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Timeframe

12 Weeks

Team Members

Four members, then split into pairs after key findings. 

My Role

  • Contribution to research/redefining the problem 
  • Contribution to concept development
  • Prototyping 
  • Usability Testing

Tools

  • Figma
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Premiere Pro
  • Balsamiq
  • Miro  

Deliverables

User Experience Design
 
  • Context Mapping Methods 
  • Research Visualisation Poster
  • Statement Cards
  • Storyboarding 
  • Sketchnoting
  • Low, mid and high-fidelity prototypes
  • Interviews
  • System Usability Scale Questions 
  • User Journey Mapping
  • Prototype Video 
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MAPO 

An app that redefines museum navigation beyond the norm by deepening a personalised and playful experience. 

The design utilises two digital technologies, an app and a Muse. The advanced technology Muse is a headset that measures your brain wave lengths using real-time feedback on a person's mental activity.

The Brief 

The Problem 

Research Objective 

Discover

Define Problem
Research
Data 

 

Design a digital experience with the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney with the theme, ‘the future-focused museum’.

How might Chau Chak Wing Museum use serendipity to future-proof the museum and create a stronger connection between visitors and objects?

To investigate what motivates people to engage playfully in museums. A deeper understanding of why and how people share meaningful experiences or create intimate/personalised bonds with a museum/place.

Background Research

Young adults feel as though museums are outdated and repetitive. The Chau Chak Museum at the University of Sydney plays a vital role in preserving and showcasing collective heritage and knowledge. The museum needs to take the opportunity to bring personalisation and embrace new technologies to leverage visitor engagement. Most museums rely on the same traditional presentation styles that are unengaging or monotonous such as structural layout, minimal interactivity and long descriptive texts. 

Research Questions

Personal 

What aspects of the display encourage deeper curiosity and enhance personal interest?

Motivational

How can serendipitous discoveries during the museum experience transform our perception of the world around us?

Bond

Do personal factors strengthen or cause a disconnect between the user and specific aspects of the museum?

Research Methods

As a team, we had to apply context-mapping methods to gain the desired information from our target users by developing sensitising exercises, make-and-say exercises, collaging, cognitive mapping and creating the ideal product. We aim to have participants reflect on past experiences and emotions, and how all of those factors impacted their daily activities.

 

  • Our 6 participants were young adults aged 20-21, who were currently enrolled in university or tafe and have been to a museum. Participants were also favoured due to their different cultural backgrounds, granting them the opportunity to gather unique cultural experiences and personal perspectives. 

  •  Students were chosen and given sensitising activities 7 days earlier to warm up for context mapping sessions. 
     

  • Interview sessions included an interview transcript, collages and cognitive mapping with further follow-up questions. 

  • Data analysis was accomplished through a combined statement card activity and categorisation to determine themes and insights.

Sensitising Exercise

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Collaging, Cognitive Mapping & Creating a Product

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Make & Say Exercise

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Research Articles

"Collected memories bring together different conversations"

"You can't get personal than human emotion"

"Being alone makes it easier to immerse yourself in the experience"

Define

Key Findings

Understand User
Redefine Problem 

 

Based on the analysis of data extracted from the user research methods conducted, we had to design a research visualisation and identify key insights. The result of our research aimed to address encouraging personalisation and serendipitous discoveries throughout the museum journey. These will hopefully continue to captivate users even in the post-visit stages of the user journey, creating a memorable museum experience.

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“I dislike when exploring the museum feels forced”

The museum’s layout does not take into account the personalised context that is intriguing for visitors. Museums often find themselves having linear corridors, shuffling guests from one exhibit to the other.

The evidence from our study found that most participants agreed that current
museums feel “constricted” and “methodical”.

Over the past few generations, museum experiences have been taken over by curators and marketers, ignoring visitor preferences, leading to museums that feel unnatural and controlled (Rodney, 2019). Currently, the role of users seems like a passive consumer. 

“When experiences are personalised I find them more meaningful”

The findings of our study suggested that the majority of participants emphasised the fundamental capability of making a conscious effort to enhance sentimental value. From observation, there are clear consequences for a lack of curiosity, interaction and engagement. These negatively affect the deep and intimate bond between the user and the object. Museums themselves act as catalysts for personal dialogue.This is achieved through the collective memory of different cultures and social groups represented by exhibits (Dias & César, 2014). These memories are deeply personal and tailored both to the group, and the individual. When visitors are able to connect and see the emotional value of artifacts, they are more likely to be personally affected by their visit, leading to a more meaningful experience. 

Statements Cards

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As a team, we grouped the key themes and insights to visually organise, plan priorities and understand users' motivations, goals, or pain points. It was a valuable tool for a user-centric design and foster user empathy for storytelling. 

Ideate

Potential devices
Find solution from insights

 

Concept Development 

Storyboarding

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In summary, the user would stand on a red mat and it would display holographic images where the users hand signals would control the information. As well as being voice active instead of a user reading the text. 

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The user answers questions in an app to personalise the museum experience and suggest exhibits that the user might like to see. The person can write their feelings and opinions of each display experience. 

Storyboarding was an effective decision decided by our team to visually understand how our concepts interact between the user and our service/product. It was used to evaluate 3 early iterations and concepts from our participant sessions and feedback was conducted on further improving our idea from our fellow peers. 
 

Sketch Noting

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As a team, we had chosen the personalisation questionnaire design solution as it had received numerous positive feedback and praise for a realistic approach from the design brief. After storyboarding we reflected on implementing Muse from our research with an idea to add a futuristic developing technology. By enabling the use of a Muse the individual can assess and reflect on their personal journey into identifying their true emotions or discover self-identity in what they had enjoyed or didn't in the museum. 
 

Rapid Prototyping

Wireframe
High-Fidelity Prototype

Integrated Testing

Iterations


In the early stages of the design, development was suitable to test how users could comprehend the navigation and understand the product. This way it can be easier to iterate and can find or solve major problems earlier. Usability testing was done in a controlled environment with interviews and using the System Usability Scale questions which further lead to iterations

Iteration 1 - Low Fidelity

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For the first round of testing, many users had positive feedback for the innovation of our design idea. The low-fidelity prototype was a success as the majority quickly understood the tasks at hand. 
However, the
feedback was necessary and helpful for the suggestion in rearranging the layout in some areas of the screen such as positioning with text or buttons. 

Iteration 2 - Mid Fidelity

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For the second round of testing, many users had concerns about the brain vs emotion screen results being too simple. As a team, we were discussing from the feedback to add more information on the screen but to limit the complexity of viewing for the users. Although users were happy with more than half of the screens with the positioning and were suggestion possible to change the UX writing. E.g instead of "Brain vs Emotion" it would be "Facts vs Thoughts" for a clearer understanding. 

Iteration 3 - High Fidelity

Evaluate 

Synthesise

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For the third round of testing, this was ultimately the highest percentage of users who were highly satisfied with the design layout with 95% of participants had enjoyed the design solution. There were little changes in the next iteration such as coloured backgrounds however we listened to our users and decided to keep the majority of the layout. 

Usability Testing

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An average SUS score of 89 rated an excellent response in effectiveness, efficiency and overall ease of use for the final product. 

Final Prototype - Main Screens

Start Screen

"Memorable and Memorising." The screen asks the user to connect to the Muse headset before entering the Chau Chak Wing Museum to start their journey 
 

Personalise Guide Screen

If users are lost or curious to find where they are next headed the app will guide the user. The red(likes) and blue(dislike) dots mean the user had already visited that section and entered their opinions.

Comment Zoom

Users have the freedom to write down their opinions and feelings about the exhibit in detail using text, drawing and/or emojis.

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DiscoverScreen

At the end of their museum journey users can select an exhibit to view and compare their written versus brain activity results.
 

Self Reflection Screen

As users scroll further down the screen, they can view more of their mental processes of perception or state to create what the Muse headset had recorded.
 

Self Comparision Screen

Users had written text of their emotions and opinions during each exhibit. Users can scroll through the images of the artifacts with the written comments next to them to reflect on their museum experience and compare their thoughts versus their mental state by Muse. 
 

User Journey Mapping

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A user journey map was necessary to describe and present the important steps of the experience with a single visual summation.

A 2-3 minute video was also conducted to explain how our prototype had worked. 

 

Experience and Service Design 

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The reason why we had chosen these digital technologies of an app and Muse is a user-friendly and convenient way to analyse users' emotions. It benefits the user by allowing individuality in users customising their own personal journey.

Transforms perception and interaction by broadening and deepening the users' understanding of their own emotions and their personal navigation narrative.​

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According to John’s 43 fun things to do and Stevens 16 motivators readings we have these 3 main components that relate to our prototype.
Firstly gathering knowledge, is a learning opportunity for users to gather and
reflect on their emotional journey in the museum.
The
curiosity of the user is motivated by the unknown aspects of having a feature in the app that allows you to have the option to view your brain activity shown by Muse.
Mystery in the
sense of suspense in knowing their thoughts vs true emotions as well as sharing their experience with others at the end of their journey.

Reflection

Moving Forward

We have taken the concept of serendipity as a tool for discovery and combined that with ideas surrounding a personalised user journey.

In museums, users lack that sense of self-driven discovery that is essential for creating playful serendipity and open dialogue between them and the exhibit. I am highly satisfied with the outcome as my favourite part was creating the mid-high fidelity prototype. I learnt being open to criticism is not a concern but rather a redirection towards something greater. 

The project was fun and playful which allowed open communication for the users to give us the attention or needs to improve the design solution. 

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