ART.S museum app - Your Personal Art Guide

User research:

To design an intuitive and engaging app and responsive website for a public art museum, I conducted a combination of secondary research and persona analysis. I created six personas to explore a wide range of user needs. While this project focuses on the needs of Emma (a casual visitor), Liam (a tourist) and David (a museum member/donor), the other personas – such as a family planner, a researcher, and an art enthusiast – were also considered to ensure the solution is inclusive and scalable.

The research revealed that casual visitors like Emma value speed and ease – they want a quick way to find relevant events without information overload. Tourists like Liam often face language barriers and unfamiliar navigation patterns, which can prevent them from engaging with museum events. Meanwhile, tech-anxious users like David need clarity and simplicity to confidently use the digital product without frustration.

These insights shifted my focus toward creating a clean, intuitive interface that supports smart search and filtering, a seamless booking experience, and a clear user dashboard with tailored options for members. To enhance accessibility and engagement, I also prioritised features like personalised reminders and a language toggle, ensuring the app is inclusive, easy to navigate, and supportive of a wide range of users.

Competitive audit:

To better understand user pain points during visiting museums’ websites, I conducted a competitive audit of 5 museums’ websites – the best in their class ones plus some small local museums in Milton Keynes: The National Gallery, The British Museum, Louvre, Milton Keynes Museum and MK Gallery. You can find the Excel file with the results and the Competitive Audit Report by following the links.

Empathy Map and User Journey Map:

I used empathy maps to build empathy with end users and to:

• Discover weaknesses in my research
• Uncover user needs that the user themselves may not even be aware of
• Remove bias from the designs
• Understand what drives users’ behaviours.

I also created a user journey map as a visual representation of the totality of the customer experience. It helped me to understand how well designs are addressing customer pain points and meeting customer needs, and where those actions are taking place.

As a result User Research helped me to identify the major user pain points: 

Starting the design

After identifying a key user pain point – frustration with the booking process – I focused on designing a simpler, faster, and more confidence-building experience. I began by researching best practices in intuitive booking flows, aiming to eliminate unnecessary steps and reduce cognitive load. My goal was to create a system that felt smooth and easy to navigate, especially for users who wanted to RSVP quickly without confusion.

I liked using “How might we?” and “Rapid sketching” techniques the most. 

Paper wireframes

As the initial design phase progressed, I ensured that every screen design was grounded in insights from user research and direct feedback.

Digital wireframes

The next step was a Low-fidelity prototype, created in Figma.

Low-fidelity prototype

User Flow Overview 

The core user flow is designed to be effortless, intelligent, and inclusive. It supports visitors, researchers, donors, and members in navigating the museum experience with ease.

Here’s the link for the Figma prototype.

Usability study: findings

An unmoderated remote usability study was conducted with 8 participants. The study included an eligibility screener, three tasks performed on a Figma low-fidelity prototype with think-aloud recordings (screen and voice capture), and a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire at the end.

Research goal:

To determine whether the app helps users find information about art events and book them quickly and easily.

By creating an affinity diagram in FigJam, I was able to identify themes and get insights.

You can find more detailed info about the Usability Study in these decks and changes, that were made after it – in these decks.