UX/UI Designer & Researcher
August 2020 - May 2021
Figma, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, art galleries, exhibits, and those alike were shut down and struggled to shift their presence to a virtual standpoint.
An art community application and 360° virtual reality experience that enables artists to share their stories and creative processes to the art community.
4 interviews were conducted totaling 6 hours, including an artist, designer, visual arts professor, and a gallery curator.
1 focus group was conducted over Google Meet consisting of 3 painters.
4 site visits were completed totaling 6 hours from NYC & Philadelphia art galleries.
4 studio observations were completed totaling 7 hours to understand the painter's work process.
1 survey was conducted on COVID-19 effects on art appreciators and artist's consisting of 37 participants.
“Several of my shows have been canceled entirely or moved online, but I’ve had more time to work in my {at home} studio.”
“I had a full-time internship/job offer for a company I’m working for. I’ve changed my job search to more virtual exhibits, as opposed to solely in-person.”
“The newer students have lost the sense of community finding friends and communicating with others in a department.”
“Engagement has increased by 50,000 since moving towards a more virtual standpoint. More artists, more connections, more interactions with
in-person and online exhibitions.”
“It feels like I’m getting trapped in my head with overthinking things, as opposed to just painting.”
“When my work was closed off {from COVID}, and then I was able to see it again, it felt like I went through growth. It’s like being without a child or family member for a while. You see them in a different light without their effect on you or vise versa.”
“Trying to adapt and finding a balance. Being more independent in her work, but also trying to reach out to other people.”
After the project, I learned how vast and intricate the art community is. This encompasses a plethora of people. It can be difficult to encapsulate them into an application and determine what works best for each individual but understanding the core elements of the community aided in that process—visiting galleries, the importance of connecting with other artists, sharing artwork and the process, and much more. It’s an amazing world and community to learn and be a part of, which made the process even more enjoyable.
During the project, I wasn’t able to user test on all of my key partners. This made it difficult to understand if every feature, design, etc. needed improvement or not. In the beginning, I focused on the gallery curator and artists. Unfortunately, I realized later on in the project process that the focus should be on the artists, not the galleries. Although the galleries and curators are vital to further sharing artwork, it was clear they weren’t the ones that should be in the spotlight. Having already researched and interviewed a gallery curator, I included them as a persona. After final feedback, I realized the confusion since a curator isn’t properly integrated into the application.
My partner's paintings are displayed through the main studio within the prototype. If you're interested in seeing more of his amazing work, you can find his website here!