audio-tour
app for
museum&art
gallery
An audio-tour app to help the visitors better
understand the museum pieces
The motive!
​
Museum visitors face the situation of lacking available, easy accessible background information about the museum pieces, manually searching for information in a museum/art gallery environment is inconvenient and bring confusing for the users.
​
About the project
​
This is my first UX design project, which is part of "Google UX Design Professional Certificate" course I am currently taking (6 of 7 courses are finished).
As a case study, it explains the process of designing the prototype for an audio-tour mobile application. The target audience are the museum/art gallery visitors, regardless gender and age, and the goal of the app is to provide content audio assistance for users while visiting museums/galleries.
I am a solo UX Designer designing an app from conception to delivery.
My responsibilities are:
-
Conducting interviews
-
Paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping
-
Conducting usability studies
-
Accounting for accessibility
-
Iterating on designs
Project Timeline:
-
Overall: 12+ weeks
-
Discovery & Research: 4+ weeks
-
Design & testing: 8+ weeks
​
Design Process
The design thinking process was used to create a user-centered design for the prototype. Here is the outline of the processes I have done for this project.
Surveys
User interviews
Thematic Analysis
Empathy Map
User Persona
User Story
User Journey
Problem Statment
Hypothesis
Competitive Analysis
How Might We
Decision Matix
Crazy Eight
Goal Statement
User Flow
Story Board
Information Architecture
Wireframe
Paper Prototype
Lo-Fi Design
Lo-Fi Prototype
Hi-Fi Design
Hi-Fi Prototype
Iteration
Usability Study
Iteration
Empathize Phase
Interviews
​
During the empathize phase, user interviews were conducted to gain insights into users' needs and challenges. The aim of these interviews was to explore the difficulties users face in museums and why these challenges arise. To accomplish this, five individuals who were selected for the interviews, as this number is known to provide enough data for a UX project.
Thematic Analysis
​
Compared to analyzing qualitative data, analyzing quantitative data has always been easier. In this project, I needed to analyze the data collected from user interviews to identify the problems and challenges faced by the users.
​
​
Thematic Analysis - Code Mapping
Persona & Empathy Map
​
As the interviews results, many of the museum visitors were interested of downloading and using the audio app in order to understand the gallery better. Among all of the users, I am able to identify the following user groups: the Casual visitor and the Art Enthusiast.
​
Persona 1: Casual visitor
​
The Casual visitor is a visitor who is interested in learning more about the museum's exhibits but does not have a deep background in art or history. They are typically in a hurry and are not willing to spend too much time reading lengthy descriptions or listening to long audio guides. Our research showed that more than 60% of visitors fell into this category.
​​
​
​
Persona 2: Art Enthusiast
​
The Art Enthusiast is a visitor who has a strong background in art or history and is interested in learning more about the specific exhibits on display. They are willing to spend more time reading and listening to detailed information and are looking for a more in-depth experience. Our research showed that more than 30% of visitors fell into this category.
​
​
.jpg)
User Journey
​​
​Mapping Emma’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated audio tour app.
​
Define Phase
Problem Statement & Hypothesis
​
The user persona of 'Emma' has been focused throughout the project to design and develop a better experience keeping users' problems in mind. The problem statement has been developed after understanding the user's pain points. To develop the hypothesis, the 5 Ws and H: who, what, when, where, why, and how have been defined.
​
-
Who: A public relation manager
-
What: Emma wants easily accessible, accurate information about the exhibits
-
Where: Emma wants to visit the museums and art galleries nearby
-
When: Emma wants the relevant information during the time she visits the museum
-
Why: Emma wants a better understanding of the arts work and make the visit more valuable
-
How: Emma needs a service that can explain the items content to her onsite
Emma is a Public relation manager who needs easily accessible, accurate information about the exhibits in the art gallery. Because she wants a better understanding of the arts work and make the visit more valuable.
​
The above problem statement helps clarify the user’s goals and identify the constraints preventing them from meeting their goals. By defining the problem statement, it was easy to create a hypothesis that explains the solution to the problem faced by the user. The hypothesis will address the problem and have the solution to the problem:
​
‘If Emma use an audio-tour app whilst she visits the museum/art gallery, then she can be informed of the museums pieces content’ – an if/then format was used first, then developed into a hypothesis. As the statement explains, the solution was to provide the users the audio information of the museum pieces when they are visiting the museum/art gallery.
​
Using the if/then format, the hypothesis has been developed:
​
‘We believe that providing Emma the audio information of the museum pieces when she is visiting the place will help her to understand more of the items onsite.’
​
Ideate Phase
Competitive Analysis
​
After conducting thorough research and analysis, I determined that the most effective solution for designing a museum audio-tour app for visitors was through the use of a smartphone application that provides audio guidance and information about the art pieces on display.
​
To ensure that I was well-informed about the competition in the market, I selected three key players for competitive analysis. Of the three, two were direct competitors: Smartify and Nordic Museum Audio Guide, both of which are smartphone applications designed specifically for museum audio tours. The remaining competitor, ArtRabbit, was considered an indirect competitor, as it primarily provides information about art exhibitions and events, but does not offer audio-guided tours. By analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of these competitors, I am able to identify potential opportunities and challenges for my own museum audio-tour app.
​
How Might We
​
The Define phase played a crucial role in advancing the development of our solution and generating new ideas around the topic. Drawing upon the problem statement and hypothesis, I created a series of "How Might We" (HMW) statements to guide the ideation process.
​
-
How might we design a museum audio-tour app that provides visitors with a seamless and engaging experience, while addressing the pain points?
-
How might we incorporate interactive elements into the audio-tour app that enhance visitors' understanding and appreciation of the art pieces?
-
How might we personalize the audio-tour experience to cater to visitors' individual interests and preferences?
-
How might we make the audio-tour app accessible and user-friendly for visitors of all ages and backgrounds, including those with visual or hearing impairments?
​
Decision Matrix
​
Selecting the most viable solution from a pool of many is always challenging. Given the number of HMWs generated, a decision matrix was necessary to narrow down the options.
​
​
​
Based on this decision matrix, it appears that Option 1, focusing on User Interface Design, would be the best choice as it received the highest score.
Crazy Eight
​
-
Allow users to filter exhibitions based on their interests
-
Use augmented reality to enhance the experience of viewing art pieces
-
Implement a chatbot to help visitors find their way around the museum
-
Allow users to create their own personalized tour based on their interests
-
Implement a feature that recommends related artworks to visitors
-
Use QR codes to provide more information on artworks
-
Allow visitors to give feedback on the artworks they've seen
-
Implement a feature that allows visitors to track their progress throughout the museum
​
​
​
Goal Statement
​
"Create a museum audio-tour app that enhances the visitor experience by providing easy-to-use and informative features, addressing the main problems of visitors struggling to find exhibitions and art piece information, while also encouraging exploration and curiosity about the museum's collections."
​
​
​
User flow
​
​
​
​
​
Main user flow
Storyboard
​
​
​
​
​
Information Architecture
​
Information architecture (IA) is responsible for producing navigation. Although IA and navigation are separate components of mobile UX, they are frequently used interchangeably. The purpose of mobile navigation is to make it easy and fast for users to find information and features. Therefore, IA should be straightforward, and content should be organized without complexity.
​
​
​
Wireframe sketches
​
Based on the user research result, several sketches were created and focused on solving the main problems: Locate the museum, scan the art piece and play the audio. The elements from these sketches were evaluated to produce the final wireframe by combining the most appropriate elements that could improve the interface and enhance usability.
​
​
Based on user feedback, I added a saved audios feature to the home screen, allowing users to access previously saved audio guides when outside of the museum or gallery.
Prototype & Test
Figma is the tool to transform my initial sketches into low-fidelity wireframes. Throughout the design process, I incorporated feedback and insights gathered from user research to inform the screen designs.
A low-fidelity prototype was created by using the digital wireframes, with a primary focus on the user flow of entering a museum and listening to the audio introduction of items. This prototype was designed for use in a usability study.
Usability test: First round
​
The wireframes for the final design were tested with five users in person to evaluate the user flow and screen designs. During the testing, users were given tasks to complete the user flow, and their suggestions and issues were noted. Based on their feedback, changes were made to the low-fidelity prototype. Additionally, users were asked to complete the user flow independently to assess their recall of the flow. This helped to identify the user flow and ensure that it was easy to remember.
​
Users were asked to test some prompt tasks on a low-fidelity prototype, The tasks given to the participants included:
​
-
Find the nearby museum
-
Scan a random art piece
-
Find an audio for a certain painting
-
Change to audio for another painting
-
Save the favorite audio
​
The usability study was conducted remotely and lasted for approximately 20 minutes as an unmoderated test.
Out of the 5 participants:
4 participants liked the map function, indicating that it is an important feature.
3 participants tried to use scan function but got confused, indicating that the function needed to be modified.
3 participants tried to play or save the audio list, indicating the need to develop the function to save audio to the list.
2 participants tried to find the floor plan, indicating the need to develop a better floor plan page.
1 attempted to use the search function but failed, indicating that this feature needs development.
​
​
Changes made after testing
​
The usefulness of the map function is appreciated and will be left unchanged. However, modifications have been made to the scan function, audio saving function, and floor plan function in order to improve their performance and functionality. These modifications will allow for a more seamless user experience.
​
Additionally, a search function has been added to enhance the overall usability of the system. With this new feature, specific items or locations within the system can be quickly and easily searched for by users.
​
Furthermore, the following features have been developed/added and are now visible: the map function, search function, and favorite audio button.
Hi-Fi Prototype
​
The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for finding the desired item and play the audio. It also meet user needs that showing the floor plan, save audio and scan the QR code.
Test & Final Production
User Testing
Before coming into the final design, I did a testing round in order to reveal possible usability problems. Participants were given instructions on how to use the testing website. Moderated study was conducted.
​
The research questions were:
-
How long does it take to find the audio for the art piece?
-
How long does it take to find the search function?
-
How long does it take to find the current location by reading the floor plan?
​
Three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were analyzed in the usability study. They were:
-
Time on task
-
User error rate
​
Five participants have been recruited for the usability study who are the targeted users of the proposed application.
Usability Findings
The data for user error rate and time on task are presented below.