Building engagement for the Seattle Art Museum
Redesigning the Smartphone tour
Role
Product Designer
Worked with:
UX designer,
Web developer,
Accessibility team specialist, Visitor
experience staff
Timeline
Feb - May 2024
Client
Seattle Art Museum
Team
Priyanka Nair
Laiba Sarwar
Indrani Thool
Tool
Figma
Microsoft Suite
Powerpoint
Refining Strategy & Ensuring Feasibility
Midpoint Check-in
Building a Scalable & User-Centered Product Architecture
Structuring the Experience
Prioritizing What Matters Most
Ideation Insights
Innovative Features for Enhanced Usability and Engagement
Innovative Features for Enhanced Usability and Engagement
Design Solutions
Intuitive Onboarding: No More Guesswork
Solutions 01
Streamlined Navigation: Effortless Access and Exploration
Solutions 02
Seamless Audio Experience: Listen Without Limits
Solutions 03
Accessibility: Enhanced Visual Exploration
Solutions 04
Uncovering Key Pain Points through Diverse Methods
Insights
The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) is a non-profit organization that aims to share its global collections, powerful exhibitions, and dynamic programs to engage, educate, and inspire. SAM is committed to equity, exceptional art, and dynamic programs. SAM’s different sites offer enriching, fun, and rewarding experiences for all.
The Seattle Art Museum’s smartphone tour faces challenges with engagement, seamless navigation, and providing an optimal in-gallery experience.
Engagement Challenge
Problem
Seattle Art Museum
Context
Before diving into the solutions, we established a product architecture to define the strategic direction of the smartphone tour companion. Grounded in the Hierarchy of Needs (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler, 2010), we recognized that for a design to be successful, it must first address foundational needs before progressing to higher-level enhancements.
Navigation Challenges
Visitors struggled to use the tour for in-gallery wayfinding, relying on museum staff for guidance.
QR Code Fatigue
Repeatedly scanning QR codes deterred some users, suggesting a need for alternative access options.
Onboarding Uncertainty
Users were unsure how to start and navigate the tour, revealing a gap in meeting user expectations.
Accessibility Concerns
The tour lacked inclusivity, highlighting the need for better accessibility features.
From Here, Our Key Guiding Question Was:
How might we enhance the functionality of the smartphone tour to elevate the current experience and provide additional value to museum visitors and staff?
As we moved forward with our strategy, we took a step back to evaluate:
Are we addressing the most critical pain points?
How feasible is our proposed solution within existing constraints?
How can we ensure a seamless integration with the museum’s broader digital ecosystem?
To validate our approach and prevent scope creep, we met with cross-functional stakeholders to discuss feasibility, refine our design strategy, and ensure alignment with ongoing digital initiatives. The cross-functional partners we met with include:
Museum Visitor Experience Staff
Curatorial Education Team
Web Engineer
UX Designer
Testing how the new tour flow reduces visitor confusion.
Ensuring the experience aligns with storytelling goals.
Evaluating feasibility of proposed design approach.
Aligning with the upcoming website redesign for cohesive branding.
These conversations helped us prioritize our approach, ensuring that our solution not only enhances visitor engagement but is also practical to implement and consistent with SAM’s evolving brand identity.
Key Focus Area
Continuity
refers to the coherence and seamless flow of the user experience across different interactions, pages, or stages within a platform.
Usability
involves optimizing the overall user experience by making the smartphone tour intuitive, easy to navigate, and enjoyable to use.
Discoverability
refers to the ease with which users can find and access information, features, or resources within a platform.
Clear Onboarding Flow
A structured introduction for a seamless start. Previously, visitors had to figure things out on their own.
Dual Access Methods
Visitors can now enter an artwork number or scan a QR code, offering greater flexibility in access.
Persistent Audio Player
A fixed, compact player that remains accessible throughout the tour, allowing users to listen, navigate, and engage with content without interruptions.
Larger Thumbnails
Artworks are now more visually accessible, making it easier to identify and engage with pieces. The improved layout enhances scannability and supports quicker, more efficient decision-making.
Related Artwork Suggestions
Promotes seamless exploration by displaying relevant pieces.
Persistent Bottom Navigation
Provides quick access to key features without disrupting the experience.
Guided Tips
Contextual cues that highlight key functions, following a progressive learning approach to deliver step-by-step insights and prevent cognitive overload.
Ensuring our solution integrates meaningfully into SAM’s digital and visitor experience.
Establishing seamless user interactions.
Providing a strong foundation for future enhancements.
A clear flow for navigation & content delivery
Scalability & usability improvements
Alignment with the broader museum ecosystem
Building engagement
for Seattle Art Museum
Understanding the problem
Research
Explore potential opportunities by visiting other museums to gain insights into industry trends and innovative practices.
Competitive Analysis
Literature Research
Delving into established methodologies and effective interaction strategies in virtual tours.
Stakeholder Interviews
Conducting interviews with the museum’s visitor experience staff to gain firsthand insights into visitor observations and challenges.
Assessing the current platform’s performance and identifying current issues.
Usability Audit
“I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to work together over the last few months. We are excited to make use of the incredible resources. ”
“Definitely something we'll use in the future. Very clean and professional.”
Client Feedback