Timeline:
4 weeks
My Role:
UX/UI designer from conception to delivery.
Team:
Individual Project
Software:
Figma, Adobe Photohop,
Adobe Illustrator
INTRODUCTION
The Sursock Museum
The Sursock Museum, an iconic cultural institution in Beirut, faced a devastating blow on August 4th, when the tragic explosion shook the city to its core. This catastrophic event left the museum heavily damaged, impacting its precious art collection and temporarily forcing its doors shut. However, in the face of adversity, the spirit of resilience and determination prevailed. Now, after two years of extensive restoration efforts, the Sursock Museum proudly reopens its doors, ready to embrace a new chapter and welcome art enthusiasts and visitors from all corners of the world.
In light of this change, the museum's mission has evolved to open its doors to a wider audience, making art knowledge acquired within its walls more accessible to everyone. As part of their commitment to improving the visitor journey, the museum seeks innovative ways to enhance the art appreciation experience, ensuring that each guest can immerse themselves in a world of creativity and history.
PROBLEM
How can we help museum visitors better understand and appreciate the displayed artwork while offering a more flexible and personalized experience?
The Sursock museum attendees have faced challenges in understanding the displayed artwork, impacting their overall enjoyment of the exhibits. Additionally, the traditional guided tours did not cater to individuals seeking a more personalized and flexible experience. The main goals of the project were: to democratize art appreciation, ensuring accessibility for all, and to create an interactive and personalized journey that allows visitors to explore artworks at their own pace. Therefore, fostering an enjoyable and enriching experience for everyone and contributing to the revival of this beautiful museum in the heart of Beirut.
SOLUTION
A more advanced version of the tour guide is the way forward.
Audio tour guide:
Detailed art descriptions through audio narration for a richer understanding of each piece.
Accessible and user-friendly audio features making information learning effortless for all visitors.
Art exploration made simple:
Visitors can browse and select their preferred art pieces through an interactive map.
Easy-to-follow guided navigation, ensuring a seamless museum experience.
Customized art journey:
Quickly access an audio narration through an in-app QR code scanner.
Suggestion of similar artworks based on user preferences, enhancing exploration and discovery.
SURVEY
The majority of survey respondents expressed frustration with the way art information was presented during their previous guided museum visits.
To commence the project, I conducted a survey to collect quantitative data around the visitors’ experience. The survey aimed to investigate their museum journey, assessing the impact of guided tours and their comprehension of the art pieces exhibited.
With a guide
25%
Solo Exploration
25%
Sufficient
Information
35%
Insufficient Information
65%
Curiosity
19%
Overwhelm
13%
Happy
26%
Frustrated
42%
Not as much and they would like
52%
Yes, a good amount
48%
Current ways visitors explore the museum
Current Information Availability
Emotions During Museum Journey
Knowledge Gained from Museum Visit
INTERVIEW
The participants expressed dissatisfaction with the museum's offered guided tours and indicated a desire for a more flexible system that caters to their individual needs of learning.
The interviews aimed to understand how the current guided tour system impacts visitors' experiences and identify areas for improvement. The goal was to find a solution that ensures an enjoyable museum journey for everyone, regardless of their interest and prior art knowledge.
MAIN INSIGHT
A need for a user-friendly method to access comprehensive art piece descriptions while ensuring flexibility and accessibility.
Drawing from the trends revealed in the affinity map, I've pinpointed crucial insights that will serve as the focal elements during the ideation phase of the project and its development.
Consistent experience
“I'm tired of receiving an amount of information depending on the mood of the tour guide, would be nice to have some consistency.”
Personalized rhythm
"Sometimes I want to spend more time on one art piece and skip others."
Inclusive experience for all
"As a tourist, it's sometimes hard to understand what the tour guide is saying since I'm not fluent in the language."
PERSONAS & JOURNEY MAPS
Inclusive accessibility ensures that it caters to everyone's needs, regardless of their journey
To adopt a user-centric approach and gain a deeper understanding of their perspective, I crafted a persona and a journey map, enabling me to empathize with their emotions and experiences at each stage of the process.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS + GAP
From traditional to modern information delivery is crucial to attract more people and create a pleasant museum journey.
The competitive report compared museum tours in Lebanon and abroad and showed the need for an inclusive and accessible experience for all visitors. They have transitioned from traditional in-person tours to an audio tour guide. This approach helps people understand artworks, participate in museum activities, and explore freely based on their preferences, creating a personalized and enjoyable journey.
IDEATION
Creating an audio tour guide app to ensure the best journey and experience for all visitors.
Creating an audio mobile app emerged as the ideal approach, ensuring a personalized journey for every attendee, regardless of their background and prior art knowledge.
Audio guide
Effortless access to artwork information, ensuring a seamless and enriching museum experience.
Personalized art journey
Experience the museum in a customized way, with the freedom to navigate and explore at your own pace.
Inclusive art experience
Ensuring that art appreciation is enjoyable and open to people of all ages, languages, and abilities.
PAPER WIREFRAMES
My Paper wireframes.
USABILITY STUDY: TESTING AND IMPROVEMENTS
Three major improvements in my design
The usability studies conducted yielded valuable insights into the user experience, shedding light on their perspective while interacting with the app. Analyzing the mockups and prototypes of the initial design revealed a cluttered interface that overwhelmed users with excessive information and uncovered certain challenges within the app's navigation flow. This evaluation guided me to create a more seamless and refined user-friendly design.
Enhanced user flow
Enlarging the images of art pieces not only elevates their significance but also declutters the page, leading to a more seamless user flow and improved overall experience.
Streamlined design
By decluttering the page and adhering to better design principles, we ensure a smooth and effortless navigation experience for users.
Enhanced map features
By incorporating more advanced features on the map, visitors can enjoy increased flexibility, enriching their overall experience.
FINAL SCREENS
The final product
Art-centric homepage
Intuitive navigation for seamless exploration of various flows, ensuring an enjoyable experience for every user.
Accessible to all with big images and a clear UI, showcasing all important app features.
User-friendly onboarding page
Due to a large variety of visitors, a clear onboarding ensures all users grasp the app’s functionalities.
Interactive map
Locate nearby art pieces quickly using the map's museum location feature.
Get directions to preferred art pieces, offering flexibility and personalization for an enriched museum experience.
Inclusive art descriptions
Detailed art descriptions available in both audio and written formats for accessibility.
Ensures equal knowledge for all visitors, facilitating a deeper understanding of the art pieces.
QR code scanner
Save time by quickly scanning QR codes to find art pieces.
Access detailed descriptions of art pieces through the QR code scanner, enhancing the exploration experience.
STYLE GUIDE
The style guide
CONCLUSION AND LESSON LEARNED
The impact it will have
Following the Sursock Museum's reopening after the devastating explosion, the upcoming audio app will introduce a new immersive art experience to visitors. The museum's aspiration is to share its collection globally and enrich the visitor experience. Currently in development, the app will provide detailed art descriptions and offer inclusivity through audio and written options. Anticipated to attract more visitors, boost tourism, and aid the museum's revival, this innovation will also promote Lebanese culture on a global scale.
As the Sursock Museum prepares to launch its audio app, people are already expressing their expectations and excitement:
"I think this app is a fantastic way for the Sursock Museum to bounce back after the challenges it faced. It's a step toward modernizing the museum experience and attracting a wider audience."
Samir
"As someone who has witnessed the museum's restoration efforts, I believe the audio app will elevate its cultural impact. It's an exciting development for both local and international visitors."
Rana
"Knowing that the Sursock Museum is developing an audio app has me thrilled for my next visit. I can't wait to have a more immersive and educational experience with the artworks."
Alex
