Platform for art lovers
An app that help users find information about artwork, artist from a quick scan. It also lets users join communities, shop prints, search galleries and book an event.
Project Overview
The product
Method is an app designed for individuals seeking information about artists and booking events. It offers art enthusiasts a platform to discover and learn about artists and their works, while also allowing them to save artwork in personalized collections. For those seeking a therapeutic gallery experience, Method provides an opportunity to explore galleries and stay updated on current exhibitions.
Project duration
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Target audeince
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Role
Responsibilities
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3 weeks
16 - 65 years
UX Researcher & Designer
User research, wireframing, prototyping & iterating
The problem
Many art enthusiasts, like my friend that sparked the idea of the app in my mind, struggle to find detailed and comprehensive information about artworks beyond the brief descriptions displayed next to paintings. This lack of accessible, in-depth content limits their understanding and appreciation of art. Additionally, art lovers often face difficulty staying connected with art communities and discovering relevant events, exhibitions, or artist-related activities. The current methods of engagement leave users disconnected from the broader art world, making it harder for them to immerse themselves in the vibrant art scene. We want to provide a clear need for a platform that not only provides a deeper, more engaging experience of learning about art but also fosters connections within art communities and helps users easily find and participate in art events and exhibitions.
The goal
The goal is to create an app that makes it easy for users to browse galleries, find information on artists, and book events. To offer the best user experience, the app's content will be tailored based on the preferences of each user.
User Research
Summary
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I was designing for and their needs. Primary user groups identified through research were working adults who are an art enthusiasts and students pursuing a diploma in the art field. The first user group confirmed initial assumptions about busy visitors’ issues while visiting the gallery, like difficulty finding information on the artist of the painting they are viewing. On the other hand, the other group who feels a close tie between the gallery and their professional passion expressed virtual issues finding exhibitions of their concerned artists and networking with people sharing the same interests.
Users' pain points
Planning
Time
Networking
Categorization
Lack of information on peak times and less busy times to make it easier to plan for visits beforehand
Hard to find exact paintings i’m viewing at the gallery on the brochure. When I view a painting online & in gallery I want to know everything about it. And the artist who made it. I would also like to buy prints of that painting in different sizes
Unable to connect with people with the same favorite artists/paintings on the platforms. It’s preferable that i’m notified of any art communities, events and workshops to network more.
Overwhelmed by the lack of information online and printed on brochures. There should be enough information for a user to digest.
Competitive Audit
The goal of competitive audit is to compare the artist bio search/read experience in each competitor’s app.
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Daily Art
Direct
Architectural Digest
In-direct
KNMA
In-direct
Sotheby's
Direct
First impressions (desktop website experience, app/mobile website experience), interaction (features, accessibility consideration, user flow, navigation), graphic design (brand identity), and content (tone, descriptiveness) are the criteria used to assess the audit. Following extensive investigation and analysis, I have discovered several areas in which each app needs to be improved:
-Lack of emphasis and categorization of the content
-No features for people with hearing or vision impairments
-Language possibilities are limited
-Having trouble discovering artists
-Links and buttons are difficult to distinguish
-After a while, notifications cease arriving.
-Important details should be underlined.
Persona: Dhruv
Persona: Dee
User journey map
My app goal is to help users easily find information on artists/artworks they are looking for and book an event or workshop.
Design
User Flow
Paper wireframes
5 design option for homepage. The final wireframe of the homepage is built upon the elements of each option, including the search bar, menu and sections like ‘Scan’ ‘Your Favorite Artists’ ‘Discover Popular Artworks’ ‘Galleries Near You’, and ‘Events For You’.
Digital wireframes
I used Figma to transition from paper wireframes to digital wireframes. After conducting a usability study after completing low fidelity prototypes, I understand how hard it is for users to find and learn about artists and artworks just from brochure and sometimes even stickers on the wall. Down below are the final low fidelity wireframes for the homepage and other various screens
Hamburger menu for easy access
Search bar is put on top to find information quickly
Artist' artwork details
Artist' bio
Booking confirmed
Artists
QR Scan is also incorporated in the middle of the screen to ease the process of finding artists and artworks
Voice recognition to help differently abled people
Voice recognition
Events
Log in
Scan QR code
Event's details
Booking an event
Usability studies: Findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from first study helped in guiding the designers from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 01
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Users want to find artist’s details quickly
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Users want to preview the print before purchasing it
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Users want to search artists, artworks and events by filters
Round 02
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The purchasing process is repetitive because users have to type in all their personal details again and again
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Users want to be able to search artists' and artwork' details through QR code.
Color
Refining the design
Mockups
Early designs allowed for navigation to most important sections, but after the usability studies, I added ‘Artist Search’ and ‘Painting Search’ through a scan.
Before usability studies
After usability studies
Early designs did not allowed the users to preview the print before purchasing it. After usability studies I added “Preview”.
Before usability studies
After usability studies
For the visual design I applied variety, a principle of design on popular artworks, all works & events page to hold onto user’s attention and help guide them down the page
Before usability studies
After usability studies
High- Fidelity Prototype
The final hi-fi prototype presented more preview of the print, filters options for searching information and painting search option in scan QR code process. It also met user needs to quickly find artists and artworks.
Accessibility considerations
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Used icons and menus to help navigate through the app.
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Provided audio-based and text-based equivalents for context. Text-based content had a colour for better visuality.
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Used voice recognition feature to allow hands-free app usage and to translate speech into text.
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Used a map for the gallery to act as a guide for users who never visited the gallery before.
Going Forward
Takeaways
By providing online services, the app enables users to quickly search artists and artworks and to find reading information on them conveniently.
One quote from peer feedback: “The app made it super easy and fun to find information on the my favorite artists and helped me find events too.”
What I learned
There were numerous difficulties in managing a challenging project by myself because Method is the first UX research and design project I have completed. Initially, I could not envision how the prompt, "Design an artist bio app for a gallery," would come out, but now that I can see the efforts I have made, even though there are still flaws that exist, I am extremely grateful.
I discovered when designing the Method app that the first concepts and presumptions represent only the start of the process. Each version of the app's design is influenced by usability studies and feedback.
Additionally, the design process was greatly simplified by research and usability studies, ensuring that every decision was made with the user in mind.