Breaking down barriers between art and people

Smartify grew out of four friends’ enjoyment of visiting museums and encountering art. Inside every gilt frame and Perspex box, layers of meaning wait to be uncovered. Our mission is to enrich and inspire visitors by helping each object tell its story.

Museums, galleries and heritage sites can be daunting in their grandeur. With so much to discover, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But with the right stories, we believe everyone can connect with the culture around them.

Harnessing the limitless potential of technology

Our ambition is to re-frame the smartphone as a tool for engagement rather than distraction.

Taking captions off the wall, and into our hands, allows us to showcase lesser-heard voices from a range of backgrounds, as well as those of the institution. Smartify introduces audiences to multiple perspectives and ways of interacting with culture, so they can find what resonates with them.

Increasing accessibility

Ensuring all of our experiences are accessible is central to our ethos. Every new feature is rigorously tested for usability, and wherever possible, our guides are accompanied by visual aids, audio descriptions and language options.

The nature of our platform means Smartify can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, whether they’re in front of a painting, looking up at a ruin, or on their commute to work.

Never in competition with

Smartify is a part of the technology revolution, but with a key difference: we work in partnership with bricks and mortar cultural institutions.

The museum and heritage sector works with limited resources to provide invaluable experiences. As a social enterprise, we donate our time, services and a portion of profits to the venues we collaborate with.

Museum and gallery partners directly contribute to all aspects of Smartify’s development: they generate and direct content, they advise on user experience, and they oversee new features.

Forging an alliance between art and tech

From the start, Smartify has been a genuine collaboration between art and technology.

Our team is led by arts professionals and tech innovators who are leaders in their field. We are an arts organisation unafraid of innovation and a tech company rooted in physical experience.

Trusted by leading cultural organisations

Our focus on respecting the museum sector, copyright and personal data is the reason Smartify can be found in museums around the globe. Staying true to our values has allowed us to build the relationships, and the platform, we have today.