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Case Study: An Art Gallery App
Project Brief
Orchard Street Gallery is a mobile app for the art gallery, Orchard Street Gallery, which is located in a metropolitan area where people can come to view and learn more about local artists and their works.
The app allows people to access information on individual artists and their works by simply scanning a QR code attached to the artwork. While the app is intended for use at the Orchard Street Gallery by visitors, it can also be used outside of the gallery to get information on upcoming exhibitions and artists featured at the gallery.
Problem
Visitors often have a hard time finding detailed information on artists because they only have access to brochures or gallery assistants who are not always available and/or may not have the desired information. This leaves them feeling frustrated and negatively impacts their time at the gallery.
There are limited translation options available in art galleries, which leaves many people unable to access information easily.
Solution
Design an app to allow users to access information on specific artworks by scanning a QR code. The app will also give users access to information on exhibitions and featured artists.
Tools
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Figma
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Mural
My Role
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UX design
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UX research
Timeline
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Overall: 8+ weeks
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Discovery & Research: 2+ weeks
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Design & testing: 6 weeks
My Design Process
Research
User Personas
We wanted to form a deeper understanding of our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviors. So, we created 2 personas based on user interviews and surveys. We kept updating them throughout the project as we gathered more data. We used these personas whenever we wanted to step out of ourselves and reconsider our initial ideas.
Pain Points
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Difficult to find information on artists and their work
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Limited translation options available
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Lack of information on current and upcoming exhibits
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Having to rely on gallery assistants and brochures for information
User Journey Map
With the business goal in mind, I mapped the user's journey visiting an art gallery. I sketched a user journey map, to identify opportunities for improvement. The journey mapping revealed that users are frustrated with having to rely on gallery assistants and brochures for information on artists and their work.
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Competitive Audit
Our direct competitors are Hauser & Wirth and Gagosian, both are art galleries with multiple locations domestically and internationally. Hauser & Wirth do not connect well to their local community but do well catering to art intellectuals and scholars. Gagosian specializes in modern and contemporary art with nineteen exhibition spaces across the country.
Our indirect competitors are the Whitney Museum of American Art, an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City and Christie's, a world-leading art and luxury business.
Gaps Our Competitors Have:
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Competitor’s don’t offer an exclusive app
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Competitor sites provide a limited amount of accessibility features
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Competitor sites do not provide a way to help people connect and learn more about an artist
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Offer a mobile app that allows users to connect and learn more about an artist with a simple QR code
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Integrate our app with voice assistive technology
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Create a straightforward process for researching artists and information
Opportunity Areas:
Design
Sketches
I began the design process with low-fidelity sketches and wireframes to accelerate decision-making through visualization without losing time. I had a list of screens to cover all scenarios so I started sketching designs to detail out the user flows. I drafted a few iterations of each screen to ensure the wireframes addressed each pain point to meet the users needs. My sketches were based on the initial user interviews and the business goal.
User Flow
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Using Figma, I translated my first sketches into low-fidelity wireframes.
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Low-Fidelity Prototype
There are two main paths a user can take. They can immediately scan an artworks QR code to access information on that specific artwork. From there, they can access the artists and their information.
The second path they can take is to start from the main navigation bar to access exhibition and artist information. From there, they can search for the artist or exhibit they are looking for.
Take a look at the lo-fi prototype here!
Usability Testing
I created a low-fidelity prototype of the user flows using Figma. At the same time, I started recruiting subjects for the test who fit our criteria. I conducted 5 usability tests in the first round.
Round 1 findings:
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Users want a back button
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Users want more intuitive features
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Users want more engagement options
Usability Testing
After identifying user pain points, I created created a high-fidelity prototype and conducted another 5 usability tests after iterating on the issues that I previously identified.
Round 2 findings:
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Users want a homepage button
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Users want a confirmation page after they have completed a purchase
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Users would like an order summary page when shopping
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Sticker Sheet
Flow 1
Flow 2
Accessibility Considerations
Next Steps
Thank you for reading my case study!
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