GALLA
Promoting contemporary forms of artistry and educating through exposure and example via virtual art galleries and exhibitions.
PASSION PROJECT
ROLE
UI/UX Designer and UX Researcher
SKILLS
UI/UX Design, UX Research, Prototyping, Figma
JUMP TO FINAL
PROBLEM
How do we consume art today?
Rather than spending the time, money, and effort to go to a museum, the modern day consumer opts for digital media for entertainment or inspiration. Movies, YouTube videos, Instagram, TikTok, video games...artists are behind all forms of media.
But today's museums don't feature this work. Instead, digital art gets compressed into blurry pixels and distributed all over social media, often without organization or credit.
Hence, art galleries grow further away from modern consumers, and the value of art gets cheaper. Galla is a way to highlight the abundant art in our digital world in an accessible, fresh manner, while bringing back value to digital creativity.
Rather than spending the time, money, and effort to go to a museum, the modern day consumer opts for digital media for entertainment or inspiration. Movies, YouTube videos, Instagram, TikTok, video games...artists are behind all forms of media.
But today's museums don't feature this work. Instead, digital art gets compressed into blurry pixels and distributed all over social media, often without organization or credit.
Hence, art galleries grow further away from modern consumers, and the value of art gets cheaper. Galla is a way to highlight the abundant art in our digital world in an accessible, fresh manner, while bringing back value to digital creativity.
ART MUSEUMS
ARE EXCLUSIVE.
BOTH TO VIEWERS,
AND ARTISTS.
ARE EXCLUSIVE.
BOTH TO VIEWERS,
AND ARTISTS.
SOLUTION PREVIEW
First, find a gallery.
...from Home.
Get personalized recommendations in your home feed for upcoming galleries based on your preferences, history, and location.
Get personalized recommendations in your home feed for upcoming galleries based on your preferences, history, and location.
...from Search.
Say hello to efficient discovery. Browse the categories of art you’re interested in, or search directly for a topic you’re looking for.
Say hello to efficient discovery. Browse the categories of art you’re interested in, or search directly for a topic you’re looking for.
Then, buy tickets.
Smoothly checkout in app.
After checkout, view all your passes, current and expired, in one place.
Finally, enjoy the gallery!
RESEARCH
I interviewed 10 budding creatives on their opinion of current solutions to consuming art, and discovered a lack of access and relevance in today’s physical art museums.
They expressed interest in exhibitions on forms of new creativity (digital illustration, motion design, game design, etc.) and a lack of solution to consume it.
Based on the words of endless online communities of creative professionals and as a working artist myself, creative professionals are not satisfied with existing ways of sharing their art.
They expressed interest in exhibitions on forms of new creativity (digital illustration, motion design, game design, etc.) and a lack of solution to consume it.
Based on the words of endless online communities of creative professionals and as a working artist myself, creative professionals are not satisfied with existing ways of sharing their art.
"I didn't even have the
opportunity to go"
"I wish it was more immersive"
"The typical art that’s on
display isn't the most interesting"
opportunity to go"
"I wish it was more immersive"
"The typical art that’s on
display isn't the most interesting"
IDEATION
Prioritizing for Time Constraints
For this initial design sprint, I decided to focus on prioritizing personalization and accessibility.
ITERATION
After low-fi and mid-fi, I conducted usability studies with 5 different users. I adjusted Galla's design based on these studies to improve ease of use and clarity. A few examples:
"I just need more information."
What to include on a Gallery's card? In the low-fi iteration, Gallery cards showed only the cover image, the title, and the opening date.
However, users stated that was not enough. They did not realize that galleries were open for limited periods of time, and stated that the cost of attending would be an important factor in their decision.
However, users stated that was not enough. They did not realize that galleries were open for limited periods of time, and stated that the cost of attending would be an important factor in their decision.
"What's the difference between Home and Explore?"
Users were not able to easily identify the difference between the home and explore page.
To clarify the broader nature of the explore page, I swapped the globe icon for a search icon and changed the layout from a endless scroll to a catalog structure. Additional context was added to galleries suggested on the home.
To clarify the broader nature of the explore page, I swapped the globe icon for a search icon and changed the layout from a endless scroll to a catalog structure. Additional context was added to galleries suggested on the home.
"What even is a ticket?"
The low-fi iteration of Galla used the metaphor of purchasing a "ticket" to gaining access to a gallery. Users stated that this was confusing, since tickets could only be used once, whereas users would be able to return to Galla galleries as many times as they'd like before the gallery closed.
To better reflect the nature of Galla galleries, I changed the terminology to purchasing "access passes" to "unlock" a gallery.
To better reflect the nature of Galla galleries, I changed the terminology to purchasing "access passes" to "unlock" a gallery.
SUCCESS METRICS & KPIS
Quantitative
1. Weekly number of tickets purchased for galleries
2. Percentage of registered users that unlocked at least one gallery in the first week of using the app
3. Conversion rate: What percentage of registered users who clicked on a gallery purchased tickets?
4. Bounce rate: what percentage of ticket purchasers entered a gallery and did not engage with the exhibits within the gallery?
5. Average session duration spent in a gallery
6. What percentage of users opened the app at least once every two weeks for 8 consecutive weeks
1. Weekly number of tickets purchased for galleries
2. Percentage of registered users that unlocked at least one gallery in the first week of using the app
3. Conversion rate: What percentage of registered users who clicked on a gallery purchased tickets?
4. Bounce rate: what percentage of ticket purchasers entered a gallery and did not engage with the exhibits within the gallery?
5. Average session duration spent in a gallery
6. What percentage of users opened the app at least once every two weeks for 8 consecutive weeks
Qualitative
Follow up surveys with users.
Follow up surveys with users.
By tracking these statistics, we can monitor whether Galla is performing and growing at a desired level.
TAKEAWAYS
Be Ruthless.
I hoard my design work. I expect the effort I put in to yield proportional results, but that is often not the case. Sometimes, I spent hours designing a feature, just to later receive feedback that it was confusing and needed a complete redesign. Kindly, learn to be ruthless. Fight sunk cost fallacy, and prioritize the best path for your product. Effort does not go to waste, it merely leads to something better.
Ask for Feedback, and then Ask Again.
I confess I harbor a designer’s ego, making my own unconscious decisions and assumptions about the best direction for the product. But it is arrogant of me to design on the pretense that I understand the needs of Galla’s users better than they understand themselves. I relentlessly asked for feedback, advice, and criticism. Design needs stories.
Signing off! -Elissa.
It's not perfect.
While Galla aims to address pain points associated with in-person exhibitions, Galla comes with its own holes as well. Virtual exhibitions are inherently less immersive and less favorable for physical artwork. Those without access to technology will not be able to use Galla. However, I am confident that additional iterations will lead to continual improvement for Galla.
