45 Minute Layover in Paris: A Museum-Lover’s Sprint
GalleryPal
GalleryPal is an app designed within a modified version of the Google Ventures design sprint. I worked alone across five days to take basic user research and turn it into a product prototype.
Bitesize UX provided a GalleryPal brief, constraints, user research, and a user persona.
Problem
Users feel that they are missing out on the full museum experience and want to know more without having to read tedious art history papers or take the time to go on a guided tour.
Solution
An app that users could use within a gallery or museum to learn more about the art in front of them. It had to be approachable, user friendly, and able to provide quick interesting tidbits to help museum goers connect with the art without needing an expert with them. It would be a guided tour without the need of a docent.
Tools
- Figma
- Figjam
- Milanote
Team
- 1 UX designer
My Role
- UX design
- UX research
- UI design
- User test facilitator
Timeline
- Day 1: Map
- Day 2: Sketch
- Day 3: Decide
- Day 4: Prototype
- Day 5: Test
My Design Process
Day 1: Map
Research
The personas and docent interview given by Bitesize UX allowed me to design the map of GalleryPal. It would use a phone’s camera to scan the art and use AI to identify the piece and then show the piece’s information page. This allows users to identify a piece even if they are in a country where they are unable to decipher the native language. From the artworks page a user could then learn more about the artist, their art movement, or see other similar artworks they might like.
All the information I chose to include within the pages of artworks, artist profile, and art genres were taken from user research. For example, an interview with a museum guide gave insights into what people connect with most on tours, such as why an artist became an artist (found on the artist profile page). All of this helps the user understand the art, form a personal connection to it, and develop their own unique tastes. In a way, this process of self-driven learning is a way for the user to better understand themselves.
Site map showing possible user journeys in GalleryPal.
Lighting demos
After completing the map of GalleryPal, I dove into lightning demos. I found a few apps that already contain some of the features GalleryPal will have. Below I highlighted each app, what I liked about them, and what I could improve upon within GalleryPal.
Masterpieces
Liked: change language, widget, for you page, search within museums, favorites list, organize by genre, artist, gallery
Improve upon in GalleryPal: search or filter function for gallery and genre – have to scroll a long time to find a specific piece of art
Art Master
Liked: quiz set up, leaderboard, option to learn more about the artists after answering quiz question, badges
Improve upon in GalleryPal: the way information is show on each artist – break down the block of text
Guide App
Liked: can search for artist, piece or gallery
Improve upon in GalleryPal: include pieces in gallery, not solely info on the gallery
Day 2: Sketch
Redefined Problem
After completing the lightning demos, I dove into sketching. I began with crazy 8s of the most critical screen; the artwork information page. I chose sketch eight because it showed the artwork well but also had space for supplementary information. It also had a space for “similar artwork or artist recommendations” which helps create a flow for users and a next step if they were done with this artwork but had nothing else to scan.
Once I decided the screen which worked the best, I sketched a one solution sketch with the screens before and after the critical screen, the scanner and artist info screens respectively.
Day 3: Decide
Storyboard
Those first sketches were built upon to create a full storyboard for GalleryPal. Every page was created with the user research in mind. Information will be broken down by artwork, artist, and genre to allow for bitesize information receiving.
Within “genre”, the user could see a collage of artworks that demonstrate the techniques and colors that make up an artistic movement (i.e impressionism or post modernism).
An explore page shows users art they would probably enjoy based on their past likes and scans to expand their knowledge past galleries or museums they have physically visited.
Each page in GalleryPal is a way to help build connections for the user so they can understand art better, form their own opinions about art, and make the overall museum-going experience much more fruitful.
Day 4: Prototype
Prototype
On day 4, I took my sketches and built a prototype in Figma.
Day 5: Test
Usability testing
After turning the storyboard into a clickable prototype, I gathered five people for usability tests. Each test was performed either in person or remotely and took 20 – 30 minutes. They were asked to complete six tasks within GalleryPal and to speak upon their experience.
Tasks were given to users based on real life ways they might use the app. For example: “How would you find a piece of art that you did not scan but you remember something about it from when you were at the museum?”
Issue 01
When I asked users to find a way to search for an artwork they had not scanned, they became confused. They did not know the search function was under the “faves” menu option.
Solution 01
In the second prototype, I changed “faves” to “collections” to let users know there is more than just their favorites here.
One tester also expressed that in this scenario she might know which gallery she visited, but not the artwork name or artist. So I added a galleries filter and ability to search by gallery and see all the artworks, artists, or genres within a specific gallery.
Issue 02
Most users had no problem finding the quiz, however the phrasing of the quiz options was confusing. Most testers thought “past viewed art quiz” was a collection of quizzes they already took, instead of being a quiz of art from their history.
Solution 02
To alleviate this confusion, I changed the name of the quiz to “past scanned art quiz” and added more quiz options at the request of testers.
next steps
Possible future iterations of GalleryPal might include a feature for users to create their own custom art quizzes. User testing also demonstrated an interest in a more colorful, artistic UI.
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