Rebrand and redesign for an art buying app that allows users to make informed purchases based on market insights, budget specifications, and areas of interest. I wanted to make it easy for art lovers to discover new artists, find art shows, and begin building their collections. Duration: 6 weeks.

My role as the lead designer & UX researcher included: conducting user research, competitive audits, and usability studies. I also created personas, storyboards, wireframes, lo-fi prototypes & hi-fi prototypes.

the problem 

The art world is notoriously non-inclusive. Factors like budget and experience can hinder first time buyers. I wanted to create an app that art lovers find accessible and engaging, full of resources and information to help them enter the art market.

the goals

1. Design sleek and straightforward UI that allows users to find artist information and statistics easily.
2. Allow first time art buyers to discover quality investment pieces and make informed purchases.
3. Provide a simple, linear buying experience.

user research

I wanted to ensure the app would indeed solve the user problems I anticipated - while being easy to use and visually appealing. I created some preliminary wireframes of the design flow and began planning my research.

I created personas and began conducting user interviews, which helped me identify key features and user concerns to address in later prototypes. I then conducted a usability study to test KPIs such as: time on task, use of navigation rates, conversion rates, and user error rates. This allowed me to iterate my designs and create a hi-fi prototype that addressed some concerns I discovered during my research.

challenges
1. Identify characteristics, desires & pain points of the end user.
2. Create a familiar and engaging browsing experience.
3. Encourage curiosity and exploration on the app with intuitive UX.

user interviews

pain points

1. Customization: Users want an experience tailored to their needs and interests. They want to be able to set style and budget options during the browsing process.
2. Clutter: Multiple users mentioned ebay as an example of UI that feels disorganized and cluttered, with too many options. Users want a clean and minimal layout with relevant information. This allows them to make decisions in less time.
3. Not enough data: Users want relevant information that will help them make a large investment purchase. They want straightforward copy without art world jargon.

wireframes & lo-fi prototypes

         

        

usability study

I surveyed five users and asked them to complete tasks on the prototype. I discovered small problems like broken links and inconsistencies, which were easy fixes.

Areas to improve:
1. Missing steps in the purchasing and decision making process. 
2. The need for a filtered search tool allowing users to find specifically what they are looking for and reduce search time.
3. Another request was more information on artist pages so users could deep dive in their areas of interest and decide if they were making a good investment purchase.

final designs


before



after


takeaways

The mission for this app is to help first time buyers enter the art market and make smart investments. Enabling people to invest and explore a passion for art is beneficial on both an individual and societal level. This project included many iterations on visual design to match the luxury market.

Outcomes:
1. Filtered search tool allows users to get specific about what they’re looking for so they only see relevant information. This decreases browsing time and increases conversions.
2. Artist pages include market insights, past auction information, and sales metrics so users can quickly analyze whether they are making a good investment purchase.
3. UI that is streamlined to be visually appealing, making the user experience enjoyable and encouraging more time spent on the platform.

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