Product Strategy
[Publish date, e.g. 22nd October 2026]
Re-imagining NFTs through Augmented Reality: Ownership, purpose, and value for artists
NFTs had the right idea, digital ownership for art, but the execution fell short: files anyone could copy, no use beyond profile pictures, and value that lasted only as long as market interest.
Here are the three problems it addresses:
Proof of ownership
Purpose beyond display
Value for artists
The Problem
Proof of ownership
Anyone can screenshot an NFT and use it as a profile picture. The copy looks identical to the original, so owning the token gives the buyer nothing a screenshot doesn't.
The Solution
Full-resolution artwork only for the verified owner
The full-resolution artwork renders only inside the app, after the wallet confirms ownership. Everyone else sees a [low-resolution, watermarked] preview, so the original can only be viewed by whoever holds the token.
Ownership check
The app verifies the wallet before loading the artwork, so access follows the token, not the file.
[Wallet verification screen]
Preview vs. owner view
Non-owners can browse the collection, but only owners see the work at full fidelity.
[Side-by-side: preview and owner view of the same artwork]
I ruled out watermarking every view because it penalizes the people who paid for the art.
[Optional: watermarked-for-everyone exploration]
The Problem
Most NFTs are bought, set as a profile picture, and left there. There is no place to experience the artwork itself, so collectors have nothing to do with what they own.
The Solution
Owned NFTs are placed in an AR gallery anchored to a physical location. Owners choose where their pieces hang, and visitors walk the space through their phone camera, so the art is seen at full scale in a real setting.
Gallery map
Shows which locations host a gallery, so visitors know where to go before they open the camera.
[Map screen with gallery locations]
Placement screen
Owners position and size their work in the space, which makes curating part of owning.
[Owner placing an artwork in the gallery]
AR view
The artwork appears in place as visitors move, at the scale the owner set.
[AR view through the phone camera]
I chose fixed locations over "view anywhere" AR because [reason, e.g. a shared place creates an audience and makes entry worth paying for].
The Problem
Artists earn at the first sale, and resale royalties depend on whether the marketplace honors them. After that, the artwork earns nothing on its own, so its value rises and falls with market interest.
The Solution
Visitors buy a ticket to enter the AR gallery, and a share of each ticket goes to the artists and owners on display. Artists keep earning each time their work is viewed.
Ticket purchase
Entry is bought in-app per visit [or as a pass], so access is simple for first-time visitors.
[Ticket purchase screen]
Artist and owner earnings
Artists and owners see what each displayed piece earned, which ties value to visits instead of resale.
[Earnings dashboard]
Open question: [how the revenue split works: equal share, by placement, or by time viewed].
Each feature gives the token something a copy can't: protected viewing, a place to be seen, and income for artists every time their work is visited.
ChanGPT
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