Challenge.
Imagine...
You arrive in an exciting new city, eager to visit a highly recommended museum. But once inside, the museum's size overwhelms you and you feel lost. Wouldn't it be great if there was an easy way to navigate without relying on others?
Or you really enjoy a painting and want to know more about it. But when your eyes landed on the label, the work title is “Untitled” and the only other somewhat helpful information is the year and name of the artist.
"Wow! Helpful"
You are not the only one to feel this way! I’ve interviewed friends and other NGV visitors and done the research, many others are having the same problem just like you.
Approach.
I looked at 4 popular apps in the art gallery and museum space and my takeaways were:
Essential features like search, way-finding, and in-app purchase were either absent or limited among the competition.
Interactive elements like buttons need to be more prominent for better user engagement
To improve usability, users with limited English proficiency should be able to switch the language.
Search function
Direction & way-finding
Change language
Audio & transcript
In-app ticket purchase
Find artwork with a code only
Search for name and exhibition only
Rijks-museum
The Dali Museum
Artland
The Art of Science
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a study of 5 participants with varying levels of English proficiency and an interest in visiting art galleries. Through interviews, I aimed to uncover the challenges they face while visiting a large art gallery like the NGV.
Research questions:
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Can you describe your recent visit to a large art gallery?
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How would you describe your experience viewing the exhibitions and artworks?
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What was the reason behind your visit to the art gallery?
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What were your positive and negative experiences when visiting an expansive art gallery?
Based on the trends from my affinity map and competitive analysis, I have come to the following 3 insights:
Insight 1
Visitors find it daunting to find their way around a large museum due to poor signage and unclear directions.
Insight 2
There isn't enough information accompanying the exhibits, making it hard for visitors to learn more about the artwork on display.
Insight 3
Too little light makes it difficult to read the labels.
User interviews & research insights
Pivot.
At the start of my project, I was dead set on the idea that "3D exhibitions means virtual tour" without sufficient research to back it up. I was convinced that this was the app's hero feature. However, as I delved deeper into the design and testing stages, I realised that participants weren't as invested in 3D feature as I had anticipated.
While it was useful for those who couldn't visit the NGV in person, it wasn't as important for those who could. This helped me understand that the virtual tour app should be designed to assist and elevate the overall experience of museum and art gallery visitors. So, features such as text translation, audio guides, direction and way-finding, and ticketing were of greater importance than 3D exhibitions. This experience taught me to challenge my assumptions and stay open-minded.
Solutions & interation.
Based on various feedback from 8 interview participants, I continually iterated my design over the span of 3 months - with 3 major improvements:
Replace hamburger menu with bottom navigation bar
Based on feedback, users had trouble finding maps and preferred key information to be within easy reach.
Bottom navigation bars were added allowing users to switch between app sections without navigating through multiple menus.
Before
After
Make the map more interactive
The original map was small and hard to read. Points of interest were listed in text and bullet points.
After receiving feedback, the map was updated with more interactive elements.
Before
After
Make the buttons more clickable
During a usability test, 80% of participants reported frustration with not knowing which elements were buttons.
To solve this, buttons were updated to be filled with bright colours to attract attention and encourage clicking.
Before
After
Reflection.
This was my first project for the Google UX Design Certificate program, and it was an incredible learning experience. Through the process of interviewing participants and gathering feedback, I gained valuable insights into users' thought processes, pain points, and motivations as they explored the NGV through my design. I particularly enjoyed interviewing participants and asking for feedback, as each round of interviews provided me with new perspectives and ideas.
Throughout the project, I learned some important lessons.
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It's important to start by understanding the right problem(s). Initially, I made the mistake of coming up with solutions before fully grasping the users' issues. This approach kept me from putting users at the centre and limited my ability to consider other options. By adjusting my approach and focusing on understanding users' needs, I was able to design a more effective solution.
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Design is an iterative process. Striving for perfection is an unattainable standard, but by embracing constructive criticism with an open mind and positive attitude, I can always strive to be better.
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I sought feedback from a more experienced designer who helped me realise that being a designer also means thinking on a higher level. By asking questions like "Why does it have to be an app?" or "Is this app desirable for the customer, technically feasible, and viable for the business?" I gained a better understanding of how the app fits into the larger ecosystem and identified new opportunities for innovation.
See other case studies.
NGV virtual tour app
Crafting a more accessible and engaging experience for over 800,00 NGV visitors with interactive maps, audio, translation option, in-app ticket purchase, and QR code scanning.
2022
Native app design
UX design
UI design
Solo student project
Figma
Miro
