aditi gunna
Aditi is a product designer working at the intersection of people and technology.
She recently graduated from Parsons School of Design.
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Aditi is a product designer working at the intersection of people and technology.
She recently graduated from Parsons School of Design.
Work
About
Resume
Contact
MUSEUM EXPERIENCE: WAY-FINDING IN MUSEUMS
[USER RESEARCH]
[UI/UX DESIGN]
[UI/UX DESIGN]
How might we help visitors navigate inside the museum, and plan their visit based on their interest?
The design process included extensive market research, usability research on existing products as well as in-depth user interviews. The project concluded with a design proposal to add a navigation feature to the existing website, a User Interface Kit designed within the existing design system of the Museum, as well as a high fidelity prototype of the navigation system.
We identified Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City as our site of intervention.
Note: This project is an academic endeavor, undertaken as part of coursework in Parsons School of Design and does not have any commercial intentions.
Project
Time Frame
4 Weeks, October-November 2023
Research, Ideation, Visual Design, Prototyping
Design Solution
Plan and Save Routes
Users can search exhibits and add them to their route, they can also plan in advance and save routes.
Navigating Routes
Users can launch routes, visit different exhibits.
Users can see next steps in their journey and look for alternative(accessible) routes.
Users can see next steps in their journey and look for alternative(accessible) routes.
DESIGN PROCESS
Research
From this research, we wanted to understand:
- What do users value while interacting with the museum?
- What do their museum experiences lack?
- How do they navigate inside museums? And how do they curate their museum experience?
Research Methodology:
- Surveys. To identify museums of interest in New York City.
- Market Research. To identify existing tools and resources available to the users.
- In-Depth User Interviews. To understand reflective museum experiences, as users think back to previous visits to the chosen museum (MoMA).
- On-Site Think Aloud Testing. To understand how users think while trying to complete a task inside the museum.
Key highlights from the different methodologies are listed below.
Survey
We conducted a survey to identify museums of interest for visitors residing in the New York Metropolitan Area.
We received 37 responses, from respondents living in the New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. When asked how frequently do you visit museums, sixty percent (60%) of respondents reported that they visited a museum more than once a month.
Museum of Modern Art(MoMA) was the most visited museum (100% of the respondents visited it in the last year). MoMA was also the museum most respondents visited more than once in the past year.
Market Research
If users wish to navigate to a an artwork, they need to look up the piece on the website to find the number associated with it. Then, they need to find the corresponding space on the map.
While MoMA doesn’t have an app they run or maintain, the museum is available on the Bloomberg Connects App. The app is an interactive guide to over 200 museums, galleries, sculpture parks, gardens and cultural spaces.
While the platform has a feature that allows you to plan your visit, it is not available for MoMA.
We conducted four in-depth user interviews, where we asked participants to reflect on their previous visits. We inquired about how participants planned for their visit, how they move through the exhibits, their interaction patterns with on-site information, MoMA’s digital interfaces and the exhibits.
Participants in our interviews were residents of the New York Metropolitan Area, aged between 21 and 50. They were tech-literate individuals who frequently used web and app interfaces to plan their daily life. They were also individuals with a keen interest in modern art and frequently visited the museum.
Key findings from the interviews include:
1. Inefficient way-finding hinders museum experience.
Most participants felt that when they move around the space with the intention of finding a specific exhibit, they are often lost. They felt a lack of functional mapping inside the space often created friction in an otherwise pleasant experience.
Talking about a service they would like to have to improve their museum experience, one participant said “ I know that they have those screens where they tell you what's there on each floor as you climb up the stairs, but they don't have anywhere else. If I haven't scanned the thing and if I don't have anything on my phone and if I'm just in some section and then I suddenly want to find my way around, there's no way for me to do that without just going around in circles. I guess way finding might be - if I need it, I should be able to find my way.”
2. Exhibit-adjacent information and media- beneficial but often inaccessible.
Participants reported that they consumed the additional information often posted next to the exhibit - they felt the audio guide was sometimes unsuitable as they preferred to not be taken away from the museum experience. A few participants reported that the text descriptions on the wall were inaccessible at times, especially when the museum is crowded.
Talking about whether they consume any additional information, one participant said “I mean, I like learning more about the art when I am at the museum - I know I’m not going back and reading up on it. I like reading the text things, but sometimes, I want to know more about the artist or their practice, and I look things up on my phone. I also hate how tiny the font size is, everybody is literally crowding over a tiny piece of paper - I just look it up on my phone if there are too many people around.”
3. Split opinion on device usage inside museum.
Participants were torn about device usage inside the museum. While a few felt that using their mobiles to look up information or take photos elevated the experience, a few participants also felt that screens distracted them from the physical experience of the museum.
Talking about device usage inside the museum, one participant said “I use my phone inside the museum a lot, I look things up all the time. I’m not very conversant in modern art concepts or artists and I am eager to learn. When I’m in the museum, I use it as an opportunity to look things up, and put work in context.”
While another participant said “Nah, I don’t like using my screens when I’m looking at art - I think it takes away from how the artist wanted us to experience their work. And I don’t think I’m missing out on much by not looking at my phone for the two hours I am visiting the museum.”
To further understand user experience while in the museum, we conducted an on-site test, where participants were given a set of tasks inside the museum and were asked to complete them with the available resources(MoMA website, Map, Google, etc).
We conducted this test with two participants who were regular visitors to MoMA(2-3 times a year). The tasks included finding permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits, information about the art and services(washroom, exits, etc).
The participants were encouraged to think-aloud while performing the task to gain further insights into their thought process. A video recording was taken of the participants, and their reactions.
(Video Speed - 4x)
Key findings from the tests include:
1. Cumbersome navigation process.
Participants often found a disconnect in information and a challenge in connecting the digital markers to the physical signifiers.
- One participant spent over 25 minutes looking for a very popular painting as there was a disconnect in identifying the gallery it was located in. The participant was only able to find the painting after asking ap crew member on site about it.
- Another participant was frustrated by the gallery numbers as they was trying to find their way out. They spent over 5 minutes walking around in circles trying to look for an exit. They stumbled upon the exit by chance, in the end.
2. External sources of information over museum interfaces.
Participants preferred to use Google to look up information about the art. While they occasionally used the MoMA website as a starting point, they found it as a result on the Google search instead of using the QR codes shown next to the art.
- After reading the information card under one of the exhibits, a participant said “… See, I don’t want to download another app and I also don't want to listen to audio right now - not really in the mood. So I will Google this myself.”
- The information cards were often unclear, and not very helpful in gaining more insight into the artist. After reading one of the cards, a participant said “I know a little bit, just from reading. She started making stuff when she was 19 and that she likes to make stuff, like sculptures and things. And. Yeah. They explained something, I don't think I got it.”
After analyzing all the research we conducted, we organized user insights using affinity mapping. From which, we were able to synthesize the following findings:
1. A need for in-museum way-finding. With the existing tools, there is a major disconnect between physical signifiers and the digital markers.
2. Users engage with the museum artifacts by using the extra aids and material provided by the museum. The current interfaces(audio and text on the wall) may be limiting for consumption while in the museum. Having to download an app can be a major deterrent to using extra interfaces.
3 While majority of users are for using their devices while in the museum to augment their experience, there is a niche who find digital screens/interfaces distracting from the physical experience of the museum.
We distilled our research findings to identify two kinds of user personas that the design proposal will cater to.
Working Professional, New York City resident
- Newcomer to the world of art; eager to learn and makes frequent visits to museums around the city.
- Plans her visits before, locates the exhibits and does some background research.
- Wants to engage with the art, beyond just looking at the exhibits - wants to understand the context of the piece.
- Feels disheartened when she is unable to comprehend the piece due to a lack of readily available content; she knows she doesn’t have the time to go back and look into it.
- Feels frustrated when she struggles with navigating in the museum - breaks from the experience.
Art Student, New York City resident
- Working towards his MFA in Fine Arts, frequently visits museums and galleries around the city.
- Enjoys the experience by getting lost in a museum, likes to allow the space and art dictate the flow rather than a plan.
- Doesn’t like using his phone too much while inside, believes it takes away from the immersive experience.
- Uses his phone to take photos of memorable exhibits, make notes that he refers to later and look up important information.
- Interacts with the supplementary content to understand the intent behind the exhibit, as a narrative - willing to open links or scan codes.
User Flow
Our proposal would allow for users to
- Plan their visit to the museum, map out the various available exhibits and save routes.
- Navigate while in the museum and add essential services(like washrooms or seating areas) to the route, when required.
- Allow users to browse supplementary content about the exhibit, curated by the museum.
- Send route to a smart watch, reducing interaction with large screens.
We began our design ideation by creating a user flow diagram detailing the different steps in the user journey before and during the museum visit.
Our final user flow diagram:
Ideation
We designed a navigation interface, where users can search for specific stops and create a ‘saved route’ that includes places they want to go to.
Users can access routes they created and navigate along them in the museum. Other services can be accessed along navigation routes.
These routes and services can be accessed on phones as well as smart watches.
Visual Design
We designed a formal UI Kit, based on the current design language.
Design Proposal
Key features of our design proposal include,
1. Planning and Saving routes. Users can search exhibits and add them to their route, they can also plan in advance and save routes.
2. Navigating routes. Users can launch routes, visit the different exhibits. They can see the next steps in their journey, even look for alternative routes.
3. Add essential services. Users can add services like washrooms, seating areas and information desks to their route.
4. Navigate on Smart WatchUsers who prefer to not use their phone while in the museum can choose to navigate on their smart watches.
Users who prefer to not use their phone while in the museum can choose to navigate on their smart watches.
In future iterations, we think it might be helpful to expand the design proposal to include a more comprehensive design language for the physical spaces as well, allowing for a clear correlation between the two interfaces. Based on user research, users may also prefer a physical version of the interface(a pamphlet or brochure, maybe even a kit that users may borrow from the museum) - those who choose to avoid screens entirely during a museum visit.
Note: This project is an academic endeavor, undertaken as part of coursework in Parsons School of Design and does not have any commercial intentions.
Team
The team consisted of me (Aditi Gunna), Isha Agarwal and Siyuan Fu.
We were adivsed by our faculty, Jacklyn McKay.
We worked together and collaborated on almost all aspects of this project. I’m grateful for my robust team, we kept moving forward despite many obstacles! I’m also grateful for Jaclyn for her constructive feedback and optimism!