OnMuseums

TL;DR: Project Outcome

In this project, my team designed the virtual museum viewing mobile app that includes the following metrics: 

- Targeted 33 countries under strict COVID-19 lockdowns to mitigate suicidal thoughts and trauma stemming from social isolation.

- Designed to offer a 3D virtual tour of more than 1,200 museums and galleries through a unified mobile app platform.

- Promoted social interaction through 4 unique mobile features, leveraging audio, video, and 3D tech for an immersive virtual museum.

Problem Statement

During COVID-19 lockdowns, lasting up to 21 days across 33 countries, many individuals experienced heightened levels of PTSD and depression. Our goal is to design virtual social activities to mitigate these psychological impacts.

Museum visits, traditionally a way to connect with people and explore art, became impossible due to COVID-19 and lockdowns. We aim to enhance virtual museum experiences to counter isolation effects.

This project focuses on developing a mobile app for virtual museum visits, emphasizing social interaction for quarantined individuals, through research, interviews, prototypes, and user testing.

Research Process

Our research involved three steps: secondary research, virtual museum observations, and user interviews. Before starting, we identified knowledge gaps:
   1. Museum-viewer dynamics during the pandemic; 
   2. Recent museum strategies for visitor engagement; 
   3. The impact of new technology in traditional museums.

Secondary research confirmed the need for virtual museum visits and helped us narrow our target users to those aged 14-30, particularly those in quarantine. Estimated 10–40% quarantined individuals experience loneliness and stress, and young adults among them are drawn to new technologies. Therefore, designing a virtual museum app will addresses these needs.

Virtual Museum Observations

The team gathered virtual tours from museums like Rijksmuseum and Vatican Museum to identify potential improvements. Most of them primarily functioned as artwork databases, with little to no games and social interactions.

Target-User Interview Findings

Based on research, the team conducted 5 Zoom interviews (ages 14-30), with 16 questions covering:   
   1. Art and museum interests;
   2. Past museum visits;
   3. Future exhibition expectations;
   4. Quarantine experiences.

This helped us understand museum-goers' preferences and technology reactions, as well as refine our target audience by exploring the museum-teenager/young adult relationship.

Scenarios + Storyboards

Team Ideation After Research

In order to compile overlapping information into user needs, we began ideation with a team affinity diagram in a one-hour exercise. This process led to four key insights and pain points:
   1. Enhance exhibit engagement with unique tech experiences.
   2. Balance social interactions with individual freedom in virtual museums..
   3. Foster interactive learning about artworks in virtual settings.
   4. Enhance accessibility usage for virtual visitors.

Storyboarding

Every team member created two app storyboards, and we chose the one that highlighted social interaction and art engagement through discussions, as these aspects are fundamental to the museum experience.

Ideations & Prototyping

After narrowing our design scope with storyboards, we individually sketched wireframes for the museum app. In the following meeting, we faced the challenge of merging diverse ideas on features and flows. Some focused on overall structure, while others explored specific details.

To consolidate these ideas, I led the team in mapping out all screens, connecting them to visualize flow and ensuring we adhere to user needs identified earlier.

From there we started the lo-fi prototypes and iterated towards mid-fi, from rough hand sketches to digital designs, which we used to test our ideas with target users.

Design System & User Testing

While developing mid/hi-fi prototypes, we chose the app name "OnMuseums" for "Online Museums," signifying what's currently engaging. We adopted Dark Slate Green #465A59 as the main theme color for its calming and professional appeal.

In addition to our global museum virtual tours, we designed four collaborative features including: video/audio calling, friends list, interactive museum social map and collaborative art puzzles. These features allow users to balance personal exploration with social interaction during exhibition visits.

User Testing

We initiated user testing with instructions and documented their responses, revealing enthusiasm for the visual design. Valuable feedbacks improved map navigation and suggested technological advancements for virtual tours.

Project Reflection

What did I learn through this project?

   1. I realized that bridging research and iteration is crucial for a human-centered product. Collaborating with diverse team members broadens our idea pool.

   2. The project taught me about "parallel play" versus "interactive play" – experiencing art alone versus together, a profoundly human aspect that can be transformative and collaborative.

Final Works