Art Quest: Game-ifying the Audio Tour

UX Role
End to End feature designer working with Design Lab mentor, Charithra Aswamy.
Mission
bridge the gap in learning in a classroom while utilizing museums as centers for experiential knowledge.
Timeline
Nov - dec 2022
Overview and Problem
In an age where technology plays a central role in entertainment and education, museums can elevate the experience through ArtQuest, an app that provides a modern and engaging way for visitors to explore exhibits.
Below outlines my design process for this concept that I owned from start to finish, By leveraging AI in the scavenger hunts, offering personalized challenges, interactive content, and real-time guidance, this innovative approach not only attracts a tech-savvy audience but also caters to diverse learning styles, making museum visits more accessible and enjoyable for the public.
prototype
Research
I began my research by reviewing local and international institutions' digital presence. Swot Comparison of the metropolitan museum of art, the British Library and the whitney Museums's current app options, as well as popular educational games that provide trivia/clues for points.
survey/interviews/observations of real time museum goers in the exhibit space. my test scenario was asking a series of questions to volunteers who were casually viewing the Whitney Museum’s 7th floor, viewing the permanent collection.
Competitive Analysis
research findings
  • Overall, there was a lack of consistency in how museums utilized apps or websites.
  • Many institutions did not even have an app, and others such as the British Library, had the bare bones of an app which facilitated their audio tour.
  • Another example is the Whitney Museum of American Art which also did not have an app, but utilized their website as a full database of the permanent collection open to the public.
  • Cluekeeper and Scavify were fun games that provided trivia clues to answer in order to win points, however the questions felt random and the UI of both apps felt clunky to use.
Individuals appreciated guided tours over the audio tour
5 out of 8 participants informed they never read the wall text
  • individuals have a wide arrays of soaking information and the visual experience. Some patrons engaged with physical space, while others gravitated towards the wall text.
  • In asking whether they enjoyed the Whitney's audio tour, 3/5 individuals stated they wanted to further immerse themselves in the narrative rather than hear an array of facts.
  • Individuals also mentioned a preference for solo interpretation and visual engagement with the art itself. Overall in grouping these observations, my research revealed distinct clusters of behaviors and preferences, showcasing the multifaceted nature of visitor experiences.
  • Teachers mentioned they would like a workbook of artworks and dates to go over with their students

Thoughtfully applying research...
With all this data in mind,  I wanted to combine education, games, and the museum space. For the skeleton, I wanted to improve upon museum apps like the British Museum have basic features with audio functionality, offering visitors the convenience of an informative tour by incorporating a scavenger hunt element which can elevate user interaction by a game-ified and exploratory experience.
User Personas
Who might benefit or utilize artquest?
Stakeholder Priorties
Expanding how we learn from a museum experience
  • By marrying the audio tour to the premise of a scavenger hunt experience, providing an immersive narrative that guides participants through exhibits, adding an extra layer of storytelling and engagement.

Ideating Workflows
1
  • Visitors begin by creating an account or signing in and selecting a specific hunt from the available options.
2
  • After reading instructions and preparing, they start the hunt by checking in at the museum and receiving the first set of clues. Navigating through the exhibits, visitors follow clues, learn about artifacts, and solve puzzles.
3
  • Progress is tracked, and rewards are given as tasks are completed. Upon reaching the end point, visitors check out, review their experience, and explore other available hunts.
Wireframes
Scaling out the user and task flows allowed me to create a hand drawn basic wireframes.
UI Kit
bright colors and fun fonts to juxtapose the "stuffy" museum trope
Wireframes
The app offers a seamless and engaging process, encouraging visitors to discover the museum's treasures in an interactive and enjoyable way.
Expanding how we learn from a museum experience
  • Players take on the role of an art detective solving a mystery hidden within the museum's collection.
  • By collecting sign in information, the museum would be able for further membership or event information outreach.
  • The app offers a seamless and engaging process, encouraging visitors to discover the museum's treasures in an interactive and enjoyable way.
Next Steps...
By leveraging AI in the scavenger hunts, offering personalized challenges, interactive content, and real-time guidance, this innovative approach not only attracts a tech-savvy audience but also caters to diverse learning styles, making museum visits more accessible and enjoyable for the public.