GalleryPal

GV Design Sprint / Case Study

GalleryPal: Enhancing Museum Experiences with Accessible Art Insights

Project Overview

Observation

Many visitors to art museums encounter artworks with limited knowledge about the artist, the techniques used, or the art movement associated with the piece. Though galleries may provide physical texts that offer some context and introductory information, this can be limited and does not readily cater for further visitor curiosity. Observing visitors overwhelmed by searching for information online, I recognised an opportunity to create a more user-friendly solution that delivers essential insights about artworks without disrupting the viewing experience.

Goal

To design a platform that enhances museum experiences by providing accessible and engaging information about artworks, fostering deeper understanding for gallery visitors.

Impact

GalleryPal enriches art appreciation by offering users a seamless way to learn about and explore artworks during their museum visits.

Problem

Visitors to art museums often lack context about the artworks they encounter, leading to a less fulfilling experience. While some attempt to research online, they are often met with an overwhelming number of uncurated links and information sources, causing frustration and disengagement.

Solution

GalleryPal can provide concise, engaging, and relevant information about artworks through a user-friendly app. Features like QR scanning and curated content ensures users enhance their museum visits with little effort.

My Roles and Responsibilities

As the sole designer, I conducted a Google Ventures Design Sprint to ideate, prototype, and test a solution within five days. My responsibilities included:

Conducting user research and synthesising insights
Sketching and prototyping solutions
Designing high-fidelity mock-ups
Conducting usability tests and iterating on feedback

Tools: Sketch, Miro, InVision, Google Workspace

Process

Day 1: Understand and Map

On the first day, I focused on understanding the problem and mapping out the user journey. The key insights were:

Visitors struggle to find relevant information about artworks in an engaging format.
Searching online often results in information overload, discouraging further exploration.

How Might We Questions:

How might we improve the user’s experience of viewing art in a museum or gallery?
How might we provide useful information without overwhelming the user?
How might we enable users to gain a broader perspective about the artwork?

To address these questions, I mapped the end-to-end user experience, imagining a solution where users could scan an artwork, discover similar pieces, and locate them within the museum.

Day 2: Sketching

The second day was dedicated to generating ideas and sketching potential options.

Competitive Analysis:

I analysed apps like Smartify, AR Museum, and Material Design to identify best practices and features. These included:

Object detection for live camera use
Grid layouts for easy navigation
Comprehensive yet concise descriptions

Object detection: live camera / Material Design

“Searching with a live camera can help users learn more about objects around them, whether it’s an artifact at a museum or an item for purchase.”

A Museum App on Dribble

A Museum App on Dribble

Smartify App / AR Scan Menu Layout

Using the Crazy 8s technique, I brainstormed and sketched various solutions. The most promising idea was an Artwork Screen featuring digestible cards with options to explore related artworks and art movements.

Solution Sketch

Day 3: Deciding

I refined the ideas from Day 2 into a cohesive storyboard. Key screens included:

Explore Collection: Allows users to browse artworks.
QR Scanner: Instantly provides detailed information about scanned artworks.
Artwork Details: Displays concise insights with options to discover related works in the musem.
Map View: Helps users locate artworks within the museum.

Day 4: Prototyping

Using Sketch, I developed a high-fidelity prototype that emphasised:

A straightforward layout that enables easy interaction
Accessibility and aesthetic appeal

I used InVision to build an interactive prototype for usability testing.

Gallerypal Prototype

Day 5: Testing

I conducted usability tests with five participants from diverse backgrounds. The goals were to:

Evaluate the ease of navigation
Assess the relevance and presentation of information
Identify potential improvements

Key Feedback and Iterations:

Users appreciated the concise, card-based design for details of the artworks.
The map layout needed refinement for better usability.
Users suggested adding Like and Share options to the Artwork Screen, which were incorporated into the final design.

Conclusions

Impact

GalleryPal successfully addresses the challenges faced by museum visitors by offering an engaging way to explore and learn about art.

Key Outcomes

Improved user engagement through intuitive design and accessible content
Enhanced user satisfaction by addressing pain points like information overload

Lessons Learned

This design sprint deepened my understanding of:

Rapid problem-solving and decision-making
The importance of user feedback in refining designs iteratively
Creating user-centred designs that balance functionality and aesthetics

Through this experience, I developed a greater appreciation for the Google Ventures Design Sprint methodology and its potential to drive impactful design solutions.