Timeline: December 2023 (5 days)
My role: I completed this modified Google Ventures Design Sprint as a UX design team of one
Scope: Ideation, Sketching, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Visual Design
PROBLEM
Museums and galleries are trying to increase customer satisfaction when viewing art.
Many people who visit museums and galleries feel as though they aren’t able to appreciate the art they see to its full potential. They might conduct research beforehand and get overwhelmed by long articles and books, or stumble upon a new artwork while they browse and don’t want to be taken out of the moment by conducting a search on their phone. There is an option for people to join group tours, but they feel like they miss out on the opportunity to go at their own pace and develop their own relationship with the artwork.
SOLUTION
I used a design-sprint approach to develop the GalleryPal prototype, which enhances the in-person art viewing experience by providing users with succinct context on exhibited artwork, plus a one-minute immersion timer, a way to note down reflections, and the ability to log artwork that users enjoy.
0. Process
Modified Google Ventures Design Sprint
Day 1: Understand the Problem
First, I reviewed the existing GalleryPal research, including personas and interview highlights in order to better understand user behaviors, preferences, and pain points when it came to viewing art at museums and galleries.
User Research
From this data, I was able to generate the following insights:
💡 Users feel like they are taking full advantage of a museum or gallery visit when they have additional information about the artwork
💡 Users resonate with information about an artwork that helps them contextualize and develop a narrative around it
💡 Users want to be able to access additional information about artwork on-site in a format and length that is not overwhelming
💡 Users are interested in being able to move through the museum or gallery experience at their own pace
💡 Users desire to form their own opinions and relationships with the artwork they view
User Map
Looking at the research and insights above, one path to increased customer satisfaction when viewing art is through users feeling like they “got the most” out of their visit. I developed a user map to illustrate an end-to-end experience with this goal in mind:
Day 2: Sketch the Solution
For lightning demos, I first looked into apps that included features I was interested in adding to GalleryPal, such as QR code scanning, adding an item to a collection, and writing reviews.
I also looked into several museum and gallery apps to see how they presented information on artwork to users. As I suspected, many of them included an audio feature — some apps prioritized this feature, while others simply had it as an option on the screen. I did notice, however, that the text often had poor information hierarchy.
Something else I noticed was that these apps did not leverage QR codes, but rather numerical codes to identify an artwork from the didactic panel. I decided to revisit my decision to use QR codes, since it might be unfamiliar to some users, rely on potentially unavailable Wi-Fi, and could be seen as less aesthetically pleasing in an artistic context. I decided to follow the lead of these apps and use the numerical code system instead.
Finally, I noticed that apps focused on exploring and learning about art digitally had better information hierarchy, which I used as references in my own sketches.
Crazy 8s
I decided that the most critical screen for users would be the one where they could learn more information about an artwork, since the research indicated it could make the biggest potential impact on whether a user felt they got the most out of their visit.
After listing out the key elements I wanted to include in this screen, I used the Crazy 8s method to visually brainstorm potential designs in a short period of time.
Solution Sketch
The solution sketch I chose begins with a user finding an artwork they want to learn more about in a museum or gallery setting. They can input a 3-digit code from the didactic panel next to the piece, which will direct them to a screen where they can listen to a curator provide context on the artwork, including reflection prompts, so users can continue to view the artwork (rather than at their phones) while learning more about it. Afterwards, they can read more if they desire and add their own reflections on the artwork in GalleryPal. Finally, users can add artwork and their related reflections to an album for later viewing.
Lightning Demos
Day 3: Storyboard
Being a design team of one, I took a look back at my solution sketch from yesterday, and confirmed that this was the direction I wanted to continue in. Next, I referred to the user map from Day 1 to then create a storyboard that would expand on the solution sketch and guide the flow of my prototype.
Day 4: Prototype
I spent some time developing a high-fidelity prototype that was built on the previous day's storyboard. I based the color palette on GalleryPal’s existing visual assets, but darkened the primary blue color to provide more contrast and increase visual accessibility. I also wanted the app to feel welcoming to people with various degrees of art knowledge (no pretentiousness here!), so I opted for a simple, clean UI with sans serif font.
Day 5: Test
To validate my prototype, I conducted five remote usability tests with users who had an interest in art and had visited a museum or gallery in the last six months. In order to set the context, I provided a visual aid and the following scenario:
“Imagine you’re at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and have just come across this installation by the artist Judy Chicago. You notice that the wall panel has a GalleryPal code, which is an app you’ve recently downloaded on your phone.”
Then, I asked users to complete the following tasks on the app:
Find out more information about “The Dinner Party”
Add their reflections on the artwork
Save the artwork and their reflections to “Today’s Visit”
Review and close out “Today’s Visit”
I was also interested in seeing users’ reaction to the one-minute timer which they would encounter before landing on the audio screen about the artwork. I thought this might be a polarizing feature when I added it in, but leaned into GV’s advice:
"Remember that the sprint is great for testing risky solutions that might have a huge payoff. So you'll have to reverse the way you would normally prioritize....Skip those easy wins in favor of big, bold bets."
Findings
Overall, users were able to successfully complete most of the tasks above.
On the positive side:
All users approved prioritizing audio as a way to learn more about the artwork
3 out of 5 users commented that they appreciated the “Creative Process” section as unique and aligned with the kind of information they would want to know about an artwork
However, there were a couple errors and mixed reviews:
All users attempted to click the “Judy Chicago Retrospective” card on the Home page first to learn more about “The Dinner Party” before navigating to the Code page
Some users required additional prompting before discovering that the bottom sheet from the audio information page about “The Dinner Party” could be swiped up to reveal more text about the artwork
The one-minute timer divided users, with some skipping it, others saying they’d find it “annoying,” and others expressing appreciation for the nudge to pause and take time with the artwork
Other notable feedback:
Multiple users expressed interest in being able to share their reflections with others, and also in a simpler way (e.g. selecting from a list of “tags” that denote different reactions)
Users also expressed a desire to have the app generate a “suggested itinerary” or “related artwork” they might enjoy based on what they added to “Today’s Visit,” as it would contribute to feeling like they got the most out of their museum or gallery visit
Next steps
In terms of immediate next steps, I would fix the errors reported in the previous section by:
Adding simple instructions on how to use the 3-digit code in the app onboarding flow and a reminder on the Home page
Add a “Learn more” button on the bottom sheet of the audio screen
Furthermore, I would further refine and test the timer feature by priming users for a reflective experience in the onboarding process, where they could decide whether or not to activate it in their GalleryPal app experience.
In addition, the notable feedback above shed more light on opportunities to increase customer satisfaction through social sharing and suggested itineraries, which could be developed as additional features.
Finally, because setting is crucial to an app which aims to improve the in-person art viewing experience — I would conduct guerrilla usability testing at a nearby museum or gallery for future iterations.