Challenge

Design an art auction app for an art gallery

The Project:

Art X is a new app to help people find local artists in the area or all over the world. Art X makes it easy to find news about upcoming events and exhibitions at art galleries, as well as alternative ways to shop and support each artist with LIVE Auctions or by visiting their online Shop.

Project Duration:

April 2022 to April 2023.

The Problem:

Busy workers and commuters lack the time and resources necessary to find special art pieces they love to decorate their home.

The Goal:

Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.

Process

◉ Empathize

◉ Define

◉ Ideate

◉ Prototype

◉ Test ( In Progress )

My Role:

Lead UX Designer

UX Researcher

Responsibilities:

Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.

User Research: Summary

I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was working adults who don’t have time to decorate their homes.

This user group confirmed initial assumptions about Art X customers, but research also revealed that time was not the only factor limiting users from decorating their home. Other user problems included obligations, interests, or challenges that make it difficult to find art for their home or unsure of where to go search for individual pieces in-person.

User Research: Pain Points

Time Constraints

People are often busy with work, family, and other responsibilities, leaving them with little time to focus on home decor.

Limited Budget

Decorating a home can be expensive, and not everyone has the financial resources to invest in high-end decor items or hire a professional designer.

Decision Overload

The abundance of choices can lead to decision fatigue, causing individuals to delay making any decisions or avoiding the task altogether.

Lack of Inspiration

Some people may not have a clear vision of what they want their home to look like or struggle to find inspiration for their decor.

Personas

Her Story: Sara is a single woman who loves to travel and go on excursions.

"I want to be able to order really cool art and show it off to my friends from my phone so that we can share our interests without me dragging them to the museum, store, or art exhibit to see it! Now we can spend our time at brunch and having fun doing things we all mutually like when together."

Her Story: Mitzi is a tech entrepreneur who lives in a busy city now.

"I want to be able to properly furnish my home office and apartment with art from home so that I can pick the perfect pieces that tell our story without clashing tastes and save time."

Problem Statement

Mitzi is a young tech entrepreneur who needs an easy way to order art to furnish her new office and home because NYC is a busy city & she wants to be able to share her choices with others before purchase.

Goal Statement

Our Online Art Gallery app will let users purchase and order art from their cell phone which will affect art lovers who typically attend gallery showings and events by giving them access to artists from all over the world & options to choose from the comfort of home. We will measure effectiveness by the app and art reviews from users after shipment.

If/Then Statement

If Mitzi uses the app to order her art for her office and home then she'll be able to avoid busy traffic in the city and choose something everyone will like based on their responses.

User Journey Map

Storyboard (Big Picture)

Scenario: Use the Art X app to order art from your home office

Storyboard (Close-Up)

Scenario: Use the Art X app to order art from your home office

Paper Wireframes

Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized quick and easy access to artists and their shops to help users save time.

Digital Wireframes

I repeated the same process with the majority of the wireframes, first practicing on scratch paper, making a better version on blank sketch paper utilizing pen and Sharpies, then scanning to a digital JPEG and uploading to Figma. Next I practiced creating digital wireframes of each iteration. I pushed myself to come up with different options. The final results were much better than the first idea.

Digital Wireframes

As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research.

Easy navigation was a key user need to address in the designs in addition to equipping the app with access to news and local events.

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was finding an artist and ordering a product, so the prototype could be used in a usability study.

View the Art X App low-fidelity prototype

Usability study: findings

I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.

Affinity Diagram

Round 1 findings

Users want to order art and access favorites quickly and efficiently.
Users would like to see a drop down or slider menu for easy selection.
We should create a shop page showing a broad selection and maybe a shop button for easy access.

Round 2 findings

Users want to know more about the artists and have ways to connect.
The news section is a little confusing to users. Is this section like a blog?
“Featured artists” needs clarity for users. Clarify if this is due to popularity or paid advertising.

Mockups

Early designs allowed for some customization, but after the usability studies, I added additional options to follow, share, and view profile information for individual artists before heading to their individual shops. I also revised the design so users see rounded corners in some areas and buttons.

Before usability study

After usability study

Before usability study

After usability study

Mockups

The second usability study revealed frustration with the checkout flow and adding products from favorites. To streamline this flow, I consolidated the saved “Shop Items”, “Events” and “Artist Profiles” to one “Favorites” screen. I also added the scroll to the right feature to the shop items and events section.

Key Mockups

High-fidelity prototype

The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for ordering art from anywhere. It also met user needs for LIVE auctions, local events, as well as more customization.

View Art X app high-fidelity prototype

Accessibility considerations

Provided easy-to-use, time-saving tools and resources that allow users to quickly and efficiently select and purchase home decor items and art that fits their preferences.

Offered a range of price points and clear information about the value and quality of each item which helps users make informed decisions while staying within their budget.

Used icons to help make navigation easier.

Thank You!

Thank you for your time reviewing my work on the Art X app! If you’d like to
see more or get in touch, my contact information is provided below.

Email: kristen.townsel@gmail.com

Website: kristentownsel.com

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse