User experience designer
Case Study:
ART-N Gallery App Design
This project was completed in a Google UX Certificate Course
Project Overview
The problem
Busy young people and visitors want to enjoy art and the gallery with comfort.
The goal
Design the app that allows visitors to enjoy their time at the gallery.
The product
The ART-N gallery is located in the regional city. Gallery ART-N strives to make visiting the gallery more comfortable for visitors. The ART-N gallery is aimed at such clients as students and young workers who are interested in art and like to visit the gallery when they have time.
My role
UX designer designing an app for ART-N gallery from a conception to a high-fidelity prototype.
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Project duration
March 2021 to August 2021
Understanding the user
For a better understanding of what exactly users need, I conducted 7 interviews with potential users. I was really curious to know what users want to see in such an application and what can help them get more positive experiences and good memories.
All 7 interviews were conducted in the same way. It was a Zoom meeting due to the COVID situation, about 40 minutes, with the same questions for all participants. Also, during the interview, I asked a few additional questions to better understand what the user meant, or when I get unexpected answers.
It was a great experience because I did it for the first time and learned a lot. I especially learned how important it is to avoid bias when you conducted user interviews to get complete and as honest answers as possible. At first, it was hard for me, because I'm too friendly person 😅 and when I tried to be calm, I looked a little serious. But when I did a few recent interviews, I found the right way to talk to the interviewers and be calm but not so serious.
Also, I found that only users can give correct answers if the app or any features are useful! You can make predictions and believe that this feature is a great idea, but then users may say the exact opposite! And that's okay!
After the interview, I realized that the application has a completely different look than I originally imagined, but I was happy because I realized that all these changes can help this application be useful to users! And this is the most important thing!
“I am not particularly versed in painting, as a kind of professional, at least at the minimum level, so it's cool when there is a description, it helps me to understand better an artist.”
̶Participant A
“it is very important for me to be alone with art and enjoy it, without being distracted by the sides.”
̶Participant C
User pain points
1. Description
Lack of description impairs understanding of the artworks
2. Time
Not all galleries provide exhibition preview
3. Noise Around
Noise around reduces the concentration.
4. Language
Information available only in one language
Persona & problem statement
In order to clearly understand who are the target users who will use this application, I analyzed the information and answers of the interviewers. As a result, I identified 2 main types of potential users. It's been great practice for my analytical skills.
Anna is a young employee who needs to feel comfortable and learn new things at the exhibition because she wants to have a good time and get positive emotions.
Victoria is a busy, working adult with little art knowledge who visits an art gallery with friends to spend time together, she needs an app that can give her independence in her art learning process and offer new events to spend time with friends.
User journey map
I created a user journey based on my observations and primary research to understand user pain points and how useful the app will be for users, as well as what other things I can add to the app for a better user experience. This helped me identify when potential users might be having problems or feeling frustrated, and find solutions to these problems.
Starting the design
Paper wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized a quick and easy way to review available exhibitions to help users save time.
Stars were used to mark the elements of each sketch that would be used in the initial digital wireframes
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research.
This button provides an easy way to buy tickets
This button provides an easy way to buy tickets
Easy navigation was a key user need to address in the designs in addition to equipping the app to work with assistive technologies.
List of the available artworks
Usability Study
I did two rounds of usability research. The first usability study I did was with a low-fidelity prototype. It was a great opportunity to see if I'm on the right track, what users think of the product, and if any changes are needed to improve the experience.
7 Participants
-
Participants are all people who visit the gallery and are interested in art
-
Three males, four females
-
The age of participants is from 18 to 60 years
-
One participant is a person who does not speak English
Methodology
-
25 of minutes
-
Ukraine, remote
-
Moderated and unmoderated usability study
-
Users were asked to buy tickets and use a personal guide on a low-fidelity prototype
At this stage, the most difficult and interesting thing for me was to choose the right KPIs. To make the right decision about which KPIs are the best use for my project, I thought about the objectives of my research, and then the answer came.
Research questions
-
How long does it take a user to find an exhibition and buy a ticket?
-
What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps users take, to buy tickets?
-
What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps users take, to visit an exhibition?
-
Are there parts of the user flow where usersget stuck?
-
Are there more features users would like to see included in the app?
-
Do users think the app is easy or difficult to use?
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
-
Time on task
-
Conversion rates
-
Drop-off rates
-
System Usability Scale
Round 1 findings
1. Users want to have easy access to all previously visited exhibition
“Finding old exhibitions on the account page was not easy, I think it will be easier to find on the page where there is a list with all my exhibitions.” (Participant C)
2. Users want an easier way to leave reviews
“For me will be great if I can leave a review in another way because now I don't understand how to do it” (Participant A)
3. Users want to use easier audio guide
“I want to use the audio guide any easier, because it's notcomfortable to scroll up if I want to interact with it.” (Participant C)
The second usability study used a highly accurate prototype and determined which aspects of the layouts needed to be improved. The second usability study included 2 participants who had the most problems with the application in the first usability study (I made this decision because I wanted to see if these participants could perform tasks without problems after the design was finalized) and beginners - a total of 5 participants. The methodology, resource questions, and key performance indicators remained the same as in the first usability study.
Round 2 findings
1. Users want to have fixed button when they read preview for the exhibition
“I want to have a button with a fixed position, which helps me to buy a ticket faster and not make an unnecessary movement.” (Participant A)
2. Users want to have the ability to change the date when they buy tickets
“I want to have a button with a fixed position, which helps me to buy a ticket faster and not make an unnecessary movement.” (Participant A)
Refining the design
Mockups
Before doing the second usability study, users frustrated, that they couldn't use the audio guide easy. It was also unclear how to navigate to the next or previous piece of art.
This is why I redesigned the audio guide to look like a music player so that users can quickly and easily figure out how to interact with it.
A second usability study found dissatisfaction with the Buy Ticket button on the exhibition preview page as it is at the bottom of the page. Therefore, I made it with a fixed position, which helps users to buy a ticket faster and not make unnecessary movements.
Accessibility considerations
1. Screen readers
Provide access to users who are vision impaired through adding alt text to images for screen readers.
2. Icons
Use icons to help make navigation easier.
3. Transcripts
Use transcripts for the audio guide.
Refined designs
High-fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for buying tickets and using the guide. It also met user needs for finding info quickly by using QR-scanner.
Going forward
Takeaways
Impact
The app makes users feel like ART-N Gallery cares about them so that they can enjoy their time in the gallery.
“It helps me a lot. I can spend time in the gallery, however, I want not to worry about anything. "
What I learned
While developing the ART-N app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are just the beginning of the process. Usability research and peer reviews have influenced every iteration of the app's design. Yes, sometimes it was difficult to do everything at a high level because everything was the first time for me. But the best part is when your application helps people and can make them happy and content.
Next steps
1. Testing
Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.
2. User research
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of needs.