Creating a better world with the metaverse
How can we create a bridge for art lovers to public art and vice versa?
In 2018 a survey was done by the Americans for the Arts organization asking citizens their opinions on art...
4 out of 5 Americans
believe that the arts are a "positive experience in a troubled world"
Filling in a spot that is underrepresented in art & technology
My partner compared the top results that showed up when looking up a "virtual art galleries". She compared Google Arts and Culture VR, AuFil-DuTempes, as well as DailyArt. From her research she realized there a lack of representation in the virtual art realm and that it focused too heavily on Western European art. However some similarities were a gallery that provided immersive experiences and detailed information on each work. Nonetheless, the only app that allowed for VR compatibility was Google.
Chart comparing competitors in the virtual art realm
Meet Jenna the Art Novice
We surveyed about 10 art lovers asking what their current experiences have had with art and technology and the features they are looking for in a virtual art app. My partner had come up with our persona Jenna, she currently lives in a rural part of town and is disappointed in the lack of public art nearby her, she is looking for a solution to experience art more without traveling so far.
Jenna represents who would be the optimal user for VRt
Idealizing solutions for Jenna
My partner created a suggested user flow Jenna would encounter. In this potential flow, Jenna is accomplishing the task of selecting multiple works from one singular artist to view them using VR technologies.
User flow showing how to a user would potentially go through viewing artwork in the app virtually
Taking inspiration from around the world
I was assigned the task of creating the visuals and UI components for the app. I look towards two worlds: traditional art and contemporary public art. When looking at our competitors and other visual examples on Dribbble and Mobbin we notice this extreme neutral palate however structured in a way to highlight the information over the art. When compared to looking at public art directly we see vibrancy and color everywhere alongside nature, however, is a lack of control, and everything seems chaotic.
UI inspiration for the app showcasing neutral color palettes
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Visual inspiration showcasing color variants in the artwork
Creating a new visual experience
When going about creating the UI for the app I wanted to embrace the new and exciting feeling seeing public art. I wanted to embrace the vibrant colors you often see outside and the ability to be balanced out with the basic gray neutrals
#131329
Xiketic
#4BDC05
Lime Green
#FDB600
Middle Yellow
#5D5FEF
Neon Blue
#FBFCFF
Ghost White
#858794
Roman Silver
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Color palette and typography that will be used in the app
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Introducing VRt (vee-Art)
Combing the UI inspiration and visuals I was able to create the high-fidelity prototype for VRt. The app allows users to explore public art from anywhere in the world, find artists they love, and discover new ones! All of it has the capability of incorporating VR for a more immersive experience.
Screens for the virtual art app VRt
What are some of the features VRt can do?
I combined features from two places: from the feedback we received from our interviews as well as features from our competitors we were able to incorporate 4 main features within the app!
Last impressions from the sprint
After completing the sprint with my partner this is what I learned from the experience:
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When designing utilize all the space that is given to account for less clutter in the UI
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Creating bold elements to helped navigate users to their next action in the flow
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People want to feel control over what they wear
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When you give users choice it makes them have trust in the app and not feel pressured
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Streamlining user flows makes it less tedious for users and finish
For the next steps I would continue user testing and adding more elements to flesh out the design of the app until I reached completion. Afterwards I would hand off the project to engineering to make the project come to life!