ArtGlobal Auction Gallery

Art Gallery Application
Project for Google certification

Target

To create the "ArtGlobal Auction Gallery" platform, whose purpose is to simplify and automate the auction process by transferring it to an online platform, where, regardless of the client's location, he/she can be part of this process.

Position

Product Designer

User Research, Interaction, Visual Design, Prototyping and Testing.

Challenge

Having identified the user, create a digital blank canvas where Art is the protagonist, but remain a simple platform to use regardless of age range or level of knowledge.

Project Timeframe

2 months
Only design area without development.

Solution

I worked on the "ArtGlobal Auction Gallery" application as Product Designer, where the main focus was to create an application as simple as possible to use; that the user would feel comfortable to have the art pieces organized in an easy and quick way to find, likewise, to have a smooth process from the bidding, until the time of payment. On the other hand, knowing that the art business customer is usually very varied, a neutral design was necessary to be able to adapt in the best possible way.

Process

Knowing the User

I was doing research through internet articles as well as going directly to the voice of experience such as the galleries and the artists themselves to reach the following conclusion about our ideal user:

Approximately 62% of users are people between the ages of 40 and 64. This makes them the largest segment.
Growth of 6% to 19% in 2020 were millennial generation consumers, being the fastest growing market today.
21% of contemporary collectors are under 40 years old.

Currently, the ideal user is quite complex to determine and it would be irresponsible to believe that it is limited to one
single personality since there are different motivations for buying art, the most common categories of buyers
are the following:

The one who does it for business: This is the person who buys a large number of works that he/she likes
and/or that he/she knows will be a good investment. His main object are the pieces that rise in value soon or that are collectible.
This is dominated by the upper classes.
For the Social Sense: Again, this is a category dominated by the wealthy class, as they acquire these pieces at auctions or charity events; they are generally not art connoisseurs and it is a result of something more banal and status driven.
The Connoisseur and Passionate: This buyer not only knows about art and its history, but also understands it, is sensitive to it and enjoys acquiring truly valuable works. They make an informed purchase and generally know a lot about the piece before reading the description.
The New Generation: They are younger than the average in general, they research about the piece and the market, but what is more attractive to them is the emotional connection or the feeling that a work generates in them. They usually save money to be able to acquire a piece.

User Interviews

I interviewed some potential users to understand their needs and based on these, develop an empathy map and the necessary proto-personas.

The interviews yielded the following data:

A large number of users do not buy art because they think it is not accessible, they do not understand it or they think it is necessary to have extensive knowledge to be able to participate.
They would consider the option of buying art through an application if it is easy to use and/or similar to common shopping applications.
It is important to include relevant information to learn more about the artwork and the artist.

Based on this information I created this empathy map:

Empathy Map

User Personas

The User Personas are inspired by the tastes, needs and personal experiences of the people interviewed.

User Flow

The app does not contain the design of all the functions because I focused on the user's flow, from the home page to the conclusion of the purchase.
I show this process below.

Paper Wireframes

The Wireframes with pen and paper. This gave me a better idea of how I wanted to design this platform and especially the process that the user would have to be part of an auction and achieve the purchase of the piece they bid on.

Low Fidelity Wireframes

After the Paper Wireframes I carried out the Low Fidelity Wireframes with which I tested the basic operation of the application.

High Fidelity Mockups

The mockups are the result of the user flow, the low fidelity wireframes and the design elements brought together in this product.

Design Elements

In this section you will find the design elements I made for the application.

Colors

Typography

Buttons

Iconography

Cards

Inputs

Navigation Bars

Prototype Preview

These are all the interactions that were made for the prototype made with Figma.

High Fidelity Prototype

This High Fidelity Prototype is the result of the high fidelity mockups, as well as the interactions that were added and it is possible to interact with this prototype made with Figma.

Usability Testing

The usability test of the product was done with several users in which they had an estimated time of 20 minutes to complete the following tasks:

Search for a part in the search bar.
Set a Bid.
Make payment for the piece.

At the end of this test it was concluded that:

The base color of the application was red, and this proved to be distracting to the products and heavy on the eyes so the colors were reversed.

Before

After

Users felt that it was a bit complicated to navigate through the functions so a "Tool Bar" was added.

Be

After

The notifications were general so we made them more specific.

Be

Después

Learning

Doing this project has been an exciting and particularly demanding experience. This is my second project as UX/UI Designer and I have enjoyed every moment of its creation. I am much more skilled at using Figma and other programs. Likewise, it has been a challenging topic because, as I mentioned at the beginning of this page, the consumers that will be able to use this application are very diverse so the big challenge was to design a product that would adapt to most users and above all, that the interviewees felt that what they talked to me during the research and testing was heard and valued.

The biggest learning I had was:

Listening is the key. During this project I broadened my field of research (galleries, artists, buyers, non-art consumers) and it was quite eye-opening as I got to see the different sides of this application. I got to understand the point of view of the gallery whose objective is to sell; that of the artist who is to transmit; that of the buyer who is to acquire a piece of art; and also that of a non-consumer, why they don't consume art and what their frustrations are.
Design does not meet all needs, but it must be adapted to different clients: As a UX/UI Designer it is my goal to know my target user, but in this project I also learned that, although we cannot fulfill all needs (due to time, budget or any other reason) it is necessary to create a product that satisfies the target user, but also invites the general public, making everyone feel welcome.
What is the main character of the app? This is a question that I asked myself insistently during the project, and I understood that when designing an application it is essential to prioritize the elements and the content, since it is essential to create a product with great quality without sacrificing the pleasant flow for the user.

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did, thank you for coming this far with me!