An interactive ecosystem designed to help families and youngsters learn about women's literature
For this project, I was inspired by Women's History Month and the Austin Public Library's use of infotainment for education of people of diverse ages.
My team was also excited by the prospect of incorporating Augmented Reality (AR), since it provides libraries a unique avenue to enhancing engagement and learning outcomes through a landscape of customizable exhibits. AR exhibits also let people dive into culturally diverse, women's stories while engaging with visually stunning, interactive spaces.
This project overview details our research process to build a new MVP (mobile application and a mockup of the physical space) for Art ImmHERsive.
I worked as a UX Researcher and Designer, alongside Vanessa, Varsha and Liz.
Spring 2023 (10 weeks - February to April)
Recruitment:
Linkedin, Instagram, GCalendar
Research:
Google Forms and Excel ,
Figma (prototype and testing), Figjam (affinity diagrams, personas)
Research phase:
• Analyzed 4 out of 10 exhibits for competitive analysis, which informed personas
• Created a screener survey and conducted 3 out of 9 interviews
• Led two rounds of user testing, design of testing materials and data analysis (SUS)
• Led lo-fi wireframes and information architecture
Since this project involved information architecture that needed to be tested for an exhibit, I employed the agile design methodology. This iterative process helped in seamlessly combining the multiple layers of my team's work(the content research, the application design and the 3D rendering of the space) crucial for the objectives set out during ideation.
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We wanted to analyze immersive exhibits to understand user expectations, needs and opportunities for creating a distinctive brand identity for Art ImmHERsive. To this end, we collaboratively came up with a study plan, which included the following:
• Competitive Analysis
• Surveys and User Interviews
• Personas and User Journey Maps (Synthesis of Findings)
• 3 - 4 Research Goals
The team collaboratively conducted competitive research to identify strengths, weakness and gaps that we can tap in. I analyzed 4 out of 10 exhibits in terms of interactivity, AR usage, companion app use, accessibility, and cultural impact.
The goal here was to identify common strengths, weaknesses, and pain points. To shape the way we thought about the exhibit, I split the data between three categories
The screener survey revealed that the visitors of the exhibit could be people of any age, social and professional background. While we uncovered 3 potential user groups: Young professionals, parents with children and people above the age of 50. Due to time constraints, we decided to focus on young professionals and parents with children.
I conducted 3 out 9 interviews with respondents, with the following key findings that informed my design decisions:
Most people rely on print materials or look for signage rather than on their phones for information. Moreover, senior citizens and kids may have the hardest time understanding maps. We must create print materials and let users trace their path on phones through a map that lets them check off things.
To maintain attention, we must alternate between text-heavy and audio-heavy stations, each lasting less than 15 minutes. It is requisite to eliminate wait times between segments and allow for skipping. Further research is needed to determine audio playback preferences, whether on loop or on command.
Kids and young adults are mostly drawn to spectacle and interactivity. People with kids are mostly concerned with the appropriateness of the content and if the experience will be engaging enough to keep their kids’ attention.
Participants valued the freedom of exploration, with 7 out of 9 expressing positive sentiments towards getting lost. However, they also emphasized the importance of easy navigation and essential facilities like food, bathrooms, and a directory.
The aggregated findings from the interviews and screener surveys revealed key frustrations. These pain points and needs were crucial in informing my design decisions later on.
By imagining our intended audiences, we adapted our product to suit how the physical space, the application and interpersonal would impact user experience.
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By imagining our intended audiences, we adapted our product to suit how the physical space, the application and interpersonal would impact user experience.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
For the initial design, we did a quick Crazy 8's as a team. This exercise helped us agree on essential functions for the mobile app - including a flow for learning about the exhibit and reserving tickets, audio guides, an AR camera, a QR code scanner, a wayfinder and a feature of saving favorite parts of the exhibit.
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While sketching, my goal was to give users a way of readily and conveniently accessing the features during the exhibit. This was especially important to keep the users focused on the immersive experience, instead of unintuitive app design. Accordingly, we finalized on my design which incorporated a bottom navigation bar with icons for the aforementioned features.
My tidied low fidelity wireframes are given below. The user interaction design was inspired by my experiences with museum and art exhibits.
To iteratively test and improve the comprehensibility of our layered information architecture, I designed a list of quick tasks to assess whether users could quickly and easily navigate through main flows.
Task 1: Find the One Thousand and One Nights event you have scheduled a visit to see.
Task 2 : Listen to the audio version of Chapter 1 of the story.
Task 3: Collect the gold lamp’s AR token.
From this round of testing, I derived the following key takeaways:
From this round of testing, I derived the following key takeaways:
Nomenclature: The names of several pages confused users, e.g. Art, Explore, My Library - it was challenging for users to complete information-seeking tasks on the first pass when they were unsure what they would find on these pages.
Navigability: The hamburger menu needed to be workshopped to include, exclude, and reorder functions. Additionally, it was challenging for users to locate the Princess Badr exhibit because they weren’t sure where to navigate- e.g. Exhibits, My Events, My Master Library.
Core Functionality: Some users weren’t sure they grasped the main purpose of the app. An e-reader? A booking site? Additional information? The AR game? We decided to focus less on booking and e-reading, and more on providing additional information + the AR game.
On the basis of lo-fi feedback, we created an updated mid-fi Figma prototype:
We conducted mid-fi testing right after spring break to further develop our phone app and to understand user behaviors at in-person exhibits
Nomenclature: The names of several pages confused users, e.g. Art, Explore, My Library - it was challenging for users to complete information-seeking tasks on the first pass when they were unsure what they would find on these pages.
Navigability: The hamburger menu needed to be workshopped to include, exclude, and reorder functions. Additionally, it was challenging for users to locate the Princess Badr exhibit because they weren’t sure where to navigate- e.g. Exhibits, My Events, My Master Library.
Core Functionality: Some users weren’t sure they grasped the main purpose of the app. An e-reader? A booking site? Additional information? The AR game? We decided to focus less on booking and e-reading, and more on providing additional information + the AR game.
We set up our simulated environment in the PCL grad student lounge.
I also mapped our information architecture to ensure that all flows were complete and would make sense to our users - this was done in multiple iterations till the final outcome.
• Learn about Art ImmHERsive production house
• Find the exhibit of interest in your city
• Book your tickets
• Find logistical information about the exhibit
• Access the map and find something you want to see first
• Listen to the audio guide
• Learn about the AR game
• Open AR camera to see hidden story items
• Save a story item to your collection and learn more about the item
• Scan a QR code to quickly access a story’s page
• Find your collected story items
We produced a simplified information architecture for the hi-fi to emphasize key flows.
We overhauled the navigability of the app, added several micro-interactions, and implemented a design system in our hi-fi prototype.
Block Quote
Block Quote
For the final usability tests, we relied on the Wizard of Oz technique to simulate the 1,001 Nights exhibit by putting up themed decor, paintings and sign posts for directions in the physical space. After setting up the space, I conducted usability testing sessions with 5 out 7 participants. The task flows assessed were as follows:
Task 1 - Open the app and create an account. Then, find out if your friend/child will be able to access the physical space in her wheelchair.
Task 2 - Find the event collection 1,001 Nights and locate Exhibit 1: The Story of Princess Badr to save to your events.
Task 3 - Look for information on Princess Badr’s relationship to 1,001 Nights.
Task 4 - In the app, scan the QR code. Navigate to Chapter 4’s audio guide and favorite it for later.
Task 5 -Task: Find out how to play the AR game for this exhibit, and let me know when you think you understand.
Task 6 - Start playing the AR Game: open the cam to see what the magic keys will reveal to you. Also, save the token to your collection, then view the collection.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
As a result of hi-fi testing on the mobile app prototype, we pinpointed 3 areas of focus for improving upon the prototype: nomenclature, navigability, and core functionality.
Information architecture: Some users had challenges with locating Accessibility info and finding the audio guide that stemmed from the nesting of a specific exhibit’s information into the overall app (which supports many exhibits).
Comprehension: Some users did not quite understand the relationship between Princess Badr’s story and the overarching collection, One Thousand and One Nights.
AR game: Users pinpointed some minor issues with mechanics (e.g. capturing an AR token) and gave suggestions for the incentive structure we built into the game.
The seamless integration of exhibit and app design requires being cognizant of accessibility needs to avoid sensory issues.
Information architecture is crucial for designing complex experiences at all levels of content strategy, physical design and app design.
While designing for diverse audiences, it is important to provide adequate cultural context without creating information overload.
The seamless integration of exhibit and app design requires being cognizant of accessibility needs to avoid sensory issues.
Information architecture is crucial for designing complex experiences at all levels of content strategy, physical design and app design.
While designing for diverse audiences, it is important to provide adequate cultural context without creating information overload.
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