Art Quest: Game-ifying the Audio Tour

UX Role
End to End feature designer working with Design Lab mentor, Charithra Aswamy.
Mission
bridge the gap in learning in a classroom while utilizing museums as centers for experiential knowledge.
Timeline
Nov - dec 2022
Gaps in the Museum Experience: Overview
In an age where technology plays a central role in entertainment and education, museums often battle the problem of many museum-goers, especially younger visitors, finding traditional tours passive or overwhelming, leading to disengagement and missed learning opportunities.
Below outlines my design for ArtQuest, a mobile scavenger hunt experience that transforms museum visits into interactive clue driven journeys through art. By connecting education teams, teachers, and everyday visitors, it deepens engagement and supports membership retention through play.
prototype
Research
To ground ArtQuest in real user needs, I conducted a competitive analysis of scavenger hunt and museum apps like ClueKeeper and Scavify. I also created an empathy map based on observations and interviews with visitors exploring the Whitney Museum’s 7th floor permanent collection.
Competitive Landscape: Scavify, Cluekeeper, and the British Museum's app
  • Shows current and upcoming scavenger hunts hosted by local communities.
  • Leaderboard and public feed
  • Contains task list with photo inclusion
  • Cluekeeper and Scavify were fun games that provided trivia clues to answer in order to win points, however the questions felt random and the UI of both apps felt clunky to use.
"What makes this brand stand out and keep customers coming back for more?"
"Where does the experience fall short, and how well does it keep up with the times?"
  • Focused on learning about the exhibitions through the audio guides and navigations, however not many museums even have an app.
  • The app is limited in how it can engage with the museum’s population.
  • not very popular.Limited number of hunts
  • Tasks are not educational, more simple and achievement based

User Experience Map
insight summary
  • In asking whether they enjoyed the Whitney's audio tour, 3/5 individuals stated they wanted to further immerse themselves in the narrative rather than hear an array of facts.
  • individuals have a wide arrays of soaking information and the visual experience. Some patrons engaged with physical space, while others gravitated towards the wall text.
Individuals appreciated guided tours over the audio tour
5 out of 8 participants informed they never read the wall text
  • Individuals also mentioned a preference for solo interpretation and visual engagement with the art itself. Overall in grouping these observations, my research revealed distinct clusters of behaviors and preferences, showcasing the multifaceted nature of visitor experiences.
  • Teachers mentioned they would like a workbook of artworks and dates to go over with their students

Thoughtfully applying research...
With all this data in mind,  I wanted to combine education, games, and the museum space. For the skeleton, I wanted to improve upon museum apps like the British Museum have basic features with audio functionality, offering visitors the convenience of an informative tour by incorporating a scavenger hunt element which can elevate user interaction by a game-ified and exploratory experience.
User Personas
Who might benefit or utilize artquest?
Stakeholder Priorties
Expanding how we learn from a museum experience
  • By marrying the audio tour to the premise of a scavenger hunt experience, providing an immersive narrative that guides participants through exhibits, adding an extra layer of storytelling and engagement.

Ideating Workflows
1
  • Visitors begin by creating an account or signing in and selecting a specific hunt from the available options.
2
  • After reading instructions and preparing, they start the hunt by checking in at the museum and receiving the first set of clues. Navigating through the exhibits, visitors follow clues, learn about artifacts, and solve puzzles.
3
  • Progress is tracked, and rewards are given as tasks are completed. Upon reaching the end point, visitors check out, review their experience, and explore other available hunts.
Wireframes
Scaling out the user and task flows allowed me to create a hand drawn basic wireframes.
UI Kit
bright colors and fun fonts to juxtapose the "stuffy" museum trope
Wireframes
The app offers a seamless and engaging process, encouraging visitors to discover the museum's treasures in an interactive and enjoyable way.
Expanding how we learn from a museum experience
  • Players take on the role of an art detective solving a mystery hidden within the museum's collection.
  • By collecting sign in information, the museum would be able for further membership or event information outreach.
  • The app offers a seamless and engaging process, encouraging visitors to discover the museum's treasures in an interactive and enjoyable way.
Next Steps...
By leveraging AI in the scavenger hunts, offering personalized challenges, interactive content, and real-time guidance, this innovative approach not only attracts a tech-savvy audience but also caters to diverse learning styles, making museum visits more accessible and enjoyable for the public.