I begin my process with an understanding of a problem and the potential users that that problem impact. For one such as Harry, smaller galleries may not provide the accessibility he needs. As an avid gallery-goer, he would love to have the same accessibility and convenience measures as larger museums do. These measures include an aggregate database of exhibitions, clear and easy multiple ways to find artist information, and voice-over options while attending the space.
As an Fine Arts student, I have been to many galleries, with myself or other people. I interviewed with old friends to understand what their feelings were about the gallery-going process. I then decided to conduct some research (competitive audit) into other apps that is already on the market that can give me some insights into the information architecture.
I conducted two rounds of remote and unmoderated usability studies for this project. The first round was conducted with the low-fidelity prototype as soon as it was finished. The second was conducted with the high-fidelity prototype. Both studies' main goals were to test the general design along with the functionality, smoothness, and intuitiveness of the main user flow. All of the insights below are listed in priority order of most to least importance.
• Customized events pages with colorful images in high-fidelity mockup.
• Added "back" button to overlay, and reconfigured "back" buttons on gallery information pages.
• Added additional Welcome pages to accustom users to the app.
"I have to do all this again? I just thought maybe I wanted to check out more infos before I booked."
• Added the word "Search Galleries" right above the search bar to help point new users to what this function is, and avoid confusion.
• Made Texts on "Events" section more legible by darkening the back gradient on the image a little more
• Made "Gallery Info" button easier to find on the gallery overlay by switching its position with "Book Ticket"
• Linked "Book Ticket" & "Directions" to the Gallery's "about" page makes it more intuitive
• Renamed the tab title "Artists" on the Gallery's Info pages to "Gallery Artists" to make it clear that it is the Gallery's current specific artist, not simply some local artists.
• Added boxes around the floating "back" and "read" buttons so they don't overlap with other text behind them.
"I think making a distinction between 'Gallery Shows' and 'Gallery Artists' is very smart. It shows that individuals artists are central to the entire app, considering the purpose is to showcase smaller venues that showcase local/up-and-coming artists."
Some accessibility considerations that have come up and been implemented in the development for this app and its following usability studies:
• Medium contrast and darker background to help ease strain of the eye
• Font made easier to read, and increase contrast between texts and their background to help legibility
• Most buttons have texts connected to them in order to assist screenreading
• Integrate directly into the app the option to screenread gallery information pages
For this project being my first UX design project, I had made a lot of mistakes and accumulated vast experiences in understanding current design trends, accessibility, information architecture, and applying design principles such as emphasis and rhythm. My first iteration of the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) was scrapped entirely after talking with a mentor and getting his suggestions on what to do moving forward. I decided to spend more time researching design trends, and more deeply into design principles.
This app is still in its beginning stages of development. Moving forward, I hope to:
• Create more pages to fully flesh out the app's layout
• Further accessibility considerations by working on developing language options, providing space/fonts that work in different alphabets, etc.
• Conduct an accessibility audit by partnering with expert consultants to ensure we are a fully equitable platform.
Measurement of Success & KPIs: