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UI    UX   APPLICATION    REDESIGN    UX RESEARCH    CASE STUDY
BACKGROUND

GalleryPal is a mobile app, made for  museum-goers who want access to quick information about the art pieces they come across during their time spent at the museum without the need for an in person guide.

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TIME LINE
GalleryPal Time Line.png
Day 1
INFORMATION GATHERING

During the information hand off I received user feedback, as well as a 17 minute interview with a museum tour guide. I also was able to look over an in-depth persona.

Desired User Story
"They know the art is good, they just don't know why.... yet"
The Persona
GalleryPalperson1.png
Day 2
RESEARCH & SKETCHING
Gallerypal Compeditor analysis graphic.png
Competitive Analysis
Quick Sketches
Gallerypal Three panel solution.png
Day 3
STORY BOARD

As I reached the halfway point I needed to go back to the original research and really reflect on what the overall goal of this app was. A few points stood out to me that I knew needed to be included in the user flow and storyboard.

  1. Information online and in small excerpts are very dense and hard to digest.

  2. Only some people are interested in the same information, some people may like the history behind it, and others may be more interested in the techniques.

  3. Facts are what enable people to form their own thoughts and similarities to each piece, not other opinions on the art.

User Flows
Research

With the sole focus of improving the immersive museum experience, the project drew inspiration from apps like Art & Culture by Google, focusing on incorporating first-person point-of-view on maps, akin to Google street-view, and integrating a QR code scanner for art pieces. The first-person perspective on maps increased user engagement, enabling them to explore favorite pieces remotely and share the experience with their families. Additionally, the use of QR codes not only facilitated contactless tours during COVID-19 but also transformed art viewing into a multi-sensory experience, allowing users to listen while they looked at the art. The elimination of wait times by providing quick access to desired information further contributed to a significant increase in visitor rates.

  • How museums are using immersive digital experiences (econsultancy.com)
  • QR codes are experiencing a resurgence but how can they benefit museums? (MuseumNext)
  • QR Codes for Museums: Improve Visitor Experience (Beaconstac)

Sketch

Objectives

Establish a lightweight sketched wireframe to act as a roadmap for the prototyping phase.

I incorporated my main critical screen as well as the two process’ leading up to getting to the screen.

  • Scanning a QR code

  • Seeing a photo on the virtual tour map

Day 4
Narrowing down the MVP

Nearing the end of the sprint, my designs were slowly coming to life. It was time to pick colors, UI components, and decide on the critical red routes to create the minimum viable product (MVP) and then some because I understand that these case studies can be a dime a dozen, so I tried to go above and beyond with my red routes.

  • Join a tour.

  • Scan museum ticket for entry.

  • Scan QR code to get art piece details.

  • Enter 1st person map view.

  • Go to your profile and view your favorites.

UI Components
Gallerypal UI for case study.png
Color Palette
Color Palette for GalPal.png

All images were sourced via a Figma plugin called Freepik, Unsplash, and Content Reel

Prototype

Objectives

Visually see how my sketch wireframes would be put together in an interactive high-fidelity design.

Learnings before user interviews

  • More attention to spacing needed to be incorporated to make the home page feel less crowded

  • Treating it like it was going to be a real app and paying attention to small details

Gallerypal mock up.png
Day 5
USER TESTING

After conducting the first two tests, key insights emerged for future iterations of the app. These insights included the need to incorporate information about the style of each art piece and the tour times to provide users with clear expectations. Additionally, a call-to-action confusion on the profile page was addressed in the next iteration. Overall, participants found the app easy to use and enjoyed exploring its various UI elements during testing.

User Comments

"I really love the QR code scanner, and how the information pops up"

"The “what to look for” image is something I would love to have when I’m at a museum looking at the pieces first hand."

“The fact that you can have a first-person map, and overview really elevates the whole experience!”

01

Conclusion

CHALLENGES

It was my first time working with such tight time parameters so there was a major shift from the idea of “tweaking it until it’s perfect” to more of the mindset “if it’s functioning, and intuitive- move on.” As well as planning three steps ahead to ensure everything was always on schedule; this part required lots of forethought when it came to usability testing and how to account for no-shows.

02

WHAT I LEARNED

This app really helped me hone in on my attention to detail when it came to spacing, hierarchy, and over all user flows. This app fell into a very niche category which pushed for a more unique, individualized user interface. The user interviews were also very insightful on key details to include, and what someone is truly on the lookout for when using the app.

03

NEXT STEPS

  • Future iterations of this design are foreseen to have more engaging tour experiences with clickable art pieces throughout the hybrid virtually guided tour provided in the maps tab of the interface.

  • Add more to both the home page, as well as overviews of museums in the area to really create an all-encompassing museum app that goes beyond creating an immersive in-person experience and driving more traffic to the platform to get the insider knowledge of upcoming exhibits, art pieces being featured, and more.

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