Increasing Art Gallery Satisfaction
Helping museum-goers view relevant art info at their own pace
2020
Year
1 week
Duration
iOS
Category
UX, UI, Research, User Testing
My Role
About GalleryPal
GalleryPal is a iOS app for self-paced, self-guided art tours.
Deliverables
✅ User and market research
✅ Product ideation
✅ Sketches
✅ Storyboard
✅ UI Mockups
✅ Prototype
✅ User testing
Problem
Museum-goers are faced with a plethora of decisions that start even before they enter the museum. Chief among them: what should I see today, how do I get there, and how do I learn more?
Outcomes
I designed a mobile application that allows museum-goers to experience art at their own pace and view historical context.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Art is open to interpretation. It's no wonder all the visitors are crowded around a 5x5-inch placard confused about what the artist meant when they made a piece.
01
The Challenge
Many art visitors, like Angela, wish their gallery viewing experience wasn't confusing.
Angela is an Art Director who just moved to NYC whose pronouns are she/her.
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is her favorite art museum. She's standing looking at Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', wondering what it means.
"Hi, I'm Angela. Nice to meet you!"
Goals
While looking at the art, Angela wants to access quick information that will give her a better appreciation for the art and make her feel like she is making the most out of her visit.
Behavior
Angela goes to the MOMA and popular art museums in NYC every couple of months, usually by herself. Angela doesn't really look for specific exhibitions or artists; she just browses whatever work is being showcased.
Frustrations
Angela enjoys her visits but feels like if she knew a little more, she would have a better experience. Angela has tried to read books and articles on the art she's seen, but she loses interest due to how long and in-depth they are.
An experience at the MOMA leaves Angela with more questions than answers.
02
The Research
I set out to recruit people similar to Angela.
After conducting user interviews and online research, here are some common questions gallery attendees had:
What artworks should I see?
Where are the restrooms?
What else should I know about the art?
How is this artwork relevant to artist and time period it was made?
03
The Discovery
The common pattern that emerged is the search for information is confusing.
Mapping the current user experience from research.
04
The Ideation
How might we — provide visitors the information they need so that they are not confused?
The few existing options for finding information that aren't ideal.
❌ Guided tours are too constraining
❌ Museums provide audio equipment that is inconvenient
❌ Asking staff members is inconsistent
A museum worker may be busy doing their job or helping someone else.
❌ Reading the printed map is out-of-context
❌ Searching for articles on the web is slow
The fewer questions museum workers have to attend to, the fewer staff will be required.
Finding ways to increase enjoyment for museum-goers will entice them to return more frequently. Recent social trends have changed the way the visitors view art and experience it. Instagram has made experiential art more popular.
How might we — entice museum visitors to come back more frequently and increase museum reviews?
05
The Vision
Angela's new viewing experience starts in the lobby
Running low on time and preferring to walk the galleries alone, she sees the GalleryPal sign and is intrigued. Angela scans the QR code and downloads the app.
06
The Design
I started by sketching the critical screen for the visitor's in-museum experience.
Limited time in the design sprint forced me to make some quick decisions about user interfaces and features. I looked at other apps that focused on tours and content delivery that made use of uncluttered interfaces to guide users.
📍 Map
👨🎨 Artist information
👂 Audio and media commentary
📍 Step by step directions
🎨 Artwork information
👨🎨 Artist information in context
📍 Directions to next piece of art
The "Magic Tour" makes Angela's experience focused on art rather than figuring out what to see.
07
The Solution
A self-paced and app-guided tour for art-goers.
When Angela arrives at Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night', her focus is on the art.
Never get lost in the museum again
Navigate between the connected devices on a given network
Find Your Location & Where To Go Next
Become immersed in the artist's life
Navigate between the connected devices on a given network
View Relevant Art Information & Audio
Angela's new experience now meets her needs.
08
The Takeaways
🔑 What I learned from from creating a guide for art goers:
1. Form a simple hypothesis
By choosing to focus on the experience while physically at the museum, I was able to design for a prototype that met visitor needs.
2. Use external industry inspiration
Using apps such as tour guides and Airbnb helped me narrow my design focus and keep screens simple.
3. Single-task user motivation
Limited attention spans cause users to leave apps entirely. Simple design and information hierarchies were key in preventing users from being overwhelmed.
