Rachanaa M Raghuthama
Artize - Art gallery auction app
Art gallery auction app is an app that facilitates user to bid and buy their favorite art. It provides the user the same exact experience of an on-site art auction but only now it is through this feasible app.
Project overview
The problem
Busy individuals and incommutable people often find it difficult to make it to an on-site auction and need an easier way for this process
The goal
To bring the users an on-site auction to their place through an app so that they can easily bid and buy the art whenever they want
My role
UX designer trainee designing an app for Artize - an art gallery auction app from bidding, payment and delivery
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
User research : Summary
I conducted interview and designed empathy maps, user journey map and user story for understanding the users I am designing for and their needs.Primary user group identified are the working adults who cannot find time for offline auctions.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions, but research also revealed time was not the only constraint .Other problems include the challenges that one faces make it difficult for their mobility or their impairments that becomes an hindrance.
"I like art collections and i need an easy way to buy them online"
- an interviewee
Paper wireframes
I usually start the design process with low fidelity wireframes. This is the way I iterate through many design options quickly.
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well-suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized a quick and easy art selecting process to help users save time.
Digital wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research which can help to conduct usability study.
Usability Sudy
Before launching the app, it is necessary to figure out if finding and participating in an auction is feasible. A usability study was conducted to understand what specific challenges the users might face during the process of ordering, payment, and other connection processes, and how these challenges can be fixed to provide the utmost user friendly experience.
Research questions
How long does it take for the users to buy the art?
Are the users easily able to navigate through different sections of the app?
Are there any parts where they are getting stuck?
Are they able to successfully complete the entire process?
High-fidelity prototypes
Early design was confusing for the users, after the usability study more obvious user flow was facilitated for the updating bid functionality.
Delivery details, payment details and confirmation page was added for better user experience.
Takeaway and Next steps
What i learned
While designing the Artize app, I learned that the first ideas for the app are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and
feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs.
Future steps
This project can be extended to artists as well who can post their art for auction
Add functionality of speech for better experience
Conduct more user research to determine any new areas of need.