2022 Artsy mobile - case study
UI/UX design UX research high-fidelity prototype
adding new features to the app
backgroundArtsy.netArtsy is a platform for discovering and buying art from galleries and auctions. While working at David Nolan Gallery, a gallery client of the site, I spent a lot of time using the website on both desktop and mobile. The site was our main mode of connecting with interested buyers who were not able to visit the gallery in person.
Colleagues, clients, and I had difficulty in finding information due to being overwhelmed by the disorganization of and amount of information on the website. I wanted to research and prototype some new features for Artsy's mobile app in order to find ways to create a more efficient and enjoyable way for users to explore artworks.
Art consumers need a better way to engage with and discover art & artists they like, to feel a connection to the art, and to find art within their budgets so that they can successfully purchase art they want.
research and insightsunderstanding the current mobile experience
I conducted interviews to determine user perception of Artsy and what needs are not being met. Initial survey served as a screening before more in-depth interviews and usability testing.
Most users were professionals in the industry, young art enthusiasts, and mid-aged buyers of art.
- How do users find art online?
- What do users enjoy about exploring art?
- What are the current pain points when using Artsy?
- What are the motivators for purchasing art online?
existing app usability test
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Find an artwork you want to buy
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Find a new artist/gallery you might be interested in
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“Like” a few works of art and make a saved list
- Find an art show or event near you
key insights
Discovery Challenges
- Users want to see more local/unknown artists but have no clear
path to find them
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Hard to search for similar artists or artwork styles
Usability Friction
- Features were too complicated or took too long to access
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Users felt intimidated contacting galleries directly
Organization Issues
- Difficult to categorize artworks after "liking" them
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Want to keep track of artists/auctions but saved items were
disorganized
Accessibility Barriers
- Want to see works in person before buying
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Price was main deterrent but hard to filter by budget
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No way to see what's currently on view nearby
personas
After affinity mapping, I determined the most important needs and pain points to create two personas.
Amy is the primary persona I focused on as research showed that Artsy’s mobile app is used more by a younger demographic. She is budget-conscious and likes to discover art in her city. As a younger person, Amy is more tech savvy and knows how to navigate through unfamiliar apps.
John is the secondary persona who I still wanted to accomodate where I can. He represents Artsy’s current user base and the general demographic of the art industry. As a collector, John is knowledgeable in art and is more specific when it comes to what he likes. He is not the best at using mobile apps.
ideationhow can Artsy make art more accessible and foster art exploration?
I transformed the main paint points into a series of “How Might We” questions for a more solution-oriented mindset, and generated at least 10 ideas per question.
I converged all my solutions to tackle each pain point I found, and eliminated any features that did not satisfy the goal of making Artsy a more efficient art browsing app.
wireflows and user testing
- I used the same tasks for the usability test:
- Find an artwork you want to buy
- Find a new artist/gallery you might be interested in
- “Like” a few works of art and make a saved list
- Find an art show or event near you
After the second round of usability tests and incorporating findings, I designed a high fidelity prototype to tackle user's additional concerns.
final prototype
1. Discovery Improvements
ProblemLack of go-to methods to discover trends, new artists and artworks
SolutionRecommendations based on artworks or artists embedded in every page and reorganized Discover page to browse artists, movements, trends
Algorithm surfaces art trends, artworks, local/unknown artists based on user's saved works and browsing history
2. Simplified Interactions
ProblemUnfriendly app experience - complicated features
Solution One-tap gallery notification
Replaces intimidating email composition - users can express interest in 1 tap without constructing a message
3. Organized Personalization
Problem Disorganized saved items - can't categorize artworks
Solution Customizable collections
Users create folders/tags for saved works, follow artists to track auctions
4. Location and Price Filters
Problem Can't see what's available nearby or within budget
Solution Multi-filter discovery
Amy (budget-conscious) can filter by price while John (collector) can find works currently on view near him
outcomes
Through two rounds of usability testing:
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Reduced steps to contact gallery: 6 taps → 1 tap
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100% of users successfully found art in their budget using filters
- Task completion rate for "find similar artist": 40% → 85%
next steps At this point of the project, I would need to incorporate algorithmic content curation, personalization of the “Recommended” features, and also location-specific content curation, which are central to the exploratory nature of the app that I was investigating. The design would be reiterated, testing would be conducted, and so on and so forth. For future development, I would also like to explore the areas of AR and VR for gallery tours, live auctions, and artwork display from within the app.