The MET: The AR Experience

ENHANCING THE MUSEUM WITH AR

TIME

SUMMER 2023 (THREE WEEKS)

TEAM

GROUP OF FOUR:
BOOTCAMP

TOOLS

FIGMA
FIGJAM

ROLE

UX/UI DESIGN
UX RESEARCH

OVERVIEW

My group shared a deep passion for art and attending museums, so we wanted to create an app that would enrich our visits.

Through research, we found that some users found the museum experience tedious since they are often left to wander with little knowledge of the exhibit locations and the history of the artwork. They also had issues with navigation and dealing with crowds.

My group believed that creating a museum experience that is more engaging and easy to navigate would encourage patrons to explore more exhibits, learn more about the art, and generate future revisits.

Recognizing the potential for a more user-friendly experience, our team created an augmented reality app to address the challenges faced by visitors to the MET Museum.

PROBLEM

Users find the museum experience tedious due to limited exhibit information and navigational challenges.

How might we enhance engagement with artwork, create more learning opportunities, and offer convenient navigation for museum-goers to easily locate and explore exhibits of interest?

RESEARCH: SURVEY

The purpose of this survey was not only to gauge pain points but to also see how they behave in a museum and their level of experience with AR.

Pie chart detailing "When you visit a museum about how many minutes do you spend on average in a room?" The majority was 5-10 minutes with 55% of survery takers.

Pie Chart detailing "How often do you visit museums_ What was the last museum you visited/when?" most often with "once every few months: with 50% of survey takers

The purpose of this survey was not only to gauge pain points but to also see how they behave in a museum and their level of experience with AR. Of the people who took our survey, 50% of them visit often (once every few months) and 55% of them spend a fair amount of time in each room (5-10 minutes).

Bar graph showing "How would an AR app affect your experience with interacting more with museum exhibits?" most people responded with "positively impact experience"

Bar chart detailing "How likely would you be to download a museum app if it offered an in app navigation and AR?" the most responded to answer was "likely"

About 60% of them have not used an app that has augmented reality, so we knew we would have to have an onboarding process that goes over the AR portion of the app to avoid confusion. Thankfully, the majority of the survey-takers believed an AR app would improve their exam experience, and that they would download one.

SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMING

We knew we needed a detailed onboarding process...

due to 60% of the people who took our survey not having experience with AR before. We wanted to make sure all the users were comfortable using all the features.

Wireframes and sketches of the onboarding app process

The app has an augmented reality feature where they can get more information about an art piece just by pointing their phone's camera at the artwork.

Just swipe up on the panel, and they can have a deeper understanding of the work and the artist. They can also see recommended art pieces they may like.

Early sketches of the AR camera feature of our app

Wireframes of the AR Navigational feature and map

Further, it has an AR navigation feature where a user can look up art they want to see, and the map will guide them straight to it!

This will make it easier for users to navigate around the museum, and they can see what they came here to see.

RESEARCH: USABILITY TESTING

Due to the features in our app that may be challenging to some users, we wanted to ensure that it was easy to navigate and user-friendly. So, we conducted two usability tests for our initial and final prototype.

Key Takeaways

Users suggested to decrease the number of icons and increase the number of labels
There was positive feedback regarding the look of the prototype
SUS Score of 79 - ranking “Good”

ITERATIONS AND MORE USABILITY TESTING

We aimed to integrate the valuable feedback we received into our final prototype.

Here are some of the iterations we did:

We changed the style and color of the icons.
- Further, in the navigational section, there is a toggle/”scan” feature that allows users to not view the icons.
  - Before, some users thought it was a bit busy, the new icons are much easier to look at.
We also added more labeling on the onboarding, to ensure ease of use.

An iPhone mockup of the AR navigational feature. There is a red path directing you to the art piece.

“Scan” that toggles the icons on and off

An iPhone mockup of the onboarding process detailing how to the AR camera feature. It is telling the users to aim your camera, tap the icon, and discover more.

Straightforward labeling on the onboarding

So, with these changes, we carried out another usability test on our high-fidelity prototype.

Key Takeaways

Overall positive feedback
- Users enjoyed the aesthetics of the app
The only comment was to incorporate a progress bar in the onboarding
SUS Score of 91.75 - ranking “Excellent”

HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE

We Created a Stunning Interface to Reflect the Beauty of the MET.

A GIF going through the onboarding process

Homepage + Search

Simple layout to allow the art to stand-out
Featured and suggested exhibits and pieces to increase discoverability

A GIF going through the AR camera feature

AR Nav + Map

A user can look up art they want to see, and the map will guide them straight to it
Further, they can just swipe up and they can see exactly where they are on the map

Onboarding

Captivating intro animation
Extensive onboarding due to 60% of our survey-takers not having experience with AR

A GIF going through the homepage and search pages

AR Camera

Users can get more information about an art piece just by pointing their phone at the artwork
Just swipe up on the panel, and they can have a deeper understanding of the work and the artist.

A GIF going through the AR Navigational and Map feature

Full Prototype

OKRs AND KPIs

Get 1,000 daily users
- Average of 3.4 million visitors a year -> 8.7k visitors a day
- Increase marketing of the app
Get above a Mobile NPS score of 20
- NPS is a metric measuring returning users who also recommend family, friends, and colleagues to use the service
- Improve overall flow and user experience
Reduce user turnover
- Reduce user churn by 10%
- Increase user responses to feedback survey by 15%

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Gamify Navigation
- Appeal to the younger audience
Settings
- Allow users to create a profile for customizations
Audio Tour multiple languages
Integration for AR exhibits/experiences
- Subscription for users to experience the museum from anywhere and everywhere
Shopping feature
- Links to the MET store to increase revenue

RESULTS

We met our goal...

of creating a beautiful, engaging experience that will ease the pain points that The MET's visitors currently face. This is supported by our 91.75 SUS score and the positive feedback.

A user mentioned they “love[d] the visuals” and that it looked “very clean.”

In terms of what I had a heavier hand in, I participated in the majority of the hi-fi prototype in terms of designing and prototyping.

REFLECTION

What I Learned

1.) The group members make or break the project- For this project, I adored my group. Since everyone had similar ideas and interests, the planning and execution of the project were efficient and streamlined. Thanks to our work ethic we were consistently two days ahead of schedule.

2.) Use the time allotted- Since we were two days ahead, instead of slacking with our extra time, we used it to further enhance the project. We utilized every extra day to ensure our project was not only user-friendly but beautiful as well.

3.) Align your strengths- One of the ways we were able to achieve our speed was that we made some tough decisions early on in terms of who would be working on what. We decided who was strongest and assigned them to those tasks—even if it wasn’t their favorite activity. Still, you need feedback and approval from your group to finalize ideas and designs.

CASE STUDY SLIDEDECK HERE