Museum Audio Guide

Project Brief

The client had an outdated audio guide for their two museums that they wanted pair replacement with an emphasis on user experience. This audio guide can access random stop numbers as well as take you on a tour through a very large facility.

Research

We walked the facility and took the main collection tour, noting any pain points in navigation. The facility doesn't have robust way-finding signage, producing a particular challenge. We conducted in-person UX workshops, mapping the user experience from when a user arrives, the different paths they can go down based upon wants, and outcomes. We made a list of pain points on the different journey maps.

Museum Audio Guide User Flow Workshop - sticky notes on a wall

The user journey with known pain points

Museum Audio Guide User Flow Workshop - Person looking at sticky notes and comps on a wall

Where app usage enters the journey

User Flow

Taking in all the requirements, and our proposed navigation, I created user flows for the application.

User Flow chart connecting the different pages and interactions of the museum app

Wireframes

Combining our user research, journey mapping, and product requirements, I put together some robust initial wireframes for the project in combination with a UX Plan document that included User Stories.

Museum Audio Guide iPhone Wireframe- Home Page

Homescreen: where you can choose a tour or enter a artwork number

Museum Audio Guide iPhone Wireframe - Tour Home

Tour Screen 

Museum Audio Guide iPhone Wireframe - Artwork with Audio Player

Image Screen

User Testing

After the initial wireframes and UX plan was presented to the client, in-person User Experience testing was performed with a wireframe prototype that I put together in Invision. We summarized our findings to the client and decided to make adjustments to the wireframes based upon our findings. For instance, "Eat and Shop" was initially combined together - but we found that users would prefer it to be separate. (If you're looking for a food break, you aren't necessarily looking to shop even though both are considered "Points of Interest"

Designs

Taking in all the feedback from the client and testing, I did a round of designs for the application.

Museum Audio Guide Design - The start page when you first open the app
Museum Audio Guide Design - The menu screen showcasing a place to enter a random stop number as well as segmented tours.
Museum Audio Guide Design - Entering artwork numbers native iOS input
Museum Audio Guide Design - The number pulls up the results in real time allowing ease of selection without a page load.
Museum Audio Guide Design - An item screen - when not on a tour you can see audio that is near this one base upon location proximity in gallery.
Museum Audio Guide Design - Tour home screen when you select a tour from the menu page. Minimizing takes you back to the menu screen.
Museum Audio Guide Design - When starting a tour or going to a new gallery on a tour, a static map pops up to assist with wayfinding.
Museum Audio Guide Design - Audio Stop - here you can listen to the audio of a stop or item and access different features. You are also able to see the next item in the tour or toggle to the whole list. Minimizing creates a
Museum Audio Guide Design - Learn more modal with summary (tombstone text) and detail (further commentary and media)
Museum Audio Guide Design - Transcript modal - easily accessible on the Audio stop. Text adjust readily available.
Museum Audio Guide Design - Information screen accessed by the Menu screen
Museum Audio Guide Design - The change language link rotates out to different languages eliminating the need to read english to change language

Dark Mode

To show the client a second design option, I created a fed dark mode screens.

Sara Cannon is a UX/UI Designer, Former Business Owner, Creative Director, & Artist remote working in Birmingham, Alabama. 
Have a project I could help you with? Contact me at sara@saracannon.com.

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