ArtSmart: Making the Art Experience More Accessible and Engaging for Everyone.
Established on May 10, 2024
Thesis/ UX Research / UX Prototypes Design
What is 'ArtSmart'?
ArtSmart is a mobile application prototype created to help individuals who are interested in art but are not working in the art industry. It aims to build up self-confidence by providing structured and self-guided art activities, reducing the time wasted in searching for relevant art content and making art appreciation more accessible and enjoyable. The app offers features such as interactive virtual art exhibits, short educational articles on art principles and elements, a personalized recommendation system based on user preferences, and a vibrant community platform for users to share insights and engage in discussions about art. Additionally, ArtSmart includes a personalized achievement report to motivate users to engage with the app regularly.
An all-in-one app for interactive learning, personalized recommendations, and a supportive art community.
Define Problems
Our team begins with conducting comprehensive research to identify the barriers to art engagement for our target audiences while examining the existing art-related applications to assess the strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint improvements. Our evaluation revealed several critical issues: Users frequently experience information overload due to the abundance of scattered and outdated art resources, leading to frustration and inefficiency in locating relevant content. Additionally, the lack of structured guidance and personalized content makes it difficult for users to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of art. There is also a noticeable gap in community engagement, with limited opportunities for art enthusiasts to connect and share insights with like-minded individuals. High costs associated with attending physical art events and the logistical challenges of navigating various art scenes further exacerbate these problems. Recognizing these barriers, we decided to focus on enhancing user experience by developing ArtSmart. This mobile application offers comprehensive, all-in-one features to make art accessible, engaging, and enjoyable for everyone.
Target Audiences
According to my scholarly research, I narrowed down my potential users to focus on specific audiences rather than a general one. I aimed at individuals who do not work in the art industry but find it difficult to engage in art activities. My focus is specifically on New York City because it is challenging to connect with global museums in a short amount of time. In my research, I aimed to understand the causes of these engagement issues, which could include a lack of primary education in art, low self-confidence, fear and embarrassment in attending art events alone, discomfort in visiting art spaces without companions, or difficulties in balancing family obligations with personal interests. I also wanted to explore what motivates people to attend these art events. These questions guided my user research efforts.
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My target audience includes individuals who live or work in New York City, aged 20-45, who are interested in attending or have attended art activities. This includes college students with some background knowledge in art. These students can gain inspiration from the platform by connecting with people from diverse backgrounds, hearing their perspectives, and practicing critical thinking skills through social interactions. I want to include this group to understand how art students use the resources they need and what challenges they face.
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Additionally, my focus includes remote workers who are interested in art but have a limited background in art appreciation. This group includes people who usually work from home or spend most of their time at home and may only have minimal time to research online before visiting museums and galleries. Although they may have limited art knowledge, they are greatly interested in exploring art. I want to focus on this group because their insights would help identify if time constraints are an issue for them and whether they find it challenging to get to physical locations of museums and galleries due to their accustomed remote work settings. My goal is to help them build a connection with the New York art scene through their feedback.
Empathy Maps Conducted After the Interview
Empathy Maps Conducted After the Interview
Heuristic Analysis Conducted for the Existing Applications
User Personas, Problem Statements and Journey Mapping
User Persona Designed Based on the Data Collected and Template Credited to Google
User Persona Designed Based on the Data Collected and Template Credited to Google
These two sets of personas are designed based on the characteristics of our primary users and the data collected from surveys and interviews conducted earlier. These include individuals interested in engaging with New York's art scene but not working in the art industry. The personas we developed are Shawn, a 29-year-old work-at-home software engineer, and Jada, a 20-year-old college student studying fine art. We provided detailed profiles outlining their backgrounds, goals, frustrations, and personal information.
This approach aids our app design by thoroughly grasping relevant considerations, ensuring we address our target users' specific needs and challenges. Based on these considerations, we developed unique problem statements for each persona.
We came up with the following Problem Statements for Shawn and Jada:
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Shawn is a busy work-from-home software developer who needs an easy way to access a virtual art experience, learn basic knowledge of art, and meet someone with similar interests as him because he is a newbie in art and is too busy to take another course to appreciate art, also hard to find someone who can visit exhibitions that he found interested in going to.
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Jada is a college student studying fine art who needs valuable resources for upcoming exhibitions, art events, and articles. She also wants to hear feedback and insights from other experts and the general audience. She wants to find inspiration for her upcoming school project and listen to voices from different perspectives as an artist.
And think about some How Might We problem statements based on their background and goals:
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For Shawn...
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​How might we develop interactive experiences that engage individuals with limited appreciation for art and enhance their creativity and understanding of art?
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How might we simplify the narratives to describe the piece and make them more relatable for those who frequently visit galleries and museums?
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How might we connect people with similar experiences and interests within the platform?
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How might we provide a practical experience for those who want to attend activities virtually instead of in person?
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For Jada...
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How might we help Jada access as many ranges of artistic resources as possible? ​
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How might we help Jada access the most updated information for upcoming exhibitions and art events?
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How might we help Jada connect with other experts and audiences to ensure she can hear insights from other perspectives?
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How might we help Jada by ensuring she can access all needed resources without having to open multiple tabs?
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For both of them...
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​How might we make their interactions with art more engaging and connect with art more meaningfully without changing the form of art?
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Storyboard Design and User Scenario Designed to Simulated How ArtSmart May Be Helpful in Different Scenarios
Storyboard Design and User Scenario Designed to Simulated How ArtSmart May Be Helpful in Different Scenarios
Based on user feedback and stakeholder insights, we identified the need to address the challenges faced by our primary persona, Shawn, a work-at-home software engineer. By mapping out Shawn's user journey, we explored opportunities to refine and enhance the user experience within the ArtSmart app. This included the addition of a short survey during the registration process to personalize content recommendations, the creation of a community feature to connect users with similar interests, and the provision of virtual gallery experiences tailored to busy schedules. We aimed to include detailed descriptive cards for artworks featuring information such as the medium, year of production, artist, and background story. Additionally, we planned to offer short, engaging articles on art principles and elements to help users like Shawn improve their art appreciation skills without committing to lengthy courses.
User Journey Map Designed For Shawn
In Shawn's scenario, we addressed his need for accessible and relevant art resources by incorporating features inspired by existing applications while ensuring they catered to his preferences and constraints. By providing a platform where users can leave comments, share insights, and engage in meaningful discussions, we aimed to foster a sense of community and belonging. To mitigate potential issues such as spam and offensive comments, we considered integrating AI moderation to maintain a positive and supportive environment. This comprehensive approach was designed to create a seamless and enriching art engagement experience for users like Shawn, balancing the need for personalization, accessibility, and community interaction.
Concept Testing for Design
To develop ArtSmart, I began with low-fidelity prototypes and conducted concept testing with participants from New York who worked in different industries and had diverse backgrounds in art. This testing phase was crucial to refine the app based on real user feedback.
Initial Prototypes and Feedback
I presented the initial prototypes, starting with the registration process that included a short survey. This survey asked users about their reasons for downloading the application and their interests in specific art pieces. The feedback was largely positive, with participants appreciating the personalized experience. However, they raised concerns about the accuracy of the recommended masterpieces and suggested providing options to select specific art styles and themes instead of pre-defined images. They also recommended adding a name input during registration to make the experience more inclusive.
Initial (Low Fidelity) Prototypes Design
Design Iterations
Based on this feedback, I made several changes:
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Sign-In and Registration Pages: I designed sign-in pages with multiple login methods to simplify the process. The registration page was updated to ask for the user's preferred name, allowing the app to personalize greetings and interactions.
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Survey and Recommendations: Instead of showing random images of masterpieces, the updated survey allowed users to select themes and styles they were interested in. This helped ensure that the recommendations were more relevant to their preferences. I also categorized art pieces by themes and styles, making it easier for users to find what they were looking for.
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Recommendation Pages: The recommendation page layout was adjusted to include more space between the recommendations and the artist sections, reducing visual clutter. Participants confirmed that the diagrams and layout were easy to follow and did not cause cognitive overload.
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Descriptive Cards and Comments: I added sections where users could view other works by the same artist and similar art styles. This feature, combined with a real-time community space for users to communicate and share insights, received positive feedback.
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Search Agent: To address confusion about the 'X' icon, I replaced it with a '<' icon, serving as a back button to improve navigation.
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Event and Collection Pages: Feedback indicated that while the event page displayed useful information about dates, locations, and services, the collection page felt crowded. I revised the layout to showcase the images and information better.
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Profile and Monthly Reports: Inspired by user suggestions, I included a 'Monthly Wrapped' feature similar to Spotify's design. This report displayed users' favorite artists, works, events attended, and general activities, motivating them to engage with the app regularly.
Low Fidelity Prototypes Design
Final Result
The final version of ArtSmart incorporated these refinements, ensuring a user-friendly and personalized experience. The app featured virtual art exhibits, detailed descriptive cards, short educational articles, and a supportive community platform. By continually iterating based on user feedback, ArtSmart effectively addressed the needs and challenges of its target audience, making art accessible and engaging for everyone.
High Fidelity Prototypes Design
Usability Heuristics
Visibility of System Status
Each button has a hover effect, indicating that when users click on them, they will be redirected to the next page. This predictable interaction helps users navigate the app more effectively. However, the progress indicator has an error and does not load properly. Users need further instruction to click on the loading circle to be redirected to the recommendation page, which I think needs further improvement in the next step.
Match Between the System and the Real World
The terms, icons, images, and sliders are clear to users without needing to look up additional resources for definitions. Based on our research, most users found the design and terminology familiar and easy to understand, which reduces cognitive load. However, we discovered that some users need further instruction when encountering the slider icons. We need to remind them to click and slide the images to view more content. Adjusting the slider icons to automatically cycle through the displayed images may resolve this confusion.
User Control and Freedom
Users can always return to the main menu using the buttons provided on any page. They can also go back to previous pages to make adjustments if needed. This design keeps users in control of the system and helps avoid feelings of frustration.
Consistency and Standard
We maintain consistency within the product to ensure it aligns with users' habits, thereby avoiding the possibility of creating internal or external cognitive load.
Recognition Rather than Recall
The buttons are designed and labeled with specific features, helping users recognize information without forcing them to memorize the functions.
Buttons Design
Flexibility and Efficiency
The application is quite flexible, providing shortcuts for novice users. Each button can redirect users to the pages they want to see. However, some users found certain buttons unresponsive, such as the 'view all articles' button. Due to time constraints, we were only able to deliver demos for other buttons like 'view all liked arts' and 'view all events,' which still need further improvements.
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
In the design of "ArtSmart," we have chosen green as the main theme color due to its representation of growth, harmony, and peace. In addition, there are no irrelevant information, which ensures the application's relative visibility is not diminished.
Colors Design
Rules that Our App is Currently Unavailable
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Error Prevention
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Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors. ​
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Help and Documentation​
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When users experience technical issues or other problems, there are no help buttons or error messages (such as 'There is an error with the system, please try to refresh the page' or 'Report the issue') to inform them of what is happening within the system. This is an area where we can provide further improvement.
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Demo: ArtSmart Prototypes
Thesis Individual Work, please click here to see the expo presentation
Do you want to try out the prototypes on your own? Click on the image below to get redirected to the Figma Prototype page with your laptop.