MUSEUM APPLICATION "MOMA"
The purpose of this project is to add additional features to an existing museum application, in which users have the ability to find information, enabling them to have an experience so rich that it remains in their memory even after their visit, as a pleasant moment, or especially as acquired knowledge
THE PROBLEM
The educational role of museums has increased worldwide in recent decades. Museums have to increase the level of public comprehension, raise the spirit of the visitor and enjoyment.
The MoMa, The Museum of Modern Art currently has an audio application, however, consolidating all of their visitor aids (maps, audio headset guides etc) into one place for visitors will give them access more easily.
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This project is aimed at enhancing the visitor and student experience at an art museum. As art and technology come together, some museums are going device-specific, using phone apps to enhance the museum experience during a visit.
It seeks to provide each museum visitor with an individualized visit to the museum that caters to their own interests.
The goal is for the visitors to not only observe the exhibits in the museum but to learn more about the history and culture surrounding the works of art
MY ROLE
I used several methods to gather feedback, most of which involved working directly with visitors including observation and interviews, both of which were particularly useful during testing.
It was best to do a contextual inquiry and attend events at the local Museums to understand our target audience and talk and interview people attending and observing the exhibits.
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The insights I gained from talking openly with potential users fundamentally informed every aspect of the experience from the features I deliver first and the subsequent product roadmap to the bot’s personality. This ensures my team and I will build something that connects with users, aligns with their existing behaviors and exceeds their expectations.
I was able to understand trends within the field as they are still developing, and the ways that the unique capacities of this technology are being used as a tool for museums to connect content to space and community.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
On sitting and observing an area of the art museum from a bench near the main exhibit, I made the following visitor's observations
The types of people attending were primarily assumed to be tourists, a group of students on a field trip/day camp outing of some kind. A few parents with kids. Overall there was quite a large variety of people visiting.
Most would stop and observe each piece briefly. In my perspective, there is not a ton of information offered on each piece, which leads me to believe that our idea of using a QR code to scan at each exhibit/work of art would be largely beneficial.
Especially when considering the volume of students that visit the museum, offering more detailed information and history on the art and the artists would not only make the visit more interactive but also provide more valuable and lasting information.
I saw many people looking at a map of the museum and often heard chatter about where to go next. Many people seemed to not have an exact plan and were wandering. While this is fine in some cases, our idea of having a quick survey to be taken when you get to the museum that would help guide you to areas you may be interested in could be a huge benefit to users as well.
In terms of insight clusters, these mainly had to do with organizational issues we could work on and implementing ideas that could guide a user's experience.
PERSONAS
JESSICA
Age:
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19
User Role(s):
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Visitor/Student
Education:
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College student working towards Bachelors
Level of computer expertise:
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Advance mobile device and has a computer to work on homework
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Frustations and pain points
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Not having cellular service when in museums.
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The museum not providing an adequate amount of information about the exhibition
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Not being able to find specific pieces of art in the museum
Narrative
"I'm a college student on a limited income from hostessing, I'd like to visit museums during my spare time"
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Jessica is a mobile device user and highly depends on it throughout her day. She would like to be able to learn about the artwork at Her local art museum by using Her phone. This way, she doesn't have to bring her computer or worry about it being charged.
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" I like to use my phone for most things because it is convenient It'd be great if my phone could become a resource for providing information about artwork at my local art museum, efficiently by learning more about artists and their work. "
PHIL
Age:
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39
User Role(s):
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Visitor
Education:
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Some college
Level of computer expertise:
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Intermediate mobile device user and has a computer at work and home.
Frustations and pain points
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Gets frustrated when he doesn't have a wifi network to connect to
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Wasting his time walking around the museum looking for an art piece when is on a tight time constraint due to traveling for work.
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Not being able to find a specific piece of art in the museum
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Narrative
"l like being busy with work don't get me wrong, but I'd like using my spare time in a way that is beneficial to my painting "
Since Phil is travelling a lot, he relies on his mobile device for almost everything. He researches specific artists and their works from his phone, and would like an easy way to see those works in person. During his free time while in other cities,
"I'd be great to have a way to search for a specific piece so that when I step off the plane, I can get to the museum and find it quickly"
A great digital learning experience
After discussing with few participants, they all agree that by digitizing most of the necessary and logistical steps to visiting a museum, an app takes away the time-consuming planning, giving visitors more time and mental energy to enjoy their experience and learn in a new way.
BREAKING DOWN THE PROCESS
I used several methods to gather feedback, most of which involved working directly with visitors including observation and interviews, both of which were particularly useful during testing.
INTERACTION TYPES
Conversing
User has a dialogue with the system by means of a speech-based or typed-questions-based interface. We suggest adding voice recognition systems to natural language dialogue, both voice, and text-driven.
Manipulating
Within a museum experience, interacting with objects in a physical or virtual environment it is important to add options such as selecting, moving, resizing, opening, and closing them. Zooming in/Zooming out. Manipulation- based product design: to enable easy learning and remembering during the visit to the museum
Exploring
(dynamic interaction with the environment). Moving through a physical or virtual environment. Exploration-based designs: fantasy and other virtual worlds such as smart rooms. This way the behavior of the manipulated object will provide direct feedback
NAVIGATION MAP
TASK SCENARIOS
Scenario 1: Complete survey in map
You are in an art museum and want the app to provide suggestions for art to view and a route to see them. You want suggestions based on your knowledge and preferences of art.
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Practical Goal
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Use the survey answers to have the application provide a route for viewing specific artworks.
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Environment
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App pre-downloaded in a mobile device with internet.
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User
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Any art museum patron
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User is in an art museum and has the application open.
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Click on the menu icon on the top left
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Click on "Survey" in the drop-down menu
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Answer each question by clicking the radio button next to each answer you choose
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Click "submit" at the bottom.
Scenario 2: Search for a specific work of art
You are in an art museum which is exhibiting a specific work of art you want to see first. You want to know where the work is immediately instead of searching it as you walk through the museum.
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Practical Goal
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Use the search option in the app to find out where in the museum the work of art is located at.
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Environment
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App pre-downloaded in a mobile device with internet
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User
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Any art museum patron.
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User is in an art museum and has the application open.
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Click on the menu icon on the top left
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Click on "Search" in the drop-down menu
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Enter the title of the art or the artist, in this scenario "Mona Lisa" in the white field.
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Click on the circle arrow icon to the right of the text you entered.
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When the results populate, click on the one which describes your selection.
MEASUREMENTS
The objective was to design a prototype that contains user journey, easy features and functionalities, and intuitive design format. It should offer an exclusive overview of the would-be web application. It provides the basic format of the web site's look, placement of text as well as features and functions along with their would-be operations.
Tools the team use to host the prototype: Adobe XD, mobile phone with PDF export for mobile. We have also preview our prototype on a mobile device via the Adobe XD iOS and Android app.
Tools the team use to measure data: Excel and SPSS.
DATA EVALUATION
The app would be used while at a museum, and the majority of the user evaluations took place at home or a public place such as a coffee shop. I would be interested to observe more people who were actually at a museum where they would perhaps be better able to imagine how and why an app like this would be helpful.
Additionally, a couple of the subjects were friends of my team, which may have biased the results in that they would not want to be too overly critical of our product. While we believe our subjects were all honest in their evaluation of the app, this could have been a factor in their reviews. Having the time to interview more people, including more strangers, could balance this out.
DATA ANALYSIS
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The average amount of time it took users to complete Task 1 was 18.48 seconds
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The average amount of time it took users to complete Task 2 was 13.00 seconds
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Two users rated the app as “Great”, four rated the app “Good”, and two rated it “Average”
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6 out of 8 users commented (sometimes in slightly different wording) that the app was generally straightforward and easy to navigate
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4 users commented on the survey section specifically (needs to be longer, put the questions on different pages)
DATA INTERPRETATION
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A lot of text is located on the landing screen, which may overwhelm the user when they first open the app.
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The hamburger menu is familiar and located in an expected place in the top left-hand corner.
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The navigation menu is clear and organized.
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The survey questions show on one page, so it seems like a lot of text all at once.
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The routes are helpful and inform the user about the appropriate factors that impact a trip to an art museum.
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A way to get more information while visiting a work of art was missing.
DESIGN CHANGES
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We would reduce the amount of text on the landing page so that it is not overwhelming.
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The hamburger menu will stay in the top left corner so that it is familiar.
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The navigation menu will stay as is, but some new menu items may be added based on user feedback.
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One survey question should show on the screen at a time, so the user can hit next to move on to the next question.
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The routes will stay as-is but may become more specific so that it is clearer to the user what is included on that route.
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A screen will be added to illustrate to the user that they are able to scan a QR code in order to get more information about a work of art.
The initial prototype is on the left which illustrates 4 ways to use the app. The new design is on the right with fewer words and a hamburger button on the top left corner. Since the original prototype had several options I included a hamburger button on the right prototype. Adding this icon can help get everything tucked away neatly. It’s self-explanatory and doesn’t require users to learn all over again and It delivers better usability and helps users arrive the desired destination more rapidly and easily.
After interviewing and understanding what users are looking for, we added more options we thought can be for helpful. I also wanted to use category labels that are familiar and relevant for the target audience. My team and I decided to add clear terminology that describes the content and features of the menu.
My team and I decided to add a survey section with the purpose to collect data in order to be able to accelerate users process to a whole greater level due to the insights and feedback given. From the first prototype, we wanted to design and maintain an overall consistent appearance throughout the app and survey pages to create a great impression on the users. So in the new design, I included a progress indicator to let them know in what step they are and how many they are missing. Also, the less spaces on the mobile device make it essential to cut out the clutter to offer an appropriate survey listing.
I considered the QR Codes a useful tool for driving visitors into digital content while at the Museum. The QR codes are posted next to the works of art and allow the patrons who scan the QR codes to view a picture and biographical information about the artist.
LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
For an interactive Low Fidelity Prototype please visit this link:
LESSONS LEARNED
An application with the purpose to educate their visitors has the power to provide a more seamless and modern on-site experience, and maintain engagement after a visitor, or member, has left the building by digitizing logistical and education materials.
This project provided my team and I with evidence on how the interaction model and visual design of a museum mobile application can lead to a higher degree of use of the digital tool. The application is ideal in supporting visitors’ curiosity and exposing them to a larger number of learning stimuli.
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Most of the users I interviewed agreed that a museum application must present a limited number of essential functions to simplify the user's decision process. It is important to be specific with the content and the tutorial tools not to overwhelm visitors with information. When time resources are limited, we discover that some participants would not mind a navigation system that automatically tracks visitor's movement inside the building in order to facilitate their needs. There is more much to incorporate in the prototype we created but the main functions were well accepted from the users.