Timeline
4 weeks
Role
User Researcher
Prototyping
Visual Designer
Team
Individual
Methodology
User Research, Interviews, HMW, User Personas, Story-Board, Competitor Audit, Ideation, Wireframes, Lo-fi Prototype, High Fidelity Mockups & Prototypes, Usability Studies, Iterations
The Challenge
I designed this project as part of the Google UX Design Certificate. I took this problem statement up due to my personal passion for art.
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In the context of busy schedules and financial constraints, people encounter difficulties in traditional art gallery visits. The frustrations arising from long queues and crowded spaces not only hinder the exploration and appreciation of artwork but also leads to a declining interest in art. According to an article in The Economist "Attendance in the world's biggest art museums has plummeted with a drop of 77% within a year.
The Goal
To design an innovative digital platform that redefines the way people experience art, making it more accessible, affordable, and engaging, while addressing the challenges of time constraints, cost, and crowded spaces.
Onboarding
Designed keeping 3 principles in mind: Simple, Cohesive & Artistic
Virtual Tour
This feature lets the user choose from a list of exhibits based on their chosen filters and gives a 360° tours with an audio player.
Shop
Users can shop products from various museums across continents and get their favourites delivered at their doorstep.
Process
Having a process driven approach helped me stay focus on my goals for the project and layed out a smooth foundation. I followed the Design Thinking methodology and streamlined the steps in each phase of the process. This resulted in the completition of the project in a strict timeline of 2 months.
User Flows
User Research
To be able to empathize and better understand the underlying issue I conducted user interviews with 8 people across continents between the age of 20 - 50 years.
I identified 4 key pain points based on the empathy maps I formulated as per the interviews.
Here is what I found..
Information
"All knowledge in one place would be nice."
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"I visit to learn something new."
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Validation
"If I go to a museum and don't like it, I'd end up spending time and money."
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"It's a touristy thing to do."
Accessibility
"I was thinking of stories in my mind. and suddenly was pushed by crowds."
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"I wish I could listen to the info."
Easy to consume
"I'd like to know the artist's perspective, I feel lost when I look at the painting."
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"Too much info is overwhelming!"
Personas
Based on the empathy maps I created two user personas as my target groups. My criteria was to include personas factoring accessibility. This also helped me narrow down the user stories and henceforth the problem statement.
How might we?
How might we leverage technology to create immersive and interactive art experiences?
Competitor Audit
I then wanted to know who else was working towards solving the same persisting problem and how were they doing it. I did a detailed analysis of 3 direct and 2 indirect competitors based on the following criteria: Visual Design, Information Architecture, User Flows, Navigation, Features, Accessibility and Content.
Ideation
I started to brainstorm ideas as they popped in my head with the crazy 8's exercise, How might We and story boarding. I then initiated the process of formulating the intended user flows and hence the site map based on the insights gathered from the research.
User Flow
Having conducted a competitive audit and user research, I structured the user flow of my app. This approach has been instrumental in refining the problem statement and adopting a more user-centric approach. At every stage of the flow, I ensured three critical elements: Action, Task, and Decision the user will make, aligning each step with user needs and preferences.
Wireframes
This phase was the highlight of the entire process for me. I began by sketching wireframes on paper, exploring various solutions based on the user flow. After careful consideration, I settled on a specific set of wireframes and translated them into Low-Fidelity versions using Figma. Subsequently, I swiftly incorporated interactions and animations to craft a Lo-Fi Prototype.
Usability Study
Usability study is a method I used to research and test my low fidelity prototype before proceeding to the next phase. I chose 5 participants to conduct both moderated and unmoderated usability study between the age of 25- 50. I started by laying out a research plan consisting of the project background, project goal, research questions, methodology , participant information, Key Performance Indexes and script in which I had given the participants 4 prompts to perform.
Research questions:
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Are users able to find info on art, artists or exhibits?
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Are users able to order a product from shop and checkout?
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How long does it take for a user to decide which tour to take or find info?(Quantitative)
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What frustrated users most about taking a virtual tour?(Qualitative)
Familiar User Flow
Most users were unsure how to change or set location to get location based recommendations, thus the users need better cues for what steps are required to change the location.
01
Redundant Button
Most users thought "Go to Cart" button in the shop section was not required as the basket already represented that.
02
Categorization
Most users were frustrated in finding the categories to choose from and needed a more structured format for it.
03
Onboarding
Most users were confused between login and signup option on welcome screen and needed a more intuitive flow to enter the homescreen.
04
Style Guide
High Fidelity Mockups
Using insights gathered from the usability study, I developed the high-fidelity mockups. These mockups underwent several iterations following a second round of usability testing. Employing a visual design system including typography, color schemes, and containment, I aimed to elevate the design. Implementing various visual design principles, I ensured a cognitive user flow, ultimately ensuring a user-friendly product with a positive user engagement. I then prepared high fidelity prototypes for each screen by using appropriate trigger, adding interactions and animations keeping the human centered approach front and center.
Onboarding Screens
An intuitive user flow on the Welcome screen with a single point "Let's get started" button.
Login & Profile Screen
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The profile page enables the user to choose from the list of languages.
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Considering accessibility there's an option to choose to use the app in dark mode.
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The user is also given an option to receive notifications or opt out of it they like.
Location Pop-over
Post Usability Study I made sure to make location button clearly visible on top left which opens an overlay for an easy setup, to provide the user with location specific recommendations.
Home Screen
Clear and concise categories
Users are given recommendations based on location.​
This takes the user to the various exhibits occurring across the globe.
Navigation Bar:
Considering Accessibility both icon and text have been given with a minimum font size as 9px.
Search Screen
Favourites
Artwork Screens
Exhibition Screens for Virtual Tours
Sequential Navigation is used to reduce cognitive load and have a more user friendly experience.
An option to view only or listen to the audio guide is provided considering accessibility based on the user persona.
Multiple ways to access the information through a "Search" screen to help the user find information faster. Also filter tabs are given to sort exactly what they are looking for.
Shop Screen
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The user can choose the product from the featured options or they can directly search using filters.
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The user on clicking the product is taken to the description page where they add the product to the cart and use the cart symbol to checkout.
What I learned
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Grounding design decisions in psychological research and findings leads to a user-friendly product that fosters a sense of achievement and encourages positive user engagement.
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Waiting for the perfect solution consumes time and hampers progress. It's not imperative to perfect every aspect of the process. Iteration is the key.
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In the empathy phase, I realized how my assumptions and biases were shaping my approach. This prompted me to swiftly recognize the importance of self-reflection and acknowledging these influences.
What I'd do in the future
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Given more time, I would prioritize conducting another round of testing, ensuring that accessibility remains the primary focus throughout the process.
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I'd also like to leverage technology to enhance the overall experience of having a virtual tour.
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I'd like to further explore collaborations from a new set of stakeholders and conduct research from business point of view including gallery owners and museums representatives.
Thank you for reading!
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