GalleryScan

Mobile App (UX Design)

WHO

  • Jason Cairati
    Lead Designer, Researcher

WHAT

  • GalleryScan is a mobile app designed to learn more about the artwork on display in a gallery.

WHEN

  • June 2022 to August 2022

WHY

  • Gallery attendees lack the time to quickly learn detailed information about the artwork on display.
A hero image of the GalleryScan being used on an iphone
THE GOAL

Find the most efficient way for a user to learn more information about artwork on display when visiting an art gallery.
‍
A hero image of the GalleryScan being used on an iphone
THE PROCESS
‍
Research and define the potential users and understand possible pain points in the process. For this project, it was important to have an understanding of the context the user would be using the app in most frequently and determine what would be the most efficient way to complete the main functions.

Who are the users?

PERSONA - ALIA


"As a busy mom, I need to prioritize my work and family while being mindful of my time spent on my hobbies."
GOALS
Learn deep knowledge on subjects of interest while prioritizing her time

Wants to have a clear understanding of how much time a given task will take
‍

Age: 44
Education: Masters
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Family: Married, 2 kids
Occupation: Social worker
‍
FRUSTRATIONS
Often short on time for leisure activities

Wishes she had more time to read

Has a hard time multitasking
‍

PERSONA - FRANKLIN


"I'm ready to make a name and career for myself."
GOALS
Would like to better understand their interests without taking up too much time

Would like to spend less time looking at a screen to contrast the time they spend coding
‍

Age: 23
Education: Undergrad
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Family: Single, lives w/ 2 roommates
Occupation: Barista/Coder
‍
FRUSTRATIONS
Feels challenging to find the relevant information they want with minimum effort
‍
Wish more apps had audio and video options
‍
pain points


TIME
‍

Gallery attendees can end up short on time when spending time reading lengthy descriptions while at the gallery.
‍


TOO MANY CHOICES
‍

Existing apps and search function can give users too many choices.
‍


ACCESSIBILITY
‍

People unfamiliar with similar apps can spend too much time understanding how the app works instead of enjoying the features.
‍
Research revealed time spent searching limited a users time on learning and reading about the art.
‍
STARTING THE DESIGN
After initial research it was time to move into creating wireframes and prototypes to figure out the best layout to address user pain points and design a user flow that felt fluid and intuitive.
PAPER WIREFRAMES

Many iterations were created on paper to first determine the best layout for the home screen and focus on finding the most intuitive way to follow the main user flow.


REFINED DESIGN
‍

DIGITAL WIREFRAMES

The two primary ways a user might look up more information include a QR scanner and a search bar. It was important these functions were front and center in the design.
LOW-FIDELITY PROTOTYPES
USABALITY STUDIES
The next step was to test these designs with real users and learn from the feedback they provided. This feedback was invaluable to understanding how to proceed with iterating on the initial designs.
‍

FINDINGS


Two rounds of moderated usability studies were used to help learn if users would run into any issues with navigation and if there were ways to improve the user flow and the access to information.
‍

ROUND 1
‍

  1. Users need an easier way to find "favorites" section
  2. Users feel confused by the apps current layout
    ‍
  3. Users are unsure of how the QR scan function works within the app
    ‍

ROUND 2
‍

  1. Colors did not pass accessiblity standards
  2. Users were unsure of icon of "favorites" without proper text labeling
  3. Information architecture was reassessed to better reflect users needs
    ‍
REFINING THE DESIGN

After reviewing the data, a new improved design was created that better addressed the user's primary goals. It was important to make the design accessible and easy to understand regardless of a person's tech proficiency. A series of high-fidelity mockups and prototypes were created.
FINAL DESIGN
In the final-fidelity project user flow was improved to minimize number of screens needed and to help speed up the access to information with minimal navigation to help guide the user.
‍
‍
Designing for accessibility
‍

Colors were changed to different shades to meet accessibility standards.
‍

All icons have clear text labeling for use with screen readers and users unfamiliar with certain icons.
‍

The user is given access to a guide to learn how to use a QR scanner on the home screen if they are unfamiliar with this function.
‍
FINAL THOUGHTS

IMPACT

The app has helped users to easily learn information about a piece of artwork without feeling overwhelmed by search options and created a convenient way to save their favorites for reading at a later time. This let's them focus their time on the art in the gallery while they are there and allows them to choose when they'd like to read the information.

"I found the app very intuitive to use" - Test Participant
‍

WHAT I LEARNED

I learned limiting options helps create more clarity for the user. Limiting choices helps create a simpler and more enjoyable experience for the user.

MORE WORK

Rahma Beauty
Responsive Web Design (UX/UI)
PRESERV
Mobile App/Responsive Web Design (UX/UI)
LINKEDINEMAIL
a link to my email address