A Gallery Website - Learning through Collaborative Application of Foundational UX Methods (BCIT)
- Bo Z.
- Apr 7, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 5, 2024
Role: UX Designer
Date: January 2024 - March 2024
Team: Magdalena Kirejczyk, Anthony Maag, Christine Medina, Bo Zhang.
In this project, my main responsibilities included:
Emphasizing and exploring the needs of persona Kim, covering the creation of the persona, user scenarios, empathy maps, and user journey maps.
Researching and designing all aspects related to “Donation” and “Membership”.
Handling Metadata.
Crafting the Main User Flow.
Developing wireframes for the Main User Flow (including the homepage).
Collaborating with teammates on other sections.
Introduction
This was the term project for the BCIT course with the course code 2533 Information Architecture. We decided to create a gallery website inspired by the Vancouver Art Gallery, hence the name “2533 Gallery”. Over the course of these three months, my team members and I worked closely together, gaining proficiency and a deeper understanding of commonly used UX methods and deliverables in the UX design process.
Business Scenario / Goals
The 2533 Gallery showcases diverse contemporary and traditional art, connecting artists with enthusiasts. We provide a welcoming space for exploration, education, acquisition and art appreciation. We enrich our community’s cultural landscape through curated exhibitions, nurturing talents, and engaging programs. As a new establishment, we aim to stand out and become a valued cultural hub in the art community.
Business Goals
To establish a strong reputation within the local and international art community by showcasing a mix of established and emerging artists, aiming to increase visitor numbers, promote membership, and reach profit targets.
Online Surveys & Questionnaires
We created two surveys and shared them with the class, and with people we thought suited the target audience of an art gallery enthusiast.
Web Research
Our online research primarily focused on analyzing user reviews of our three competitors: Vancouver Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Ontario, and Montréal Museum of Fine Arts on Google and Tripadvisor.
Personas, User Scenarios, Empathy Maps
& Journey Maps
Due to varying user needs for the gallery, we created three personas: Olivia, Michael, and Kim, along with corresponding user scenarios, empathy maps, and journey maps.
Olivia:
Michael:
Kim:
Organizational Scheme
Primary scheme is an inexact hybrid where items are grouped according to subject/topic and task. Secondary scheme is exact because there are sections of the site that need to be in chronological order (eg. event calendar, exhibitions - current, past, upcoming)
Navigation System
Our global navigation serves as a consistent anchor across the site, allowing users quick access to main sections such as collections, exhibitions, and artist profiles, thus promoting easy site-wide exploration and consistency. Local navigation enables users to delve deeper into content that interests them without overwhelming them with options. With a broad but shallow structure, breadcrumbs are deemed unnecessary as users are less likely to navigate through multiple layers of content. The contents in the utility navigation section support a better browsing experience and also aids in converting visitors into members, donors, or registered users, contributing to the gallery's business goals. Using a footer helps create a centralized information hub, encouraging interaction through social media and newsletters, and helps streamline communication and recruitment processes and outreach efforts.
Mind Map
Site Map & Card Sorting
We validated our sitemap through a closed card sort. The results of the card sort found that most page labels were grouped in an informative and sensible header. 20 of the 26 cards were sorted with very high accuracy (86-100%) which indicated no need to change the labels or organization. Of the 6 pages with lower sorting accuracy, we concluded that a change of label for “Kids” would reduce user confusion. The label of “Kids” became “Toys & Games” as it clearly reflects the products as well as a logical explanation for its placement within the “Shop” category.
Taxonomy
Metadata
User Flow
The user flow focuses on the Membership feature of the 2533 Gallery, with the goal of enabling non-members to sign up as new members, facilitating existing members to renew their memberships, and assisting both types of users in completing the payment process.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
High Fidelity Wireframes
Main user flow pages:
Other Pages:
Conclusion
Throughout this project, we deepened our understanding of the fundamental process of building a complex website and applying UX methods. Over the three-month collaboration with my three team members, we supported each other, leveraging our individual strengths to contribute as much as possible to the project. In the end, the project received nearly full marks. Its success is not solely attributed to our UX work, but also provided valuable experience for teamwork in my future endeavors.
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