Engage. Explore. Evolve:
Redesigning SFMOMA for All
Redesign Mobile
Gamified AR
Art Museum
Drawn from Real Experience in SFMOMA
Living in San Francisco, I often visited to SFMOMA to explore modern artworks at the museum. While my visits are filled with hours of enjoyment, I've noticed that not all visitors share the same level of engagement. This became clear when my friends in engineering and finance asked me how to enjoy museums without feeling awkward and unsure in front of paintings. This realization inspired me to redesign the SFMOMA app that helps visitors build personal connections with artworks, and make art more accessible.
Role
Product desginer
Timeline
March - July (5months)
Project
Personal Project
tools
Figma / Figjam
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Overview
Problem
Lack of Awareness and Limited Usability
The SFMOMA app suffers from low awareness among potential users, as many visitors are not aware of its existence. Even for those who use it, the app offers limited information on exhibitions and lacks engaging features, which decrease its potential to enhance the museum experience. These downsides may discourage users from fully engaging with the app and, by extension, the museum itself.
Note: As of April 2023, SFMOMA discontinued the app service.
Solution
Gamified AR Bridges the Engagement Gap
The redesigned SFMOMA app introduces gamified AR features, enabling visitors to collect virtual artworks as they explore the museum. By transforming passive viewing into interactive discovery, this redesign intends to deepen the bond between visitors and the art, enhancing the cultural experience. Key updates include enhanced exhibition details, an intuitive location-aware map, and intuitive ticketing.
Design Process
Key Features
Gamified AR Experience
Entertainment with new insights
Bring a new dimension to their museum visit! By leveraging AR technology, we encourage user engagement through interactive and immersive experiences.
Exhibition Information
Comprehensive Exhibition Details
Get up-to-date information about exhibitions on view. Access to artist information, artworks, and additional context. Deeper understanding of the exhibitions can enhance their overall experience.
Map For AR Navigation
Find AR Artworks Nearby
Never get lost or miss the exhibition by accident. Location-aware map guide users to destination.
Discovery
So, how does the app look like now?
Landing
Home
Tickets
Map
More
Limited available information about the artists and exhibitions, and some of it is outdated and insufficient for a satisfying experience.
The oversized buttons, confusing icons, and flat image map make it challenging for users to intuitively navigate and explore the museum.
Research 1
Understanding SFMOMA
SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is a leading museum of modern and contemporary art in the U.S. Located in downtown San Francisco, SFMOMA aims to be a vibrant cultural center of Bay Area, providing an enjoyable environment for exploration and fostering deep connections with art.
Observational Research, User Interview & Insights
To better understand the overall user experience at SFMOMA, I conducted field observations and user interviews. I visited the museum to observe how visitors interact with the space, artworks, and each other, noting behaviors, challenges, and patterns in their experience. Additionally, I conducted interviews with five individuals who have visited SFMOMA, discussing on their needs and expectations.
Lack of awareness about the app
Many visitors were unaware of the SFMOMA app’s existence. One respondent, visiting for the fifth time, stated, “Oh, they have an app? I never heard of that.”
Camera-friendly museum
Visitors appreciated SFMOMA’s camera-friendly atmosphere, with one user noting, “I like how SFMOMA is being camera-friendly, unlike other museums.”
Exhausting waiting in long ticket lines
Several visitors expressed frustration with the long ticketing lines. I was also had to wait for 20+ minutes to get the ticket. It highlighted the need for a more efficient solution.
Different engagement levels among visitors
Observed visitors experience the museum differently, with some feeling bored or not interested. This highlights the need for unique features that cater to varying levels of engagement.
User Persona
Ebony
San Francisco, CA
Art School Student
21 years old
Goal
“I want to know stories of artist and their artworks to fully enjoy the exhibition. With deeper depth of understanding, enjoyment expand accordingly!”
Pain point
▲ Searching around every paintings and artists takes extra time.
▲ Hard to know what exhibitions are currently on view or not.
Jeff
San Jose, CA
Software engineer
54 years old
Goal
“I seeking for new sources of excitement that can evoke my creativity and take me away from the work.”
Pain point
▲ Visit museum with friends, but Jeff easily get bored and distracted by others.
▲ Desire to explore but there are lack of sources to understand artist's meaning behind the artwork.
Olivia
Mom of two sons
Berkeley, CA
36 years old
Goal
“I like to go to museums with my kids on weekends and let them explore arts. I hope museum to be easy to access for both parents and kids.”
Pain point
▲ Waiting in long ticket line is frustrating especially when I'm with my sons.
▲ Looking for museum facilities and exhibition location is hard.
Research 2
Pain Points & Opportunity Areas
Through analyzing user interview data and conducting observation research, I identified the key challenges that museum visitors face and uncovered critical gaps in SFMOMA's mobile service. From these insights, I condensed the findings into 3 major pain points in needs of address.
Inefficiency of the Current App
▲ The app's incomplete information (exhibit updates, events) and offers a outdated design with ticketing and navigation. Visitors have rely on external tools or physical guides to find information related to exhibitions.
Streamline App Functionality
● Redesign the app to provide accurate information about artists and exhibitions and real-time updates for better user experience.
● In-app ticketing and intuitive navigation features for smoother interaction with physical space.
Lack of Accessibility and Engagement
▲ Visitors come from diverse backgrounds, with varying levels of art knowledge, and ways of engaging with exhibits. The current app lack of bridging the gap for those who may feel disconnected or unsure of how to engage with the art.
Make Art Inclusive and Interactive
● Integrate features like AR overlays and interactive storytelling into the app. By offering educational insights, make the art more relatable, and accommodate diverse visitor needs, creating a richer, more inclusive experience.
Inactive Photography’s Potential
▲ SFMOMA’s photography-positive policy is an untapped strength.
▲ While many visitors enjoy taking photos, the app currently missing an opportunity to engage users in new, creative ways and reinforce the museum’s camera-friendly ethos.
Embrace and Gamified AR Photography
● Integrate photography into the app experience through AR artworks, interactive challenges, and social sharing features to engage visitors creatively.
Why Augmented Reality? and why collect them?
Bring Entertainment
Drawing inspiration from the mobile game 'Pokemon Go', interacting AR in physical space can naturally encourage users to explore the museum by building their collection as they walk around.
Break the Boundaries
Making opportunities to contemporary artists who works on digital to present their works to user collaborating with artworks of masters in the museum.
Psychology of Collecting
Through literature review, collecting something brings joy and sense of achievement. By collecting AR artworks, user makes personal connection with the artwork and feel accomplishment.
How Might We - ?
"How might we enhance the SFMOMA experience by leveraging AR technology, improving app functionality, and embracing its photography-positive atmosphere to create engaging, accessible, and personalized interactions for all visitors?"
Ideation
Low Fidelity Sketches
I started with drawing interface with potential solutions to organize my thoughts and flows.
User Flow
↑ Click to see the image!
Wireframe
Mid-fidelity Design
After ideation sketches, I designed mid-fi wireframes to check interactions and flows between different screens on usability testing.
Usability Testing & Insights
Usability Testing and Iterations
I tested usability of wireframes to make it informative and accessible to everyone without overwhelming them. I conducted usability testing with 5 participants who are matching to target user group. From testing sessions, I found its pros and cons of and went through 3 times of iterations until I make the final design decision.
Wireframe 1
Wireframe 2
Wireframe 3
Final Design
Wireframe 1: Use of image
Clean layout with a clear visual hierarchy
Straightforward and simple arrangement
Overlapping titles on images caused legibility issues
Icon-only navigation led to confusion without text labels
Wteration 2: Card design
Improved clarity by containing information within distinct sections in card design
Organized exhibitions clearly by timeline
Five navigation menus plus text felt overwhelming
Missing a focal point for dynamic content
Wireframe 3: Artists + Exhibitions
Quick access to “My Ticket” and richness of contents enhance artist visibility
Tag on top of newly opening exhibition improve awareness and user interest
Design Improvements
Major Improvements: Home
Visual Clutter
Texts are difficult to read due to poor contrast and improper placement, requiring extra effort.
Information Obsolescence
Exhibition information are out-dated and negatively impact user trust and brand quality.
Now
Redesign
Exhibition organization
Allow user to see exhibitions availability by time.
Major Improvements: Exhibition Information
Vague CTA Button
Button 'Begin' is not obvious what action it's implying.
Text Heavy Interface Problem
Small images and heavy load of text increase cognitive overload. Without clear visual cues, user struggle quickly identify relevant content.
Now
Redesign
Media-Rich Design
Balance of images, icons, and text to guide user attention and engagement.
Applying Fitts' Law
Placing frequently used map and audio guide in easily reachable areas improves efficiency and reduces interaction time.
Major Improvements: Map
Dead-End Design
The static image of map lacks interactivity and usability, causing cognitive friction and frustration.
Contextual Disconnection
Absence of real-time location tracking and information poverty making the digital map function no differently from a paper map.
Now
Redesign
Real-Time Wayfinding System
With animated directional cues, it enhance spatial awareness to find exhibitions with minimal effort.
Proximity Based Discovery
The 'AR Nearby' feature enhances discoverability by providing location-based recommendations, guiding users to nearby AR artworks in real time.
Design Concpet
AR Experience
Find and make it into collection
AR Library
Artwork Hint
AR Information
AR Simulation & 3D Modeling Creation
To conduct usability testing of the AR experience, I created an AR prototype.
Art & Exhibition Information
Learn about artist and artwork
Home
Exhibition Information
About Artist
Artwork Description
Schedule ahead and pass the line
Easy purchase and save ticket in app
Schedule Visit
Ticket Type
Order Detail
Payment Method
My Ticket
Location-aware map
A Shortcut navigation guide to the destination
AR Nearby
Search Artist or Artwork
Lessons
Takeaways
01
Iteration always comes with improvements
While working on this SFMOMA Redesign project, I made a lot of changes and countless decisions. The iteration process was not always happy but it taught me how to refine the interface design, address accessibility concerns, and deliver a more satisfying experience to users by usability testing by incorporating their feedback on subsequent iterations.
02
Remind the point to do not get lost in the middle
It’s easy to lose the initial goal. The question that continuously resonated with me was, "How can I make art accessible and enjoyable for everyone?". This prompted a journey of exploration, leading to solutions that introduced the gamified AR experience. Through this approach, new form of storytelling was introduced, adding enjoyment and encouraging a deeper understanding and making connection with artwork.
Further Steps
01
Can't wait to see real-life demo of AR artwork
While creating the AR prototype with Spark AR, I became curious about how it would function in the museum setting. This project sparked my interest in learning Unity and exploring other 3D/AR programs. I'm looking forward to see taking partnership with artist and work with engineers who can bring this project to real-life!
02
Explore gamification techniques
One of the challenges that I faced was considering how to promote user engagement with AR feature. I realized interface and research for game should focus on how to make users more engaging. I want to spend more time exploring gamification techniques that can encourage visitors to collect artworks and stay with the app throughout their museum visit.
©2024 Biju baek
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