Bo Cheng Design

Scroll down to explore the journey

BO CHENG

PROJECTS

miscellaneous

RESUME

What is Nearby?

Nearby turns urban spaces into living galleries, making hidden creators visible.

a location-based platform that helps artists showcase their work beyond galleries, while enabling audiences to discover and experience local art anywhere, anytime — powered by geolocation and AR.

How does Nearby work?

Nearby lets artists pin their work to real-world locations, so audiences can discover and experience art through an interactive map and AR as they move through the city.

Intro

Let’s meet Ana and Jack

They live in the same city — but their worlds never cross. why?

Experience art beyond the gallery — anytime, anywhere on the map.

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100 m

500 m

700 m

Vision

for artists/ designers

More Accessible space

for work exposure?

do both...

for audience

Create fun & new art explore experience?

Artists struggle to be seen outside galleries. Audiences rarely encounter local creativity in their daily lives.

So what if we could make art part of the city itself?

Ideation

City art hunt prototype

To bring the concept to life, I began with paper prototypes that mapped out how users might discover art through space, story, and surprise.

Audience to explore

In their gallery, audience able to see their artwork collected in the city

Audiences browse the map or move through the city

Audiences choose one to view (able to add to their collection)

Artists to pin work

Artists pin their work to real-world locations

After completion, audience would able to see their work on map

Artists could see other artists and their own profile for connection

Gather Insights

Mid-fi Portotype

Tested the flow with 15 participants to gather feedback for iterations

Platform Concept

Tech Requirement Insight

Platform Service Insights

explore the city like a creative scavenger hunt — tapping on pins, unlocking stories, and collecting artworks along the way.

Format Decision

A mobile, geo-powered, AR-enhanced discovery experience

Nearby

Explore, Engage, Connect.

Problem Statement

Emerging Artists

need space to show

relies on gallery to see

Audience

🖼️

work

I wish I could share my work without needing a gallery

& I can’t afford a new york gallery spot...

I feel invisible — it’s hard to get my work discovered.

My works simply don’t “fit”

I crave real-world exposure

I wish I could experience local artists outside of gallery

I’d love to find creativity in unexpected places.

I wish art could find me

I want to see more forms of work

I’d love to find creativity outside gallery

Creativity surrounds us — but artists like Ana and explorers like Jack rarely find each other as...

Most creativity stays hidden. Not because it’s missing — but because we don’t know where to look outside curated spaces.

BO CHENG

PROJECTS

miscellaneous

RESUME

Nearby

Explore, Engage, Connect.

For Artists

Connect

Creative Designer -Ana

I can get to know so many artists like me!

In the community feature, Ana can explore posts from other designers and view their profiles, allowing her to connect with fellow talents. This function offers a direct way to engage with designers in NYC.

Community homepage

Profile Page

For Artists

Expose

Creative Designer -Ana

I can upload my artwork!

Ana can use the upload feature to select and measure a display location for her 3D work. She can add a description and upload her piece, which is then marked on the map for others to view.

Prepare to upload

upload process

For Audience

Collect

Map Mode

Art Lover - Jack

I can curate my own art collection!

It allows Jack to save and curate a personal collection of artworks he likes or wants to revisit.

As Jack goes to the artwork spot and selects to view, he can see it in a real-world setting and can add it to his gallery. In his gallery, Jack can track the number of artworks he has collected.