THE LIST.

Figma • Adobe Illustrator • Procreate

An artist bio app designed to spotlight Brown University art students exhibiting at the List Art Center and to connect art enthusiasts across campus

ROLE: (Solo project) UX Researcher, Product Designer • TIME: 2 months

THE PROBLEM

Viewers of Brown University student art displays have reported feeling disconnected from the exhibiting artists. Because there are no invigilators assigned to student exhibitions, there is nowhere for viewers to direct questions regarding the artworks or the artist. Additionally, gallery space at the List Art Center is extremely competitive and typically assigned via a lottery system, so only a select number of artworks are displayed each semester.

THE SOLUTION

I've designed an app that allows visitors to scan QR codes associated with student exhibitions at the List Art Center to learn more about the artist's background. The app also houses images of past works and exhibitions and allows users to message fellow Brown University artists and art enthusiasts.

USER PERSONAS

I conducted a series of interviews with students at Brown University before generating three distinct user personas. All three personas are modeled off of undergraduate-level students, considering that the vast majority of those who frequent the List Art Center are enrolled in Visual Art and History of Art and Architecture courses.

Pain points and user goals began to manifest as interviewees discussed their past experiences with exhibitions featured at the List Art Center.

"If I could know one thing, I would want to know about the artist's experience."

Adrian is an art concentrator that spends nearly all of her time at the List Art Center. She is passionate about art, but also tends to compare herself with her fellow artists. Consequently, she is interested in learning how long artists at Brown have been in practice, what their processes look like, etc. Furthermore, as an art enthusiast, she is interested in purchasing artwork produced by her peers.

ADRIAN

THE ART CONNOISSEUR

GOAL: Adrian wants to learn from her fellow art concentrators and hopes to compare her practice with that of other aspiring professional artists.

THE SOLUTIONS

The app should include relevant background information (major, preferred medium, level of experience, past art courses taken at Brown, artist statement, etc.), as well as artist-specific calendars for each participant that feature upcoming events, exhibitions, and sales.

"Honestly, I don't usually stop to look at the student exhibitions unless I recognize the artist's name."

Cam had never entered the List Art Center before this semester. He enrolled in VISA 100 (Brown's introductory art course) as a 'blow-off' class to relieve some of his pre-med stress. Cam is often confused and frustrated by art (particularly abstract art) so he tends to breeze past the student exhibitions, unless they really call to him. Cam's disinterest is primarily attributable to how disconnected he feels from the works on display.

CAM

THE CONFUSED CHEMISTRY MAJOR

GOAL: Cam wants context. He wants to understand why these artists do what they do and why it's important.

THE SOLUTIONS

There should be a QR code installed alongside each exhibition that links to each artist's page within the app. The QR code should be eye-catching and should also be accompanied by text that concisely explains the purpose of the app, so that viewers will understand they have the option to learn more about featured artists.

"I don't usually come up with the right questions when asking my friends about their art. I don't get much further than 'woah, how did you do this?'"

Sophia studies comparative literature but has plenty of artistic friends. While she has never had a class in List, Sophia has attended several of her friends' exhibitions. She does not know much about art, so she often feels too embarrassed or shy to ask her friends questions about their work.

SOPHIA

THE SUPPORTIVE FRIEND

GOAL: Considering Sophia already knows all about her friends' personal histories, she wants to better understand them through the lens of their art practices.

THE SOLUTIONS

The app should include documentation of past exhibitions so that users can revisit works and bio pages should allot space specifically for artist statements. Additionally, users should be able to access information on all Brown artists featured on the platform (i.e. there should be a 'Browse All Artists' page).

REFINED WIREFRAMES

Considering this was my very first case study, there was much to learn about my preferred research and wireframing methods. I quickly realized that fine-tuning my Figma wireframes (rather than treating them as sketches and rushing into mock-ups) allowed me to streamline my process. Below are the final wireframes I arrived at after performing several iterations.

USABILITY TESTS

During the usability tests, I asked each participant to perform three tasks (starting from the home page): use the QR code scanner, navigate to the calendar and view an event, and lastly, visit the details page for a piece of artwork and return to the homepage. The insights fell into a few major categories:

1

2

3 NAVIGATION difficulties

I added back arrows to streamline user flow and consolidated the three artist-specific pages into one page.

Insufficient color Contrast

I enhanced the color contrast in specific areas, particularly to make the buttons more prominent.

CAlendar Confusion

Users were unable to determine which days had events, so I added an icon to indicate event days.

HIGH-FIDELITY DESIGNS & PROTOTYPES

ENGAGE

LEARN

EXPLORE

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

This was my first UX design project so there was much to learn about my process and how I think through design problems. One of my key takeaways was how crucial usability tests are—not just to locate errors and gauge user satisfaction, but to develop empathy for users with different backgrounds. It's true that UX design is, first and foremost, a process centered around human psychology.

Additionally, I enjoyed learning how to develop a brand identity and am eager to explore this process further in future projects. If I were to redo this project, I would conduct more interviews and I would spend more time familiarizing myself with the power of Figma before diving in.