Research

Finding the Problem

Many current museum apps and websites suffer from fragmented information, cumbersome navigation, and limited functionality for visit planning and scheduling, resulting in a suboptimal user experience. Users often encounter disjointed or incomplete information about exhibitions, events, and museum facilities, leading to confusion and difficulty in planning visits.

Additionally, poor navigation design can make it hard for users to find the information they need quickly and easily, requiring multiple clicks or dealing with non-intuitive menus. Existing platforms also frequently offer inadequate tools for scheduling visits, purchasing tickets, and managing bookings, disrupting the visitor experience.

Furthermore, inconsistencies in functionality and design between the app and website can cause frustration, as features available on one platform may not be accessible on the other.

Lastly, many museum apps and websites lack engaging, interactive features that enhance the visitor experience and encourage repeat visits, such as virtual tours, multimedia content, or personalized recommendations. These issues collectively undermine user satisfaction and reduce overall engagement with the museum's digital offerings.

Business Goals

To address the identified problems, the museum aims to enhance its digital presence by developing an integrated app and responsive website that provides a seamless and user-friendly experience.

The primary business goals include:

  • Delivering comprehensive and cohesive information about exhibitions, events, and visitor services in an easily accessible format to eliminate user confusion and improve planning capabilities.

  • Streamlining navigation to ensure intuitive access to information will enhance the overall user experience.

  • Offering robust tools for scheduling visits, purchasing tickets, and managing bookings within a single platform will facilitate smoother visit planning and increase convenience for patrons.

  • Ensuring a consistent user experience across both the app and website will reduce frustration and promote higher engagement.

  • Incorporating engaging, interactive features such as virtual tours, high-resolution images, multimedia content, and personalized recommendations will enrich the visitor experience, encourage repeat visits, and foster greater connection with the museum's offerings.

User Needs

Museum patrons need a comprehensive and user-friendly digital platform to fully engage with the museum's offerings and plan their visits efficiently. They require easy access to detailed and up-to-date information about exhibitions and events, presented in a cohesive manner to avoid confusion.

Users need intuitive navigation that allows them to find relevant information without cumbersome menus or multiple clicks quickly. Additionally, they need a straightforward way to find things within the museum itself, as the physical map isn't always easy to use for everyone.

Robust scheduling tools are essential for booking visits, purchasing tickets, and managing reservations seamlessly.

Furthermore, patrons seek a consistent experience across both app and website platforms to avoid frustration.’

Engaging features like virtual tours, high-resolution images, and personalized recommendations are also needed to enhance their cultural experience and encourage repeat visits.

Meeting these needs will ensure that users can maximize their interaction with the museum and enjoy a richer, more convenient experience.

Emergent Needs

1

Real-time updates and notifications

Patrons increasingly expect real-time updates and notifications about new exhibitions, events, and museum hours or operations changes. This need for immediate and accurate information reflects the broader trend toward instant accessibility in the digital age.

4

More interactive and immersive experiences

Patrons are seeking more interactive and immersive experiences. Features like augmented reality (AR) to enhance on-site visits, virtual reality (VR) tours for remote exploration, and interactive multimedia content can significantly enrich the user experience and meet their desire for deeper engagement with the museum’s collections.

2

Demand for personalized experiences

There is a demand for personalized experiences. Users want recommendations tailored to their interests and past behaviors, whether it’s suggesting upcoming exhibitions, events, or similar artworks based on previous visits. This personalization helps create a more engaging and relevant experience for each visitor.

5

Seamless experience across various screen sizes and devices.

As more people use smartphones and tablets as their primary devices, there is an emergent need for a highly responsive design that offers a seamless experience across various screen sizes and devices. This ensures that whether patrons use the app on a phone, tablet, or desktop, they receive a consistent and high-quality experience.

3

Improved accessibility

The need for improved accessibility has become more pronounced. This includes ensuring that digital platforms are user-friendly for people with disabilities, providing screen reader compatibility, high-contrast modes, and easy-to-navigate interfaces for those with visual or motor impairments.