GalleryPal - GV Design Sprint
Introduction
Problem
How to make the experience of viewing art in museums and galleries better for the visitors?
Solution
I followed a modified GV design sprint, as I was working solo to quickly generate a possible solution in a week. I designed GalleryPal for art viewers, so they can quickly snap a picture of the artwork they are interested in and get an overview of it. The App shows the artist’s quote about the artwork, which reveals the intention behind it. It also gives the option to read more about the artwork and its creator.
My Role
UX/UI designer
Project Length
1 week (August 2020)
Day 1
Review the Research, Understand The Problem and Map a User Flow
After reviewing the provided interview notes and recordings, I identified what the users were lacking in their experience of viewing art in the galleries:
Fear of missing out and inability to appreciate the art to its full potential.
Not having enough background information about the artwork and the artist.
Not knowing the intentions of the creator.
“Artwork is meant to understand yourself in an interesting way.”
— Lena Carroll, Art Tour Guide at The Museum of Natural History
To have a full experience, the viewer has to first learn about the artwork and then take the time to sit with it and reflect.
The main user needs that would allow having a better experience of viewing art:
Learn the intention behind the artwork creation.
Get quick background information about the artwork and artist while viewing the art.
Learn about the process and techniques.
After a better understanding of what users were lacking in their experience of viewing art, I sketched a basic map of App interactions that would allow the user to accomplish their goal - to have a better experience of viewing art in galleries and museums.
App map sketch
Day 2
Competitive Analysis and Sketching Possible Solutions
Lightning Demo - I searched for inspiration in other similar apps that showcase the artwork. I looked for minimal interfaces, where the artwork is the most prominent piece on the screen, following with secondary elements - key information about the shown artwork.
In order to quickly generate ideas for the app interface, I did a sketch exercise, called Crazy 8s. In 8 minutes, I roughly sketched out possible ideas for how the app interface could look.
Solution sketches
I decided to choose the 7th sketch since this option prominently features the artist quote, which uncovers the intention, idea behind the artwork, and helps the viewer to appreciate the art more. Also, it has an option to read more information if wanted.
Selected idea sketch
Day 3
Creating a Storyboard
Storyboarding helped me visualize the user’s whole journey with GalleryPal from standing next to the artwork and opening an app to experiencing the art after learning more about it. This way, I could create a prototype that makes sense in the context of their journey.
Day 4
Rapid Prototyping
I created a mid-high fidelity prototype of this idea to test it with users. I focused on creating only the necessary screens and interactions to test the idea and see how it works.
Interactive prototype:
Day 5
Remote Moderated Usability Testing With 5 Users
Usability testing with art galleries and museum visitors allowed me to determine if my idea adequately met the user’s needs.
All 5 users were able to complete the task and said that the process was very straightforward. Users suggestions:
Add additional imagery such as other artworks of the artist.
Provide more context information under the “read more” category.
Users were also interested in having additional features such as saving the artist, having recommendations of other art, information about exhibitions.
“Nice! This is something I would actually geek about if there is a painting that I really like.”
— S.P, Female
“I think it’s very straightforward and easy to use the app.”
— E.N, Female
If I were to continue this project, I would continue with this idea, iterating on or adding specific features based on user feedback.
Outcomes and Lessons
I learned an effective tool for quickly testing an idea under time and budget constraints. I’m happy with the final result, as in only one week I was able to come up with an idea and quickly evaluate it with the users. The idea I chose seems to be a success that could help art viewers have a more meaningful experience viewing art in the museums.
Overall, this project taught me an effective tool for fitting user-centered design into an agile framework.