Art Museum App

Design an app and a responsive website for a public art museum to advertise exhibitions and events, provide museum information to patrons, and enable patrons to schedule visits

Duration: July 2024 to August 2024

Product Overview

Problems

The app is designed to solve difficulty in accessing up-to-date information about the museum as well as streamlines planning a visit and purchasing tickets.

Goals

Provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for museum patrons, from planning their visit to exploring the museum, the app increase accessibility and fosters deeper engagement with art.

My Role & Responsibilities

Role

UX Designer

UX Researcher

Information Architect

Visual Designer

Responsibilities

User Research

User Personas

User Journey Mapping

Wireframing

Information Architecture

Prototyping

Usability Testing

Accessibility Testing

Research

User Research

I conducted an unmoderated usability study to evaluate the Art Museum app's user experience, focusing on care tasks like viewing exhibitions and purchasing ticket. Initially, I assumed that users would easily navigate the app, given its straightforward design, and the most challenges would stem from technical issues. However, the research revealed unexpected navigation difficulties and confusion during the ticket purchase process. Additionally, accessibility barriers impacted users with assistive technologies more significantly than anticipated. These findings highlighted the need for more intuitive design and improved accessibility features to better meet diverse user needs.

Research Goals

Enhance Visitor Experience

Ensure that visitors can easily access information, navigate the museum, and engage with the exhibitions in a way that enhances their overall experience.

Increase Accessibility

Make the museum more accessible to a wider audience like indoor navigation, accessible information, and multiple language options.

Streamline Visit Planning & Ticketing

Enable users to schedule visits, book tickets, and manage memberships directly through the app, reducing the effort required to visit the museum.

Increase Awareness & Attendance

Promote the museum's exhibitions, events, and special programs to increase visitor awareness and attendance.

Pain Points

Difficulty Finding Current Information

Users struggle to find up-to-date information on exhibitions, events, and museum hours, leading to confusion and missed opportunities. The app provides real-time updates, ensuring users have access to the latest information at their fingertips.

Limited Engagement

Visitors often lack detailed information about the artworks and exhibitions they are viewing, limiting their engagement and understanding. The app provides rich multimedia content, artist backgrounds, and exhibit details, enhancing the visitor's experience and knowledge.

Accessibility Barriers

Visitors with disabilities or specific needs may find it challenging to access certain areas or information within the museum. The app includes detailed accessibility information and features.

Complicated Visit Planning

Planning a museum visit can be complex, especially when trying to coordinate schedules, purchase tickets, or learn about specific exhibitions and events. The app simplifies visit planning by allowing users to schedule, book tickets, and received tailored recommendations all in one place.

Personas

User Journey Map

Summary of Improvements:

Personalization: Personalized recommendations based on past activity can make user's experience smoother.
Enhanced Search: Predictive and filtered search helps users quickly located desired exhibition, events, and additional information about the museum.
Content-Rich Details: Adding curator notes and reviews can deepen user interest and understanding of exhibitions.
Streamline Payment: Simplified, quick payment improves the ticket-buying process and user satisfaction.

Starting the Design

Wireframes

Paper Wireframes

Image of paper wireframes including five different versions of the same screen. The goal was to iterate on the Home screen, optimizing usability by refining layout, navigation, and accessibility based on user feedback. Each version of the wireframe tested different approaches to button placement, content hierarchy, and user flow efficiency.

Digital Wireframes

Notes:

Low-Fidelity Prototype

The user flows begins on the app's home screen, where users can easily navigate to the Exhibitions section. From there, they select a specific exhibition and proceed to the Plan Your Visit page. This page provides details on available dates and times, leading users to the Ticket Purchase screen. The ticketing flow includes selecting ticket quantities, viewing a summary, and completing the purchase. Each screen features simple, intuitive navigation, ensuring users can seamlessly complete their tasks with minimal friction.

Usability Studies

The goal of this study was to assess the usability of the mobile app. The app aims to enhance the museum's digital presence by providing a seamless experience for patrons to view exhibitions, plan their visits, and purchase tickets. With growing competition from museums offering similar tools, it was crucial to ensure the app's ease of use, effectiveness, and ability to meet user expectations.

Findings Summary

The usability study revealed key insights into user behavior and challenge:

Navigation Challenges: Users found it somewhat difficult to navigate from the homepage to specific exhbitions.
Ticket Purchase Complexity: Purchasing tickets presented the most friction, with users experience confusion around payment options and confirmation steps.
Time on Task: While most users completed tasks within acceptable timeframes, several participants exceeded the average time, highlighting potential inefficiencies.
Accessibility Gaps: Users with assistive technologies or non-English speakers encountered barriers in accessing certain app features.

Take away:

The study emphasized the need for improved navigation paths, streamlined ticket purchase processes. and enhanced accessibility features to ensure the app meets diverse user needs. These findings will guide iterative design improvements to maximize user satisfaction and engagement.

Refining Design

My primary goal was to create an app that simplifies key tasks like viewing exhibitions and purchasing tickets while accommodating a diverse user base. During the refinement process, I focused on streamlining navigation pathways and reducing cognitive load by prioritizing clarity and consistency in design elements. In addition, I incorporated feedback from usability testing to address pain points, such as an unclean button labels and complex checkout flows. The thought process was iterative - each design tweak aimed to align more closely with user needs and expectations, ensuring an intuitive and accessible experience for all.

Mockups

High-Fidelity Prototype:

Open Prototype

Accessibility

Screen Reader Compatibility
- Ensured all interactive elements, such as buttons and links, are properly labeled for screen readers to enhance usability for visually impaired users.
Language Support
- Include multi-language options and simplified text to assist non-native English speakers in understanding and navigating the app easily.
Color Contrast
- Applied high-contrast color schemes to improve readability for users with visual impairments or color blindness.

Going Forward

Impact:

The design improvements significantly enhanced the user experience, with one participant stating, " The app feels more intuitive now - finding and booking exhibitions is a breeze."

What I Learned:

This project underscored the importance of user-centered design and iterative testing. I learned how vital it is to address accessibility early in the design process and to remain flexible as user feedback often reveals unexpected insights. Balancing functionality with simplicity proved key to creating an engaging and inclusive app experience.