyssen Conecta shows that emotion and participation can transform how Gen Z experiences art — making museums feel close, expressive, and alive in the digital era.