“Art is too important not to share.”
— Romero Britto
Introduction:
Overview:
In an industry where the Agile workflow is becoming more common day by day, the role of a UX designer had to be adjusted. From solutions such as Lean UX and the Google Ventures Design Sprint model, adaptation was important. Through personal research, I was able to read about Google Ventures Design Sprint Model from which I learned how simple and effective a 5-day design cycle can be. To test this 5-day design sprint, I decided to partake in Bitesize UX’s design sprint challenge. This challenge would require me to use a condensed form of the design sprint model as it would be a solo project.
Through Bitesize UX, I was given the scenario of GalleryPal to work on. GalleyPal is a company that seeks to improve the viewing experience of customers at art museums and art galleries in order to increase their overall customer satisfaction.
The Problem and Solution:
The current issue that GalleryPal is facing is the issue of customer satisfaction and how the viewing experience impacts that. Many customers were less inclined to join guided tours, however, they still felt that doing their own research was too overwhelming. On the other hand, the customers who did partake in the guided tours may also think that their tour guide was difficult to listen to due to all the background noise.
GalleryPal saw this as an opportunity to create a design that would improve the overall viewing experience of art in museums and galleries.
Roles
I took the responsibility of designing with design constraints and the responsibility of researching current industry standards
UX Designer
UI Designer
UX Reseracher
Tools
Figma
Project Duration
The 5-Day design sprint model
Understand/Map
Sketch
Storyboarding
Prototyping
Validate
To create a solution that worked best for GalleryPal, 2 design constraints were to be followed:
Focus on improving the in-person viewing experience
The solution should be designed as a mobile app or mobile-optimized website.
With these 2 design constraints in mind, it was now time to synthesize the user research for this problem.
Constraints:
Google Ventures Design Sprint
“Sometimes I’ll do a quick Google search for a painting while on my phone while at the museum… but I usually just find long articles that are super overwhelming.”
Day 1: Understand/Map
Understand:
Having a basic idea of the overall goal of GalleryPal, it was time to look at why the problem space existed. Users were asked to share about a time when they recently visited an art museum or gallery. This is what they shared:
When looking at the user research, it was found that many people enjoy visiting museums and art galleries on their own. However, there are times when the individual wants more context of the art piece they are viewing, and looking on google only leads them to long and super overwhelming articles. This ruins the experience for them. To avoid this, they may often listen to guided tours, despite not enjoying groups.
From this, we can meet Angela, our persona, who is 23 years old and is a Junior Art Direction based in New York City.
By looking at the individual answers and the persona, we can see that for the user it is important to learn about the background and inspirations of the artists as they are viewing the art piece as it allows them to gain the full experience of being there.
Mapping:
In the design sprint time is very limited. Due to this constraint, it was important to start thinking about possible solutions immediately. The very first thought I had was using an augmented reality camera, in which the paintings could be scanned to provide more information. This idea was also in tune with the design constraints in which the sole purpose was to enhance the in-person viewing experience through a mobile phone. To stay on track within the 5-day sprint, I decided to create an end-to-end user experience map to help visualize what potential solutions may look like. This map(s) would also serve as an early prototype that would guide the sketching phase.
With the end-to-end user map created, it was time to move forward to day 2, where the map would be used to create sketches.
Day 2: Sketches
Lightning Demos:
Similar to the classic UX design process, doing a competitive analysis is important. When creating a solution it is important to see what other similar solutions are in the market. Do they work well, or do they need to add improvements? These are all important questions to ask when conducting Lightning demos.
Through the Lightning demo, I was able to find inspiration from the following products and UI designs:
Art Museum App by Musemind Mobile
These two designs stuck out to me as they gave a modern and unique look to art museums.
Smartify: Arts and Culture
Smartify is an app that uses a similar solution to the one that I sought to design. By using a camera with a scan feature the app allows for easy access to information on the art piece. Unfortunately, I was not able to test this particular feature myself.
Conducting lightning demos was very helpful for me, as it allowed me to view what the current solutions were in the market. It also allowed me to find UI designs and screens that felt very modern and engaging. One of the key problems Gallery Pal was trying to solve was the idea of avoiding long and boring articles about the art pieces and more than often these articles tend to be bland and old in design. That is why I sought to look for designs that felt modern and new. It was also important to look at the status of augmented reality in the environment of museums as well.
With some inspiration in mind, it was now time to sketch possible solutions, however, within the design sprint model, it is important to sketch around what is believed to be the most critical screen from the user map. When sketching a solution one critical it is important to not get stuck on only one design, thus using the Crazy 8s sketch exercise I was able to create 8 different variations of my critical screen.
The augmented reality camera screen was selected as the critical screen as it was the main function to serve as the solution. The problem was solo museumgoers have a tough time finding information on the art piece and technology to live scan the art pieces and then create a gain more information.
From these 8, I finalized one variation to expand one. Variation number 7 was used as a base to build around, in which a solution sketch with 3 screens was made. The 1st screen is before the critical screen, the 2nd second is the critical screen, and the last is after the critical screen.
This is the solution I ultimately decided to build off of. Based on the problems presented by GalleryPal, the ideal solution would be one that allows users to research the art piece by being able to search for it or being able to scan it directly. Ultimately, having the option for both searching and scanning art pieces allows for extra flexibility for the users.
ARTWORLD by Mirna Kusumawati
staying engaged. Thus, I thought about using AR
layover that allows the user to then click the picture to
Day 2: Storyboarding
With the solution sketch created, it was time to create a storyboard that could be used as a lightweight sketched wireframe. Creating a storyboard is important in this process as it allows me to visualize how the potential users may interact with each of the screens. Essentially the map we created on day 1 is now being visualized in a more detailed manner. However, due to time constraints, only the user interface interactions that help achieve the end goal need to be drawn out.
The thought process behind the storyboard was simple, GalleryPal wanted to create a solution that would allow their users to gain information on specific art pieces. To show this, the storyboard first starts with the process of creating an account or continuing as a guest. This would create two different paths, with the main difference being that created accounts can allow adding art pieces to favorites lists. After that step, we see a loading page, in which the app asks for location permissions. This screen was important because it would allow the user to have the proper search filters applied and be synced with the AR scanner based on their location. From there either the AR camera can be used to scan the art piece or it can be selected from the art selection list. Finally, if you have an account you can add a favorites list. It was pretty straightforward thinking, as the main goal in this design process was to ideate and iterate around a solution that focuses on the solution.
Day 4: Prototyping
High-Fidelity Design:
With the storyboard or what was essentially the low-fidelity wireframe, it was now time to create a high-fidelity prototype that would mimic the intended red route of the potential users. To accomplish this process, Figma was both for designing the high-fidelity screens and creating a working prototype flow. Figma allowed me to create a prototype with smart animations, essentially adding life to a prototype that was created in such a short amount of time. The results of the first iteration were the following:
Prototype:
The prototype was simple for what it is trying to solve. The main problem was that there wasn’t an easily accessible place to find easy-to-read information on the artwork. That is why the goal was to create a solution that offered a fast and easy process to access background information on the artwork the user is viewing. Overall, the process was interesting, given it was following the Google Venture Design Sprint model. Normally, I would take extra time, often a few days to work on a prototype, however, it is important to learn how to work under the time constraints of a different design environment. It taught me a few lessons, the main one being not to waste time overthinking, especially when constant reiteration is a part of the design process. It helped me realize the importance of not getting too attached to any design, as almost every product is in the process of evolving.
Day 5: Validate
User Testing:
With a fully functioning prototype, it was now to collect feedback directly from the users. Similar to a usability test, 5 participants were selected for this step. However, for this step, rather than conducting a usability test right away, a small interview was done first. This was a part of the Five-Act Interview technique method. From this, we can learn about the background of the users and how they relate to the problem that is looking to be solved
Act 1: Welcome/Icebreaker
Five-Act Interview Technique
Act 2: Context Questions
Act 3: Prototype Introduction
Act 4: Testing Phase
Act 5: Debriefing Period
All five of the interviewees were very different in terms of their personalities and background. Of the 5 participants, 3 have been to museums in the past. Despite this, most of the participants stated their love for history and how they always love to learn about the context behind the artifacts and art. This was good as it showed me that the problem space was something that is not completely niche to the museum viewers only, meaning that finding a solution would be helpful for a variety of people. It was for those who love going to art galleries, and those who may be looking to get into it as well.
From acts 4 and 5, I was able to gather information on the prototype itself. These are the overall findings:
2 out 5 of the users said the loading page felt like it was a frozen screen as there was no indication of what was happening
Felt the home page was counter-intuitive as the location was too broad.
When opening the camera you can scan a specific piece, but on the home page, you would have to find the museum and then find the art piece. Extra steps felt unnecessary.
For one of the users, the camera button was hard to find
The font sizes were not consistent or did not feel right in certain areas
The overall design, including the color scheme, was liked by all 5 of the users
It was easy to figure out what the app was related to just from the login screen due to the apps name and logo
The design was simple and to the point, it made it clear what the app's function was
All 5 of the users liked the information page and how it was designed
From these 5 interviews, it was easy to see that there were some common pain points found. However, due to this being a design challenge based on the Google Ventures Design Sprint model, this is where the prototype iteration would end.
Conclusion:
Reflection and Final Thoughts:
After completing day 5 of the design sprint, it was time for reflection on the entire 5-day process, the achievement of goals set by the design challenge, and the lessons learned.
Overall, I can say that I achieved the goals set by the design challenge within the given constraints. The task was to enhance customer satisfaction with art viewing in museums and galleries. The design constraints helped me converge on a satisfying idea. User testers' feedback revealed some flaws, but the general consensus was that the overall user experience and product effectively addressed the problem. Instead of creating a completely new way to view art, it enhanced the existing approach.
One of the key lessons I learned was the importance of patience. Although a design sprint requires speed, rushing can lead to bigger problems. By approaching the sprint with patience and adhering to time constraints, I could think clearly and be more efficient in my work. Another lesson was not to get too attached to initial designs. In a model that involves constant reiterations, it's vital to realize that the first design doesn't have to be perfect or match the initial vision. Embracing these lessons allowed me to create designs and not be frustrated with myself despite wanting to be.
Looking to the future:
When looking to the future of this product, I would definitely love to expand on the overall design, meaning I would love to add more screens and functionality. From the feedback received, I was able to take a small step toward that future. Rather than leaving the design without reiterations, I went back and created one last iteration based on the user feedback.