Discover and learn about public art in the city of Seattle.
MY ROLE: UX Design, UI Design
COMPANY: Personal Project
OVERVIEW
The unique history and culture of each city is not always right in front of you. Yet, what you see and experience has a lasting impact on your perception of each specific locale. I wanted to find a way to introduce a public art experience to both residents and tourists in a manner that would quickly elevate their understanding of a city.
DISCOVERY
There is a rich history of Public Art in Seattle, but lots of projects remain very well hidden. My research has shown that there is no easy way to find or learn about public art installations in Seattle.
The collection includes more than 400 permanently installed works and nearly 3000 portable works.
RESEARCH
I conducted a number of interviews with inhabitants of Seattle and learned about their interest in art and uncovered what is preventing them from seeing more art installations.
EXPLORATION
-
Interviews: I interviewed 5 people native to Seattle and 5 people who moved to the city within the last 4 years
-
Comparative analysis: I discovered several platforms: travel city guides, art guides, professional art database. I evaluated those to identify what features and information were useful or what was missing
-
I walked around and explored what I can find and what information is available about specific sights
-
I spoke to a number of people who are professionally involved in commissioning or selecting public art
-
I learned how nonprofit organizations and committees spread awareness and drive attention to new installations
I identified two problems:
PERSONA
I created a collective portrait of my user.
DECISION
Based on my learnings, I realized there was unfulfilled potential with our public art and creating an app with a database of the installed projects will advance the public utility of these existing installations.
This will allow my users to quickly learn about the installations they encounter or find nearby locations to explore.
PRIORITIZING
MoSCOW method was used for feature prioritization.
User flow and site map were created to establish the flow and navigation.
WIREFRAMES
After testing basic paper prototypes and low fidelity wireframes, clickable prototypes were created. This allowed me to understand how some design functions could be improved or changed. I implemented some of those in the following round of wireframes.
UI DESIGN
Once the prototype was tested, I designed final screens for each selected task. I wanted a clean and minimal interface to support the ArtWork I was showcasing.
RESULTS
User testing brought a positive response to the idea itself and the usability of the product.
I am looking for local groups to help me build this product.
