A.O.O.

Art Opportunity Search App

UX Case Study

A.O.O. is an art opportunity search app that provides an efficient and convenient way for users to find art opportunities and manage them easily.

Project Overview

The Product

A.O.O. is an art opportunity search app that provides an efficient and convenient way for people to find art opportunities and manage them easily. It collects international information on art opportunities and art organizations for artists and art students around the world who need a well-organized search platform.

Problem

The main challenges when searching art-
related opportunities are disorganized information, few sources, an uncertain application schedule, and long search time, leading to fatigue and frustration.

Goal

Design an app that provides a clear categorization system and a personal calendar to organize schedules, allowing users to quickly find useful information and suitable opportunities and arrange information easily.

My Role

UX designer designing a search app about art opportunity.

Responsibilities

Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, acconuting for accessibility, ad iterating on designs.

User Research

Summary

I want to understand the processes and emotions when people search for art opportunities. I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I am designing for and their demands. A primary user group identified through research was professional artists who need to deal with many chaotic and disorganized information.
‍
This user group confirmed the initial assumptions about art opportunity app customers, but research also revealed that the disorganization of information was not the only factor taking users’ time on searching. Other user problems include limited sources, uncertain schedules, or ambiguous requirements and conditions that make it difficult to search and collect useful information and reduce the willingness of applying.

User Pain Points

Persona

A.O.O. - Persona - Chloe
A.O.O. - Persona - Jeremy
A.O.O. - Persona - Elle

User Journey Map

A.O.O. - User Journey Map - Chloe
A.O.O. - User Journey Map - Jeremy
A.O.O. - User Journey Map - Elle

Design

Information Architecture

Paper Wireframes

Draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper helped me create more possibilities and better ideas for each screen and ensure that the functions of elements were suitable and useful to solve user pain points.

HOMEPAGE

For the homepage, I prioritized the recommended and featured options that are popular items and the items related to users’ previous saving and searching items to provide accurate choices for users to save their time on searching. And I set the search icon on the top area to make it apparent for users who can easily start searching.

Stars were used to mark the elements that would be used in the initial digital wireframes.

Paper Wireframe - Search Page
Paper Wireframe - Calendar PagePaper Wireframe - Organization Page

Digital Wireframes

After the initial design phase of paper wireframes, I determined the basic screen designs on the user pain points and feedback from user research.imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

The notification function provides users to get instant notifications of new opportunities and reminders of the closer deadlines of saved items.

Recommends help users who are unfamiliar with the approaches to get opportunities to have some useful information to get started.

The apparent navigation bar provides an easy and friendly experience for screen readers.

HOMEPAGE

FILTER

The convenient filter is a key user need to provide basic and diverse but not excessive choices that improve the accuracy of results and save time on the search.

The location search bar increases search flexibility.

The number of filter choices in one category is limited to seven to provide users with a simple and fast way to search.

MY CALENDAR

The personal calendar function provides users with an integrated schedule by their saved items to manage information. It incorporates a notification system that reminds users of deadlines as they approach.

The area below the calendar is the saved items at a specific date to provide users with a fast and convenient way to find the recorded information.

ITEM SCREEN

The screen of each opportunity presents the review rate and has functions of saving, blocking, and sharing opportunities that help users manage their search results fast.

The saving function provide users to save interested opportunity immediately, and the saved item will automaticly add on the My Calender.

This button that links to the opportunity website allows users to apply an opportunity easily and quickly.

The process of searching for art opportunities with A.O.O. app.

Low-Fidelity Prototype

The low-fidelity prototype connected the primary user flow of searching and saving opportunities, building a personal calendar, and following interested art organizations, so the prototype could be used in a usability study with users.

Usability Study

Study Details

Project Background

I am creating a new app to provide a quick and convenient way for people to search for art opportunities. I need to find out if the main user experience, searching and managing information, is easy for users to complete. I would also like to understand the specific difficulties that users might face in the search and management processes.

Participants

-5 Participants from different countries need to search for art opportunities at least once every two weeks.
‍
-Participants include professional artists who frequently look for and apply for art opportunities and art students who starts to seek art opportunities

Methodology

-10 to 15 minutes

-the United States, remote
‍
-Unmoderated usability study
‍
-Users were asked to search
opportunities and save an item on a low-fidelity prototype.

Themes

Research Insights

Filter Options

Clues of Saving Function

Search Function

Users need a convenient filter with plentiful categories to get the information fast and accurately.

Users need a more apparent search icon/bar and need it to be an apparent part on screen.

Users need other icons for the functions of saving and an apparent change or a notification to be aware of the action of saving.

Refining the Design

Round l

Mockups

Before Usability Studies
After Usability Studies

HOMEPAGE

Early designs provided random recommendations on the homepage, but after the usability studies, I added a search bar, filter icon, and filter options based on user information and preferences. I also revised the design so users can start to search when they first land on the screen.

FILTERS

I added more categories, such as location, identity, and the ranges of application fees, in the filters so users can have more options to get accurate information fast.

Before Usability Studies
After Usability Studies

SAVING PROCESS

I changed the saving icon to a heart, canceled the blocking function, and added a notification after users save items; thus, users could be aware of the action of saving.

Before Usability Studies
After Usability Studies

Round ll

Usability Study ll: Findings

ICON - Findings

Users want to change the colors on the personal calendar

Users want a clearer visual character of the app

Users want to adjust notification times for saved items

Mockups ll

A.O.O. - Hi-Fidelity Prototype

Accessibility Considerations

1. Use different colors on buttons, options, and information to help users easily identify different functions and find information.

2. Use icons to help make navigation easier.

3. Provide images to help users understand the preliminary information.

Takeaways

IMPACT
WHAT I LEARNED

The app makes the searching processes for art opportunities easy for users, increasing the willingness of users to apply.

While designing the A.O.O art opportunity search app, I learned the importance of usability studies that helps me be aware of detailed user needs and user feelings. This information not only influenced each iteration of the designs but also encouraged me to do more and better.

Next steps

1. Conduct another round of usability studies and more user research to find out more user pain points and needs

2. Create the website version of A.O.O. with more and complete services and functions

© Yu Ching Wang 2022