The Artbug Process
I conducted my research through interviewing experts, focus groups, surveys, AB testing and usability testing. I also pitched the system to other entrepreneurs from a startup group in Pasadena that I am part of. Prototypes were built in Framer and Proto.io.
What is lacking in the
current market?
A unified platform where you can get information on art exhibitions according to your interests, location and level of exposure to art education.
Interactive means for getting info on artworks without taking the focus away from the artwork.
Ability to learn about artworks via conversation and user-generated information as opposed to reading descriptions or listening to audioguides.
Market Research
I started the project the looking into what is lacking in the current market, analyzing trends in the exhibition industry and how competitors are tackling some of these issues. I did this mainly via interviewing three groups of people — Art Enthusiasts (target market), Museum Workers (experts in the field), and Artists (experts in the field).
Opportunities and Features
Based on the pain points I discovered from the market research, I created a design criteria and ideated on different features the system ought to have to reach this criteria. I also looked into different ways in which the users could interact with the system based on posture studies. These were far-term and near-term solutions.
Low Fidelity Wireframes & User Tests
I started making paper prototypes to conduct usability tests. Paper prototypes were used to validate features that I had ideated. These were the key features that users thought were useful to them.
Key Paths Tested:
RESULTS
Users failed at accomplishing 1 out of the 5 main key features; Asking questions.
KEY INSIGHTS
Tablets are too large to be used in a museum context.
Different types of questions should have different input methods.
Comments should be time and space specific.
High Fidelity Wireframes & User Tests
I focused in on the "asking questions" portion of the experience by creating a clickable prototype with Principle and Framer. I got 10 participants to walkthrough the same experience and observed how they asked questions.
After multiple iterations and user testing via paper prototypes.
KEY INSIGHTS
Participants wanted to have a discussion on particular artworks instead of larger themes or their experience at the museum.
Participants preferred to ask questions through voice as typing required higher dexterity
Participants were also more visually driven. The use of visuals in the discussion forum made clearer to them that they were asking questions based on these specifics.
Branding
