Side Project
TapGlyph
Side project exploring physical-to-digital interaction with NFC.
Role
Prototype Designer
Status
Prototype
Tools
Figma, Web NFC, React
Bridge note
This one was solution-led. I began with an idea I wanted to try, then used conversations with curators and visitors to check whether it answered a problem they recognised. I keep it in the portfolio because it shows initiative outside a brief, and because it is an honest example of where my research practice is still informal rather than structured.
Context
- TapGlyph explores NFC-based museum interactions that open directly in the browser, with no app to install. I started from the interaction I wanted to see exist, then went looking for whether it solved anything real.
Problem
- Museums wanted better visitor engagement but had low confidence in app-first experiences.
- Visitors often ignored downloadable apps and long digital setup flows.
- Curators needed a way to manage interpretive content without technical overhead.
Constraints
- The prototype needed to support Android Web NFC with iOS URL fallbacks.
- Museum budgets and staff workflows shaped what was realistic.
- I was working from my own idea, so the risk was confirming it rather than testing it.
Design decisions
- I built a lightweight prototype and used conversations with curators and visitors to test the value proposition and the fit with staff workflows. These were exploratory discussions, not a structured research study, and I did not establish that this was the best available solution.
Outcome
- Started from an idea I found promising, then pressure-tested it in conversations with museum curators and visitors.
- Positioned NFC-to-browser as a lightweight physical-to-digital interaction that avoids an app download.
- Clarified what a pilot would need before any broader build.
- The conversations were exploratory rather than a structured research programme, and the concept came first.
What this shows
- TapGlyph shows prototyping and initiative outside my professional work, and a willingness to take an idea to real practitioners and hear where it does not fit.
- It also marks a gap I am closing: the discovery here was informal, and structured research is something I want to practise properly rather than claim.