Designed to Transform the Art and Collectibles Buying Experience
OVERVIEW
Art collecting can feel overwhelming, especially with the complexities of auctions and the art market. That's why I created The Gallerist—an app designed to make discovering and buying art accessible and exciting for everyone.
I focused on making the process seamless, engaging, and user-friendly, with an emphasis on transparency and interactive features.
ROLE
User Research
UX Design
Visual Design
Animation Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma
Miro
Adobe Creative Suite
THE PROBLEM
Intimidating and inaccessible auction systems deter potential art buyers
Many traditional auction platforms are perceived as intimidating and complex, creating barriers for new and casual buyers. This lack of transparency and user-friendly features deters a broader audience from participating in art and collectibles auctions. As a result, buyers often feel excluded, overwhelmed, or hesitant to engage with these platforms.
Method : competitive analysis, market trends observations.
BACKGROUND
Understanding Auctions
Art auctions are a traditional avenue for buying and selling artwork, where pieces are presented to potential buyers who place bids in a competitive environment. These auctions can occur in prestigious auction houses or online platforms, bringing together collectors from around the world. While auctions offer access to a wide range of artworks, they can be complex and daunting for those new to the art world.
Complex Bidding Procedures
The fast-paced nature of auctions, with rapid bidding and intricate rules, can be overwhelming for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the process.
Limited Transparency
Important details about an artwork's history, authenticity, and true market value may not always be fully disclosed, making it challenging for buyers to make informed decisions.
High Participation Barriers
Entry into art auctions often requires significant financial resources and prior knowledge, creating obstacles for emerging collectors interested in participating.
Method : Empathy maps, user stories, information architecture
GOAL
Help art enthusiasts discover and connect with artwork easily based on their preferences.
Connecting art lovers with pieces that align with their tastes ensures they find artwork that resonates with them, enhancing their appreciation and satisfaction in the art-buying experience.
Method : competitive analysis, market trends observations.
INDUSTRY RESEARCH
Understanding challenges faced by new art collectors.
To gain a better understanding of why many potential art collectors feel hesitant about engaging with the art market, I conducted research on participation rates and the barriers faced by new buyers. This helped me identify the underlying issues causing individuals to delay or abandon their interest in collecting art.
$65.1 Billion
Total global sales in the art
market in 2021
14%
Estimated percentage of art buyers in 2021 who were new to the market
34%
Proportion of new art buyers do not make a second purchase within the first year
Method : Contextual inquiry, user personas, user journey mapping
USER RESEARCH
Understanding user pain points
To gain a better understanding of users' pain points, I conducted user research to identify the common challenges faced by art enthusiasts with varying levels of experience. Through more than 10 screener surveys and 5 in-depth user interviews, I narrowed down my target audience to individuals between the ages of 25-55. Analyzing this data allowed me to develop detailed user personas, which helped me understand their specific pain points and goals.
Method : Crazy eights, sketching, wireframing.
DESIGN IDEATION
Initial ideation and wireframes
With a solid understanding of the components required for The Gallerist, I began sketching low-fidelity wireframes using Figma. My primary focus was on maintaining simplicity and clarity in the user flow to enhance usability. To keep everything organized, I opted for a gallery-style layout that showcases artwork prominently. Additionally, I adhered to familiar design standards common in art and e-commerce apps to reduce cognitive load on users.
Key hand-drawn wireframes
VISUAL DESIGN CONCEPT
Developing a visual identity
As interest in art collecting grows among younger audiences, I aimed to give The Gallerist a contemporary and engaging design approach. To achieve this, I selected a sophisticated color palette featuring deep navy hues, complemented by accents of a light aqua.
After finalizing the color palette and a few of the components, I made sure that everything passed the accessibility guidelines by performing a contrast check.
Iterating to reach the final designs
Based on user feedback, I redesigned the app to incorporate a more modern UI with a darker color palette and brighter accents, aligning with the contemporary artwork featured in auctions and meeting younger users' expectations. I also focused on adding key information such as price, currency, and timelines directly within the interface to enhance transparency and build trust with users.
Home page iterations
After finalizing the new design concept for The Gallerist, I incorporated a darker background and a glassmorphism effect to create a modern aesthetic aimed at attracting a younger user base. I also enhanced the interface by displaying essential auction information, such as the time remaining and current highest bid for ongoing auctions. For auctions that haven't opened yet, I included the countdown until opening and the starting bid.
Initial design
Initial design
Final design
Method : Usability testing, A/B testing, feedback and iterations.
CONCEPT IDEATION
Art page iterations
After collecting user feedback, I focused on refining the Art Page to enhance usability and engagement. Initially, the page displayed artworks with minimal information, but users wanted a more immersive experience.
Final design
In response, I made several iterations:
Detailed Information: Added comprehensive descriptions, artist biographies, and provenance details to provide deeper context.
Transparency: I made sure to display the highest bid as well as the currency for the auction to ensure financial transparency.
Interactive Elements: Incorporated features like favoriting, sharing, and commenting to encourage user interaction.
SOLUTION
Prototyping
After going through several rounds of iterations, I finally arrived at the final design. As for the next step, my focus was on ensuring that the transition from one page to another was smooth and consistent. To achieve this, I worked on animating the transition page as smoothly and consistently as possible.
Home page
The homepage showcases curated collections of featured art pieces, trending artists, and upcoming auctions. Personalized recommendations cater to the users’ unique tastes, while real-time updates keep them informed of bidding activity.
Personalized dashboard
The Personalized Dashboard serves as a central hub where users manage their art interests. Users can view favorite artworks, follow preferred artists, and track ongoing auctions.
Setting reminders
The Setting Reminders feature enables users to set notifications for upcoming auctions, new releases from favorite artists, and to decide on how and when they would like to be notified.
Advanced filtering
Advanced Filtering lets users narrow their search based on criteria such as style, medium, price range, artist, and theme.
Bidding flow
Live Auctions allow users to participate in real-time bidding on artworks. Users can place bids, view competing offers, and purchase artworks in a dynamic environment.
RESULTS
Collecting qualitative feedback from users
I conducted user testing using the unmoderated remote user testing (URUT) method with the same five participants from the earlier user interviews. Overall, the participants were satisfied with The Gallerist app and provided positive feedback. However, a few questions and concerns were raised, prompting me to consider how to synthesize this information and make improvements in the next steps.
NEXT STEPS
Future directions for 'The Gallerist'
Moving forward, The Gallerist will focus on enhancing community features to foster user engagement, integrating augmented reality to allow users to visualize artworks in their own spaces, improving personalization algorithms for better art recommendations, and implementing advanced analytics to understand user behavior. By concentrating on these technological advancements, The Gallerist aims to enrich the user experience and make art collecting more accessible and engaging for everyone.
