How can we deliver online museum content to users in a concise, interactive and engaging manner?
SAM
The Singapore Art Museum Mobile App
An independent exploratory design project for the Singapore Art Museum that I undertook as part of the Google UX Professional Certificate.
background
The Singapore Art Museum displays contemporary art from a Southeast Asian perspective for artists, art lovers and the art curious in multiple venues across the island.
Duration
May - Jun 2022
Scope
Research, Visuals, Interactions, Prototyping
Having identified that there was no unified virtual platform that allows the museum to tie its various programmes together, I sought to propose a digital mobile application design that could do so and serve as a virtual museum buddy of sorts.
framework
personal investigations
Initial Impressions
SAM only had a website to disseminate the information for its programmes. Initial explorations of the website showed that it was full of text descriptions and did not convey information effectively. Online exhibitions were hosted on the Google Arts and Culture website, which did not provide a good exhibition experience.
misleading use of colours
text descriptions were ineffective in conveying information
online exhibition was more like a slideshow and was not engaging
user research
Actionable Insights
User research was conducted by collecting data from 25 participants using a survey in order to understand how the current SAM webpage impacts the user's museum experience and what more can be done to improve it. Insights were extracted from the findings to inform the direction of the project.
01.
Lack of preview content for exhibitions does not inspire further exploration by users
02.
One-dimensional exhibition experience is insufficient to engage users
03.
Users tend to forget events even if they are interested
design process
user personas
Consolidating insights gained into user personas to gain a better understanding of the pain points.
user experience
Conceptualising features and designing the experience through the use of an experience map.
information architecture & wireframing
Categorising information and iterating using low fidelity prototypes.
usability study
User testing of high fidelity prototype and improving features based on prioritised findings.
solution
01. One Stop Hub
Conveying a library of information in a clean and concise manner
The What's New screen provides users with quick updates of any upcoming events first thing when the app is opened.
Event cards and the calendar view are also used as a strategy to break down the information into more bite-sized pieces.
02. Interactive Experience
Injecting novel choices at different stages to let users create their own experiences
The exhibition description provides a glimpse of the contents through text and a carousel of images from the exhibition.
exhibition description
Exhibition Description
Exhibition Preview Carousel
The minimap provides a physical reference of the actual gallery to users, letting them have an idea of where they are at in the exhibition.
Selecting a gallery card brings them into the respective photosphere gallery.
individual galleries
Expanded Minimap
Individual Galleries Selection
The photosphere gallery provides an immersive exhibition experience by allowing users to access a 3D virtual space.
Information on the gallery and artworks are presented on cards for the users, which can be minimised for users to explore the gallery without obstruction.
photosphere gallery
Photosphere Gallery Walkthrough
Photosphere Gallery
03. Engaging Users
Creating a space for shared experiences and taking a proactive stance to informing users about events
Users are kept engaged through the establishment of the reArt community.
They are able to express their creativity and opinions by doodling on a copy of the artwork, creating a reArt sticker. Completed stickers can be posted in the community where users can see what others are saying about the artworks as well.
reArt community
Event reminders are also used as a long term strategy to keep users engaged with new and upcoming museum content. These help users to keep track of events that they are interested in and also uses the content to recommend related events that they might find interesting.
event reminders
prototype
Interactive Prototype
There is definitely still more to explore for the design of the app.
How can the virtual exhibition interface be cleaner? How are other forms of media hosted on the app? What more can the app do to enhance the user's experience given that there are newer technologies coming up these days?
These are just some of the questions that I would like to explore as well. For now, do check out the latest high fidelity prototype that was created using Figma.
Mobile App Prototype (Portrait)
Photosphere Gallery Prototype (Landscape)
future work
integrating a map function into the app
Having a way to locate nearby exhibitions or events so that users are able to see what's happening in their vicinity.
testing the use of app in conjunction with museum artworks
Looking into how the app supports the physical museum exhibition experience, and experimenting with how the physical can interface with the digital.
takeaways
Putting concepts into practice, making rational decisions.
Designing a mobile app for the first time was definitely not simple. Learning UIUX concepts while designing meant that there were many revisions to it. However, this allowed me to really understand what I was doing at each step and to make each design decision rationally.
Digital or physical, design is design.
I realised that the skills that I have learnt in architecture were very transferrable. The columns and beams in architecture are just like the various visual elements and interactions within the app. Both require finesse when designing in order to ensure that the design intention is not lost and that the user has a smooth and comfortable experience.
credits
images: Singapore Art Museum / Google Maps / Google Arts and Culture
icons: Freepik