¡Salsa Vive!
The NYC Story of Salsa
Role
UX/UI Designer, AR Storyteller, Visual Systems Designer
Timeline
December – May 2025 (6 months)
¡Salsa Vive! is a location-based augmented reality (AR) experience that brings the story of salsa music to life across New York City. Inspired by the lyric “Un verano en Nueva York,” the project transforms public spaces into interactive cultural landmarks—blending audio, visuals, and place-based storytelling to celebrate salsa’s Afro-Caribbean roots and NYC evolution.
Objective:
To design an accessible AR experience that educates and emotionally connects users with the cultural legacy of salsa music in NYC—fusing oral history, rhythm, and place-based memory into an immersive walking tour.
While salsa holds deep cultural significance across generations, its NYC roots and Afro-Caribbean influences are rarely told in a way that’s immersive, multilingual, and publicly accessible. ¡Salsa Vive! aims to reclaim that story using the urban landscape as a living museum.
The Problem-
Target Audience
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1st & 2nd Generation Latin New Yorkers
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Older generations reconnecting with cultural roots
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Salsa fans and music historians
User Journey Overview
Discover AR Entry Point – Users scan signage, subway posters, or museum installations
Launch Experience – Onboarding explains controls, purpose, and story context
Explore Story Nodes – Users walk through key salsa landmarks, each unlocking visuals, oral history clips, and music
Interact with Culture – Tap to trigger soundscapes, dance overlays, or archival footage
Prototype
“Experience the rhythm, history, and spirit of salsa—brought to life through location-based AR.”
Watch a short walkthrough of the ¡Salsa Vive! prototype to see how users engage with real-world spaces, audio stories, and cultural overlays.
Visual & Interaction Design
Typography: Poppins + Pacifica for a mix of modern clarity and Latin personality
Color System: Rich reds, oranges, and blues to echo salsa’s vibrancy and vintage posters
Sound Design: Layered background music with ambient controls
Interaction Model: Tap to trigger AR layers; swipe or move to reveal next landmark
Patterns: Designed for both older and younger users—large touch targets, adjustable audio
Design Process
Wireframes-
Early sketches and layout wireframes helped define the structure of onboarding, AR triggers, and content delivery. These wireframes focused on navigation clarity, accessibility, and cultural cues.
Design Process
High-fidelity Mockups-
The high-fidelity designs built on these foundations, incorporating custom typography, color, and interactive patterns. Each screen was crafted to reflect the vibrancy and rhythm of salsa culture while ensuring usability across age groups.
User Testing Insights
Cultural Takeaways
Combines memory, music, and movement to connect generations
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Transforms everyday spaces into cultural markers
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Makes NYC’s salsa history feel personal, interactive, and alive
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Combines memory, music, and movement to connect generations • Transforms everyday spaces into cultural markers • Makes NYC’s salsa history feel personal, interactive, and alive •
Reflection
¡Salsa Vive! let me merge storytelling, identity, and technology into a form of cultural preservation. As a Latina designer, this project was deeply personal—rooted in family memory, public space, and the rhythms of community. If expanded further, I’d explore multilingual options, neighborhood-specific tours, and ways for users to submit their own salsa stories.
