PROJECT BACKGROUND
The UK has seen an increase in cultural engagement since the conclusion of the coronavirus pandemic. We have also become increasingly reliant on digital products for information. Where the population has yearned for more arts, the digital products relaying information on the arts, as not kept up with the demand.
PROBLEM
The Art Fund users are without a mobile app platform. They cannot access the service on the go, making it more difficult to find events, or have knowledge of whether their membership grants a discounted entry.
OBJECTIVES
Provide information on cultural events and exhibitions taking place within the UK.
Increase user engagement with Art Fund.
Offer clarity on membership benefits.
PROJECT TYPE
Event discovery app
ROLE
Product Design
UI Design
UX Research
TOOLS
Figma
Premiere
TIMELINE
Nov 2024
Feb 2025
£1.5B - annual economic impact of the cultural sector.
89% - aged 16 and over engaging in the arts.
100M - estimated footfall of museums each year.
33% - people had visited a museum or gallery.
More recent statistics (courtesy of the UK Arts Council) also show an increase in engagement for those seeking a 'heads-up' on cultural events, from 2022 - 2024.
Engagement in
the Arts
Digital
28%
46%
Physical
89%
90%
Total
90%
91%
Engagement in
Heritage
Digital
18%
25%
Physical
67%
66%
Total
69%
69%
Engagement in
Museums
Digital
9%
13%
Physical
33%
43%
Total
36%
46%
User research
With these statistics in mind, I surveyed 50 individuals, seeking to gain insights into their experiences and perceptions. The aim was gather data on whether they were satisfied with the current platforms available and to uncover areas for improvement.
I sourced participants from creative industries, and online forums associated with art and design, as well as people who enjoy the arts 'casually'. I used a Survey Monkey form for them to answer the questions I had.
I interviewed the participants to gather anecdotal feedback as well, it was important to take their personal experiences with art platforms into account - building a case study on statistics and data alone is not enough to build empathy for the user.
With their routine experiences and opinions in mind, a knowledge of what platforms they currently use was crucial. This would allow me to perform a relevant competitive audit based on their precise user history. The following is a breakdown of what they currently use.
12.5%
Artsy
Saatchi Art
25%
ArtSpace
ArtRabbit
Art Newspaper
Google Arts & Culture
37%
EventBrite
With their platform history, I carried out a competitive audit to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each, with the intention of finding areas in which Art Fund could thrive.
Current feature
Missing feature
Semi-present
The key areas that the current art platform market is negating are: User Reviews, Discounts and Ticket Purchase. These are all areas that can be solved and provide a greater experience for the user when they are searching for cultural events.
I once again took to my participants and asked what are the desired features they would want in a new platform for finding events….
Recommendations
Suggested events based on chosen preferences.
Artist profiles
Biographies on listed creators.
Social elements
A private messaging system, follow other accounts.
Discounts
Discounts on events through a membership.
Ticket purchase
Buy event tickets through the app.
Reviews
User reviews on events and shows.
"Would having an Art Fund app with the pass on your phone encourage you to visit exhibitions more?"
70% answered yes.
In a one-sided manner, our client exhibits a deep fascination with the arts. Despite the fact that London is the art fulcrum, they are keen on exploring what's happening in the UK outside this artistic hub. As a rule, they opt for events that are shaped by the perspectives of others and incidental advertisements they come across.
Pain points
Knowing which events the Art Pass Membership is eligible for.
Having a physical card, when the user uses their phone more than a wallet of cards.
Not knowing enough about amenities at venues in the UK.
Needs
To find cultural events throughout the UK that align with their creative interests.
A rating system for users.
Clear event recommendations, and filtering.
To be able to save events for later.
A pain point I picked up on is that given that Art Fund is a charity that welcomes support - not having a mobile app limits the immediacy of their users being able to make donations.
Obstacle
Platforms inefficiently
suggesting events.
Using multiple sources
for objective.
Problem
Users find events
based on chance
The process takes
too long
Hypothesis
A personalised experience, with suggestions based on the user's chosen preferences.
Indications of what events the user's National Art Pass is valid for.
A system in which users can upload reviews and follow others to read theirs.
Synthesising
user insights
+ building the
design system
SYNTHESISING NEEDS
The construction of information architecture was needed to organise and present the different features that would be used in the product and begin formulating an idea of hierarchy in features. The idea was to categorise.
For you
Recommended events
Sort by / Filter
Save events
Discount indications
Reviews
Ratings
Link to user profiles
Photographs
Filter by event
Event Listing
Event photo
Link to insitution
Rating
Link to reviews
Description
Address / Contact
Map
Ameneties
Similar events
Explore
Search
Categories
Sort by / filter
National Art Pass
Art Pass card
Expiry date
Art Pass details
Art Pass renewal
Art Pass purchase
Locations for Art Pass
Offers
USE CASE DIAGRAM
CRAZY 8's + LO-FI WIREFRAMING
Rough foundations constructed from research and initial ideation, to generate quick ideas on the layout and elements of the Art Fund app, these were then translated into lo-fi wireframes on paper, and then more detailed digital wireframes. The diagram below displays the three iterations for the For You page. I used this wireframing process for each one of the pages.
ATOMIC DESIGN
A design system in keeping with Art Fund's brand identity, was what I set out to create. I took into account font, iconography and colour palette - all with the intention of reflecting the current Art Fund branding as an approachable, soft aesthetic. Once it was set, it could be moulded for each section of the app, but still feel the same regardless of the change in colour or text.
COLOUR PALETTE
Art Fund use a variety of colour combinations. I checked and altered them to meet the specific WCAG. All heading combinations meet AAA needs. It was a challenge in making such a colour palette seamless on a small scale, so opted to limit each screen to a maximum of 3-4 main colours: background, body text, and the 'branding' for navigation and menus.
Donate
#164C8E
#5AEBC7
For you
#1025A7
#FCB5F5
Your account
#265451
#C3FFCD
Explore
#2BF9C8
#AC1593
Reviews
#7CCAE9
#18279C
Saved
#F99AF2
#1026A7
Our purpose
#0169CC
#FFF556
National Art Pass
#B813AA
#FFFFFF
Basket
#95E894
#1D1D1F
TYPOGRAPHY
The chosen typography uses a replacement for the company font, in the main headings and CTA's, with a simple font for longer sections of text.
Frustratingly, Art Fund has their own company font, which is unavailable to designers outside of the organisation. However, I found one that resembles it very closely, which I believe is one of the fonts used in combination with others, to make their logo. Lexend Deca. This is a font that combines soft curves in lettering, with a sharp point, it is similar to many others found it art establishments like galleries and museums with a post-modern aesthetic, angular and eye-catching.
SF Pro Text is used for the body text, for no other reason than it is very straight-forward and easily read. It is also easily set apart from the heading texts. Simple.
ICONOGRAPHY
The design of the iconography and buttons were constructed so they could all be repurposed for each page of the app, using Art Fund's varying colour palette. This would allow for the creative branding to be kept throughout the experience and represent the variety on offer to the user.
ACTION BAR
NAVIGATION BUTTON
Reflection
Evaluating the case study
WHAT I LEARNED
The main lesson from I took from this case-study, was the importance of iteration. There were many times where I found myself feeling satisfied with my designs, and would take a step back. However it was only upon revisiting my research, that was able to see further improvements that could be applied to the designs.
Investigation serves as a crucial foundation in creation. You're designing for clients, not personal use. Every bit of knowledge collected, will dictate the final design's appearance, sensation and functionality.
POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS
The foundations of the app's design have been successfully laid, and there is a clear user flow to be followed, but the app could use extra features. Potentially an increased social element - a messaging structure, or the ability to like posts and leave comments. The only hesitancy in adding these is that the app becomes to ingrained with social media qualities and overloads the user with too much information.
