Easel
Easel
Bringing ease to art markets.
Bringing ease to art markets.
OVERVIEW
As part of our capstone project for INFO30008 Interactive Technology Project, we were tasked with developing a design concept for an interactive digital technology.
Our focus centred on the local art scene in Melbourne, aiming to bridge the gap between artists and art consumers.
As part of our capstone project for INFO30008 Interactive Technology Project, we were tasked with developing a design concept for an interactive digital technology.
Our focus centred on the local art scene in Melbourne, aiming to bridge the gap between artists and art consumers.
ROLE
End-to-End Product Designer
User Researcher
UX/UI Designer
End-to-End Product Designer
User Researcher
UX/UI Designer
DURATION
Aug - Nov 2024, 14 Weeks
Aug - Nov 2024, 14 Weeks
TEAM
Janine Namerian + 5 members
Janine Namerian + 5 members
🚩 The Problem
🚩 The Problem
Artists want to sell their work, and consumers want to support local art they love...
Artists want to sell their work, and consumers want to support local art they love...
...but it is difficult to discover events, and connect with artists that match their preferences.
...but it is difficult to discover events, and connect with artists that match their preferences.
💡 Our Solution
💡 Our Solution
A platform where artists and art consumers create digital profiles to connect, discover each other, and stay updated on upcoming local art markets and events.
A platform where artists and art consumers create digital profiles to connect, discover each other, and stay updated on upcoming local art markets and events.
Bringing ease to the way you discover and interact with local art 🎨.
Bringing ease to the way you discover and interact with local art 🎨.
Strengthen your connections with ...
Strengthen your connections with ...
Connects local artists, consumers, and event organizers, making it easier to find like-minded creators, collaborate, and discover opportunities.
Connects local artists, consumers, and event organizers, making it easier to find like-minded creators, collaborate, and discover opportunities.
...a dedicated art space and...
...a dedicated art space and...
A clutter-free, art-focused space tailored for discovering, sharing, and engaging with art and art-related events.
A clutter-free, art-focused space tailored for discovering, sharing, and engaging with art and art-related events.
...personalised art discovery.
...personalised art discovery.
Customisable tags and a curated ‘Palette’ help users discover art that aligns with their tastes while providing visibility in a competitive space.
Customisable tags and a curated ‘Palette’ help users discover art that aligns with their tastes while providing visibility in a competitive space.
🔎 Initial Discovery
🔎 Initial Discovery
Initially, we weren’t given a specific opportunity or problem to tackle.
Defining our own research area was part of the challenge giving us the freedom to explore what we resonated with and were passionate about.
We began by brainstorming potential situations of use, aiming to choose an area we were all passionate about. We ultimately found a common ground in our shared love for art and decided to focus our efforts there.
Initially, we weren’t given a specific opportunity or problem to tackle.
Defining our own research area was part of the challenge giving us the freedom to explore what we resonated with and were passionate about.
We began by brainstorming potential situations of use, aiming to choose an area we were all passionate about. We ultimately found a common ground in our shared love for art and decided to focus our efforts there.
🔎 Situation of Use
🔎 Situation of Use
Our finalised situation of use shapes the app’s overarching goal:
Connect artists, consumers and other stakeholders together through a centralised technology...
...something that is currently lacking in the city of Melbourne despite the city’s strong value for art and culture.
Our finalised situation of use shapes the app’s overarching goal:
Connect artists, consumers and other stakeholders together through a centralised technology...
...something that is currently lacking in the city of Melbourne despite the city’s strong value for art and culture.
🔎 Preliminary Interviews
🔎 Preliminary Interviews
It was time to move beyond assumptions and hear directly from the people involved.
It was time to move beyond assumptions and hear directly from the people involved.
We identified 5 stakeholder groups to focus our research on:
👩🎨 Artists
🧑🎨 Co-artists
🎨 Art consumers
🖌️ Event organisers
🎪 Venue hosts
We identified 5 stakeholder groups to focus our research on:
Artists
Co-artists
Art consumers
Event organisers
Venue hosts
We identified 5 stakeholder groups to focus our research on:
👩🎨 Artists
🧑🎨 Co-artists
🎨 Art consumers
🖌️ Event organisers
🎪 Venue hosts
🎯 GOAL
To discover the unique perspectives and concerns of each group within our chosen situation of use.
To discover the unique perspectives and concerns of each group within our chosen situation of use.
🗣️ Semi-structured user interviews
16 interviews | 8 artists, 7 consumers, 1 venue host
We conducted both online and in-person interviews, including friends, local market sellers at The Rose St. Artists’ Market, and artists from the University of Melbourne’s Drawing and Painting Club.
We conducted both online and in-person interviews, including friends, local market sellers at The Rose St. Artists’ Market, and artists from the University of Melbourne’s Drawing and Painting Club.
Let’s hear what stakeholders had to say in these interviews.
Let’s hear what stakeholders had to say in these interviews.
Artists
Artists
Social media is definitely helpful for promoting my art, with viral trends, but those apps can be controversial. Especially with the upsurge of AI stealing artists’ art.
Social media is definitely helpful for promoting my art, with viral trends, but those apps can be controversial. Especially with the upsurge of AI stealing artists’ art.
I wish there was a place dedicated for only art, and updates on art. Sometimes event and artists notifications on the apps I use get lost in the clutter of everyday life.
I wish there was a place dedicated for only art, and updates on art. Sometimes event and artists notifications on the apps I use get lost in the clutter of everyday life.
Consumers
Consumers
🖊️ Rich Picture
🖊️ Rich Picture
These findings, combined with earlier research, shaped the final rich picture (continuously refined throughout the design process).
We mapped out the main stakeholders, connecting their synergies in blue and clashing concerns in red.
These findings, combined with earlier research, shaped the final rich picture (continuously refined throughout the design process).
We mapped out the main stakeholders, connecting their synergies in blue and clashing concerns in red.
Final rich picture, connecting all relationships between stakeholders in our situation of use.
Final rich picture, connecting all relationships between stakeholders in our situation of use.
These concerns revealed key paradoxes, which inspired six initial design ideas.
We conducted follow-up interviews with users from the preliminary interview stage, gathering valuable feedback to guide our decision-making. Ultimately, three design ideas stood out and shaped the final concept for our app.
These concerns revealed key paradoxes, which inspired six initial design ideas.
We conducted follow-up interviews with users from the preliminary interview stage, gathering valuable feedback to guide our decision-making. Ultimately, three design ideas stood out and shaped the final concept for our app.
These concerns revealed key paradoxes, which inspired six initial design ideas.
We conducted follow-up interviews with users from the preliminary interview stage, gathering valuable feedback to guide our decision-making. Ultimately, three design ideas stood out and shaped the final concept for our app.
Bookings for artists wireframes
Idea 1
Bookings for artists
Connecting artists with event organisers with a centralised booking system to help artists discover nearby events, book tables and connect with other artists.
Discovering local events and artists wireframes
Idea 2
Discovering local events and artists
Connects artists, consumers and event organisers, serving as a hub for local art events making it easier to discover art events happening.
QR code profiles wireframes
Idea 3
QR code profiles
A unique displayable QR code that can be displayed by artists wherever they sell art. Consumers can easily scan and connect with these artists.
Bookings for artists wireframes
Idea 1
Bookings for artists
Connecting artists with event organisers with a centralised booking system to help artists discover nearby events, book tables and connect with other artists.
Discovering local events and artists wireframes
Idea 2
Discovering local events and artists
Connects artists, consumers and event organisers, serving as a hub for local art events making it easier to discover art events happening.
QR code profiles wireframes
Idea 3
QR code profiles
A unique displayable QR code that can be displayed by artists wherever they sell art. Consumers can easily scan and connect with these artists.
Bookings for artists wireframes
Idea 1
Bookings for artists
Connecting artists with event organisers with a centralised booking system to help artists discover nearby events, book tables and connect with other artists.
Discovering local events and artists wireframes
Idea 2
Discovering local events and artists
Connects artists, consumers and event organisers, serving as a hub for local art events making it easier to discover art events happening.
QR code profiles wireframes
Idea 3
QR code profiles
A unique displayable QR code that can be displayed by artists wherever they sell art. Consumers can easily scan and connect with these artists.
🖊️ Main Design Concept
🖊️ Main Design Concept
An art-centric app where local artists and consumers create digital profiles to connect and stay updated about local art events and markets.
Tailored to every individual user, Easel is centred exclusively on art, artists and events that align with the user’s curated Palette, creating a unique experience for every user of Easel.
An art-centric app where local artists and consumers create digital profiles to connect and stay updated about local art events and markets.
Tailored to every individual user, Easel is centred exclusively on art, artists and events that align with the user’s curated Palette, creating a unique experience for every user of Easel.
🖊️ User Personas
🖊️ User Personas
We developed 6 personas for Easel’s two main user groups: artists and consumers.
A diverse mix of experience levels, accessibility needs, and goals ensured our design was inclusive and user-focused.
Below are two personas, each accompanied by a storyboard illustrating a scenario they might face, highlighting their pain points and user needs.
We developed 6 personas for Easel’s two main user groups: artists and consumers.
A diverse mix of experience levels, accessibility needs, and goals ensured our design was inclusive and user-focused.
Below are two personas, each accompanied by a storyboard illustrating a scenario they might face, highlighting their pain points and user needs.
Marcus
Bradford
30 yrs | Author | Repeat consumer art enthusiast with cerebral palsy
Storyboard of Marcus understanding how a well-designed platform can support him.
🤕 Pain Points
He faces challenges engaging in art and literature due to his disability, particularly with inaccessible spaces and the stress of determining whether a physical location is wheelchair-friendly.
🤩 Needs and Wants
He desires information about accessibility and market details to confidently explore new spaces, as well as tools to connect with artists, track their activities, and build meaningful relationships.
Zackari
Jon Beveridge
60 yrs | Experienced artist | Resistant to technology
Storyboard of Zackari understanding how a well-designed platform can support him.
🤕 Pain Points
He struggles to balance his traditional art methods with the growing pressure to adopt modern digital tools.
🤩 Needs and Wants
He desires minimally intrusive, user-friendly technology that upholds his artistic integrity while helping him reach a broader audience.
Marcus
Bradford
30 yrs | Author | Repeat consumer art enthusiast with cerebral palsy
Storyboard of Marcus understanding how a well-designed platform can support him.
🤕 Pain Points
He faces challenges engaging in art and literature due to his disability, particularly with inaccessible spaces and the stress of determining whether a physical location is wheelchair-friendly.
🤩 Needs and Wants
He desires information about accessibility and market details to confidently explore new spaces, as well as tools to connect with artists, track their activities, and build meaningful relationships.
Zackari
Jon Beveridge
60 yrs | Experienced artist | Resistant to technology
Storyboard of Zackari understanding how a well-designed platform can support him.
🤕 Pain Points
He struggles to balance his traditional art methods with the growing pressure to adopt modern digital tools.
🤩 Needs and Wants
He desires minimally intrusive, user-friendly technology that upholds his artistic integrity while helping him reach a broader audience.
+ Test 1
+ Test 1
💡 Wireframes
💡 Wireframes
We kicked off with a quick brainstorming session which gave us a clearer picture of the user flow. A key decision during this stage was to create two distinct user flows: one for artists and one for consumers.
We created low-fidelity wireframes to ensure users were involved throughout the process.
We kicked off with a quick brainstorming session which gave us a clearer picture of the user flow. A key decision during this stage was to create two distinct user flows: one for artists and one for consumers.
We created low-fidelity wireframes to ensure users were involved throughout the process.
Easel low-fidelity wireframes.
Easel low-fidelity wireframes.
Our first (and quick) testing session with six users helped us confirm that the app’s flow was intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing us to address usability issues and make necessary corrections.
Our first (and quick) testing session with six users helped us confirm that the app’s flow was intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing us to address usability issues and make necessary corrections.
Changes made to low-fidelity wireframes after first user-testing session.
Changes made to low-fidelity wireframes after first user-testing session.
🎨 The Final Prototype
🎨 The Final Prototype
+ Test 2
+ Test 2
🎨 Usability Design Rationale
🎨 Usability Design Rationale
We conducted a heuristic evaluation with 3 experts to ensure Easel adhered to usability standards.
The two heuristics that were deemed most influential were:
We conducted a heuristic evaluation with 3 experts to ensure Easel adhered to usability standards.
The two heuristics that were deemed most influential were:
🎨 Photo Scenario
🎨 Photo Scenario
Photo scenario of user journey with Easel.
Photo scenario of user journey with Easel.
🎨 User-based Evaluation
🎨 User-based Evaluation
🤔
Evaluation
observational, qualitative user-based
🤔
Evaluation
observational, qualitative user-based
🙋
Participants
6 in total: three consumers and three artists from art markets and student clubs
🙋
Participants
6 in total: three consumers and three artists from art markets and student clubs
🙏
Requests
Think-aloud, Pre and post-evaluation quizzes to gather deeper insights
🙏
Requests
Think-aloud, Pre and post-evaluation quizzes to gather deeper insights
👩🏫
Tasks
Role-based scenarios, 6-7 tasks
👩🏫
Tasks
Role-based scenarios, 6-7 tasks
Feedback from these evaluations were organised into an affinity map with 7 themes, allowing us to identify patterns and key findings.
Feedback from these evaluations were organised into an affinity map with 7 themes, allowing us to identify patterns and key findings.
Affinity map of findings from final user-based evaluation of Easel, with 6 participants.
Affinity map of findings from final user-based evaluation of Easel, with 6 participants.
Stated below are the findings I deemed most important:
Stated below are the findings I deemed most important:
Interface and Navigation
Interface and Navigation
01
01
Users praised the interface as clean and intuitive however, the Palette layout was found overwhelming and the inconsistent behaviour of the 'heart' icon caused confusion.
Users praised the interface as clean and intuitive however, the Palette layout was found overwhelming and the inconsistent behaviour of the 'heart' icon caused confusion.
User Discovery
User Discovery
02
02
The Discover section was highly valued for its ability to help users find art and events. However, users expressed a desire for location-based filters. The tag-based system was seen as a convenient and effective.
The Discover section was highly valued for its ability to help users find art and events. However, users expressed a desire for location-based filters. The tag-based system was seen as a convenient and effective.
Personalisation and Customisation
Personalisation and Customisation
03
03
The Palette feature was well-received for allowing users to create personalised collections and curate their Discover page based on their preferences. Artists suggested more profile customisation options.
The Palette feature was well-received for allowing users to create personalised collections and curate their Discover page based on their preferences. Artists suggested more profile customisation options.
Artist-Specific features
Artist-Specific features
04
04
Artists appreciated the app but requested features to better connect with their audience. An analytics feature was also highlighted as valuable for inventory planning and understanding audience preferences.
Artists appreciated the app but requested features to better connect with their audience. An analytics feature was also highlighted as valuable for inventory planning and understanding audience preferences.
🎨 Risks Identified
🎨 Risks Identified
Participants also provided constructive feedback, which was compiled into a benefit-risk diagram.
This diagram detailed both the positive aspects and the potential risks of the app, along with explanations for mitigating those risks.
Participants also provided constructive feedback, which was compiled into a benefit-risk diagram.
This diagram detailed both the positive aspects and the potential risks of the app, along with explanations for mitigating those risks.
Benefit-risk diagram of findings identified in user-based evaluation of Easel.
Benefit-risk diagram of findings identified in user-based evaluation of Easel.
📈
Increased Profile Engagement
Easel may initially feel like an added responsibility for artists managing multiple platforms, but its art-specific focus could streamline event and merchandise management, reducing the need for frequent updates on other apps.
📈
Increased Profile Engagement
Easel's art-specific focus could streamline event and merchandise management, reducing the need for frequent updates on other apps.
📈
Increased Profile Engagement
Easel may initially feel like an added responsibility for artists managing multiple platforms, but its art-specific focus could streamline event and merchandise management, reducing the need for frequent updates on other apps.
📊
Revenue Model Uncertainty
The app currently lacks a direct revenue model, which could concern stakeholders like event organisers and venue hosts. Potential solutions include premium accounts, paid features, or sponsorships from companies invested in the arts.
📊
Revenue Model Uncertainty
Easel currently lacks a direct revenue model. Potential solutions include premium accounts, paid features, or sponsorships from companies.
📊
Revenue Model Uncertainty
The app currently lacks a direct revenue model, which could concern stakeholders like event organisers and venue hosts. Potential solutions include premium accounts, paid features, or sponsorships from companies invested in the arts.
👁️
Reliance on Visibility
Easel’s success depends on attracting a substantial local user base. By allowing artists to link existing social media profiles, the app helps integrate their audiences, paving the way for gradual growth and becoming the go-to platform for local art discovery.
👁️
Reliance on Visibility
By allowing artists to link existing social media profiles, the app paves the way for gradual growth.
👁️
Reliance on Visibility
Easel’s success depends on attracting a substantial local user base. By allowing artists to link existing social media profiles, the app helps integrate their audiences, paving the way for gradual growth and becoming the go-to platform for local art discovery.
🤔 What’s Next?
🤔 What’s Next?
The Palette is Easel’s heart, letting users curate their local art experience.
During evaluations, a participant suggested storing event tickets directly in the app, inspiring the idea for a Wallet feature.
This addition would let users manage saved events and tickets seamlessly within Easel. The Wallet could integrate with phone wallets or remain art-specific for those seeking a more curated experience, keeping their art world distinct and clutter-free.
The Palette is Easel’s heart, letting users curate their local art experience.
During evaluations, a participant suggested storing event tickets directly in the app, inspiring the idea for a Wallet feature.
This addition would let users manage saved events and tickets seamlessly within Easel. The Wallet could integrate with phone wallets or remain art-specific for those seeking a more curated experience, keeping their art world distinct and clutter-free.
Prototype for Wallet feature in Easel’s future design cycle.
🤔 Final Retrospection
🤔 Final Retrospection
Presenting our design proposal to a panel of UX industry specialists was an exhilarating and enlightening experience.
Gaining insights into industry nuances and learning how to refine our design to meet professional standards was invaluable.
Presenting our design proposal to a panel of UX industry specialists was an exhilarating and enlightening experience.
Gaining insights into industry nuances and learning how to refine our design to meet professional standards was invaluable.
⏰
Test Early, Test Often
Testing at every stage saved us significant time by identifying issues early. More extensive test plans could have addressed all user concerns and further strengthened our design.
⏰
Test Early, Test Often
Testing at every stage saved us significant time by identifying issues early. More extensive test plans could have addressed all user concerns and further strengthened our design.
🗣️
Clear Communication is Key
Open communication with team members is essential, especially during moments of uncertainty. Many stressful situations could have been avoided if we had addressed concerns immediately rather than waiting.
🗣️
Clear Communication is Key
Open communication with team members is essential, especially during moments of uncertainty. Many stressful situations could have been avoided if we had addressed concerns immediately rather than waiting.
👣
Every Step Should Matter
Each phase of the design process should leave a meaningful impact on the final product. If a step feels unnecessary, it’s worth questioning whether it’s the best use of time and effort.
👣
Every Step Should Matter
Each phase of the design process should leave a meaningful impact on the final product. If a step feels unnecessary, it’s worth questioning whether it’s the best use of time and effort.
Thank you!
Thank you!