Art House Mobile App
UX Design | Concept Project for School
Situation
Art House is a mobile application concept aimed at rekindling the passion for local art museums amongst individuals. Its primary objective is to motivate people to visit art galleries, explore diverse art collections in an easy to view way, and establish connections with artists across the world.
One of the primary challenges addressed by Art House is the limited footfall in small art museums, which could be attributed to various factors, including the ease of accessing art online. As a visual designer with a keen interest in UX design, I sought to explore ways to reignite the love for small, local art museums amongst the masses.
Task
In this project, I assumed the role of a proficient visual designer with a deep passion for UX design. My key responsibility was to develop the concept and oversee the overall design. To bolster the development process, I harnessed the power of design thinking, incorporating the five fundamental stages, namely Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
Action
User Research
To initiate the research phase, I embarked on a field trip to two local art museums. My primary objective was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the gallery space and empathize with potential users by adopting their perspectives. I commenced by conducting intercept interviews with the museum owners, asking them, their challenges, what was working and what wasn’t to understand the situation. This enabled me to unravel key user pain points.
Pain Points from Museum interviews and observations
Too Much Text
Based on my findings, it became apparent that users were experiencing information overload due to the excessive amount of text provided for each art piece, which compromised their attention span.
As a forward-looking strategy, I intend to incorporate customizable options that cater to diverse user preferences and enable them to experience the museum in a personalized and engaging manner.
Boring
As per user feedback, a common sentiment expressed was that the art showcased lacked appeal and had an overwhelming presentation with inadequate or uninteresting explanations. Additionally, there was a perception that it was more convenient to access artwork online rather than in-person.
In response, I intend to implement a revamped art description system with a structured hierarchy that facilitates easy skimming for the users. Additionally, I aspire to create an immersive experience that provides users with the flexibility to choose their preferred learning style for each artwork, thereby ensuring a compelling and engaging museum visit.
Confusing Layouts
My research revealed that numerous first-time visitors to art museums were relatively unfamiliar with the art scene, which resulted in confusion about the ideal starting point and viewing sequence for artworks.
As a part of my design strategy, I intend to incorporate a user-friendly gallery map that enables visitors to navigate the museum with ease and clarity, ensuring a seamless and immersive experience.
Help Not Accessible
Through user feedback, it became evident that the lack of clarity surrounding the art museum process led to considerable frustration among users.
To address this concern, I aim to incorporate clear and concise gallery information, which includes essential details about the museum track, thereby ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience for users. Moreover, I plan to provide an option for users to seek timely assistance and receive prompt support from the museum staff, thus enhancing the overall experience.
User Personas
I only had access to two museum owners but they allowed me to freely observe the visitors.
From the pain points, and the observations I began crafting both a primary and a secondary User Persona.
User Flows
Based on the user personas I crafted two user flows. One observing how the primary user would use the interface to navigate the museum and the other moving through the networking feature of the app.
Ultimately, these user flows assisted me with understanding how a user could possibly use the Art House app.
User Journey Map
After interviewing the museum owners, I sketched a business journey map to illustrate the physical journey identifying where a digital app could help. Based off the business’s perspective I created high-level sketches.
The map provides a detailed visual representation of their journey and illustrates areas of opportunity. It enables me to analyze their primary flow when entering an art museum. Moreover, it allows me to anticipate their actions and behavior when interacting with the product, ensuring a seamless user experience.
User Research Summary
The project began with extensive secondary research on small art museums, including the time users spent in them, their activities, and preferred routes. Qualitative research was primarily utilized to address fundamental questions such as "What are the user's primary needs?" and "Why are they essential in the first place?"
Initially, I presumed that most users would follow a standard flow upon entering a gallery, engaging with each piece, and immersing themselves in the featured artists' work for over 20 minutes. However, my own observations and research revealed that users often entered art museums and, depending on the admission prices, either spent a brief 30-45 minutes or less glancing at the artwork before departing or immediately left upon seeing the admission fee.
This prompted me to question how an app could benefit both art museum visitors and the featured artists. How could I make users more interested in the artwork, engage in the artist network, and encourage them to stay and pay the modest admission fee?
Ideate Design Solutions
After gathering helpful insights from my user research I began ideating design solutions to solve the user’s problem.
Competitive Feature Analysis
I conducted a competitive feature analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of competitors in the same market. This information can help identify opportunities for improvement and provide insight into what features and functionalities should be incorporated into the design of a product or service to gain a competitive edge.
After conducting a competitive feature analysis, I identified several areas where Art House could improve its user experience.
One of the key findings was that providing the option for users to continue as guests could simplify the sign-up process and make the app more user-friendly.
Additionally, introducing a networking feature could enable users to connect with like-minded individuals and expand their social circle.
Finally, I recommend that Art House consider offering in-app tours of the art museum to enhance the user's understanding and appreciation of the art on display.
Information Architecture
After gathering insights from both my user research and competitive audit I began brainstorming the information architecture of Art House.
I found that the Information architecture is crucial in design as it ensures a user-friendly and intuitive design. It helped provide a clear and organized structure for users to navigate through Art House, ultimately enhancing their overall experience.
Including information architecture in the design process helped to ensure that users can easily find the information they need, reducing frustration and increasing engagement.
Paper Wireframes
Next, I took a pencil and paper and began wireframing the user flow.
Wireframes & Results
The paper wireframes I created provided me with a visual representation of the essential functionality and user flow of Art House.
They also enabled me to gain a broader perspective of the application's operation by seeing it in its simplest stages.
Digital Wireframes & Lo-Fi Prototype
After ideating multiple flows with paper wireframing I began creating the basic digital wireframes so I could make a functional lo-fi prototype.
Once the paper wireframes were sketched, my focus shifted to digitizing them, which laid the foundation for Art House and its primary user flow. Throughout the creation of digital wireframes, I maintained a strict focus on Art House's functionality. This allowed me to concentrate solely on the main flow while testing multiple variations before determining the most effective one.
After this and creating my first lo-fi prototype, I figured it was a good time to begin my first round of real user testing.
Result - Usability Study Findings
Round One
1. User found it confusing as to what the main goal was
2. Wished there was a continue as guest option included
3. Frustrated with the amount of information and layout of the information
4. Enjoyed the map function and audio description
Round Two
1. User struggled with understanding the main point of the Art House app. “is it too see a map or to connect with the artists?”
2. A lot of information, a little overwhelmed on where to begin and what to explore first
3. Thought the map was a cool feature, and liked that you could view other pieces by the featured artist
4. A little confused as to why they needed to create an account to just see the virtual map
Next Steps
Based on the feedback provided by users, the next steps would be to simplify the app's main point and make it clearer to the user. The main objective of the app is to help guide the visitor through the museum. Additionally, the amount of information presented needs to be condensed and organized in a more user-friendly way.
A "continue as guest" option should be included to accommodate those who do not wish to create an account.
The map function and audio descriptions should be highlighted and further developed to enhance the user experience.
Mockups and Hi-Fi Prototypes
Before & After Studies - Fix One
After conducting the usability studies, it became clear that users crave a streamlined user path with fewer distractions. Guided by the Gestalt principles, I opted to introduce more negative space into the visual design of Art House, placing emphasis on proximity and similarity in the user interface design. Furthermore, I recognized the need to offer a "continue as guest" option, enabling users to commence their Art House experience with minimal fuss.
Before & After Studies - Fix Two
After identifying that users were struggling with understanding where to begin, my objective was to guide their attention through the main user flow, including exploring the gallery map, navigating through the app, and potentially following featured artists.
To achieve this, I carefully considered how users typically view a mobile screen, asking questions such as "where do a user's eyes go when opening an app?" and "what colors draw immediate attention, and why?". Using some color theory my focus was on directing the user's attention to the primary goal of the app while also making them feel safe.
The Hi-Fi Prototype for Art House
Accessibility Considerations
High Contrast
I prioritized user experience in Art House by ensuring that there was a high contrast in the screens, making it easier for users to navigate the app and reducing eye strain. Additionally, I incorporated a feature that allows users to switch between light and dark mode according to their preferences.
Audio Descriptions
Art House caters to users with different needs by providing audio descriptions for those with poor vision. This feature offers a list of preferred languages. Additionally, there is an option for users to read along while listening for those who prefer it.
Familiar Layouts
Art House's layout adheres to familiar gestures, icons, and flows commonly used in other apps, catering to users from diverse backgrounds. The app's design also incorporates color theory and follows the 60/30/10 rule to achieve a simple yet visually appealing aesthetic with a touch of artistic flair.
Results
Because this was a concept mobile app there is no actual data driven impacts.
However, I envision a world where the Art House could potentially increase foot traffic through small, local Art Museums. Art House caters to a wide audience as art itself does. It is designed for those who are interested in art, those passing through, and artists of various styles and backgrounds. This app welcomes and accepts everyone.
If I ever revisited this mobile app concept I would make sure that next time I implemented more rounds of user testing and spent more time on the initial research phase of the project.
