Hsiaoju Project (Auction app)

UX/UI design

Art
gallery
Auction

I am creating a new app to help people Purchase unique artwork conveniently. I need to find out if the main user experience, browse the artworks and track the bidding status is easy for users to complete.

PRESENT 2022

UX case study

The project

GeoArt is an auction mobile application that I created as part of my project at the Google certification course. Integrate the resources from the conception survey to the final stage through research, define, ideate, prototype and test steps.

context

I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I was designing for and their needs. This Auction app will let users purchase the unique artwork conveniently which will affect No experience with official auctions and who feel unfamiliar with these activities by Clear auction process guidance and detailed introduction of the artwork for the users.

Competitive
Audit

National Gallery

Christies

Saleroom

Compare the user experience of each direct and indirect competitor’s website. To get a better perspective of competitor strengths and users’ pain points.

key competitors

Saleroom provides a digital auction platform technology scale for multiple verticals, regardless of their level of online development. Expert auctioneers curate thousands of auctions, providing a level of trust not seen elsewhere in the secondary goods market.

type and quality

The Christies have a historical background for the auction activity. The quality of artworks is much more unreachable and expensive for regular customers. On the other hand, Saleroom mainly focuses on an average audience with more artwork price range.

position in market

The Christies provides better mobile UX than the website, but both have a Clear colour scheme, font, and art direction. The Saleroom focused on a bit mid-level audience compared with Christie’s. For the indirect competitor aspect, The National gallery of art tends to focus on tourists and the general public to visit the artwork in reality.

Competitors’ strengths

Except National Gallery, they all have services globally and historical records to trace to enhance reliability to the customers.

Competitors’ weaknesses

From a point of view of a UX designer. The common weakness is the website UX design needs to work comprehensively. The website Feature is not clear and the interaction is not smooth enough. And the fonts and sizes need to be considered as well.

Opportunity

Suppose they can also consider the AR technology involved in their app. The customer can use their device to simulate and visualise the artwork realistically. Let’s get the user truly and fully engage with the artwork better.

user
research

This user group confirmed initial assumptions about other similar functional apps, but research also revealed that not so many people are familiar with auction activity.

user's pain points

Photos do not match reality

The artwork photos are being edited to remove the flaw in detail.

Complicated timetable

Differences or inconsistencies in the Time zone cause misunderstanding.

The auction process spends much of time

The auction (open ascending) in person usually spends lots of time accomplishing the bidding process for a single artwork.

Artwork security concerns

The artwork might get damaged or stolen from the auction depository.

goal statement

Other user problems included obligations, interests, or challenges that make operating difficult. We will measure effectiveness by Analyzing customers’ feedback and tracking the historical records.

Research Questions

How often is the customer searching the auction a week?
How long does it take to for placing the bid?
What can we learn from the steps users take to bidding the artwork?
How is the feeling when you start to search for your ideal artwork and increase the bid until you win it?

Value Proposition

How often is the customer searching the auction a week?
How long does it take to for placing the bid?
What can we learn from the steps users take to bidding the artwork?
How is the feeling when you start to search for your ideal artwork and increase the bid until you win it?

Persona 1

Problem statement:

Monica is an Art agent manager who needs to discover high-quality artworks as much as possible because she doesn’t have enough time to attend auctions on site.

Story:

Monica is a 27-year-old Art agent manager in a small start-up company in London. Her parents also work in the National Gallery of art. One of her daily-duty is to discover and invest the potential artworks for company stakeholders and clients. She needs round-trip European to attend open ascending auctions twice a month.

“A beauty of artwork needs to be discovered instead of laying in storage and covered in dust.”

Goals

1. Tight schedule and needs to invest in high-quality artworks.

2. Discover the potential artists and connect the networks.

Frustrations

1. Concerned about buying counterfeit on the online platforms.

2. The artwork might get damaged or stolen from the auction depository.

Persona 2

Problem statement:

Rick is an Interior Designer who needs to find a suitable platform to purchase the artwork as decorations because he has no experience with auction activities.

Story:

Rick is a 25-year-old designer in the interior department of an architectural company. He has a brother who also works in the same company. He is good at home designing and helps purchase the furniture and decorations by customer’s budget. But he doesn’t satisfy with decorating with industrial products.

“A good little embellishment can grace the atmosphere better .”

Goals

1. Purchasing the unique artwork as a decoration.

2. Browse tons of artworks on a tight schedule.

Frustrations

1. No experience with official auctions and feel unfamiliar with these activities.

2. Dislike the complicated purchasing process.

cONDUCT
usability studies

User journey map

Mapping Rick’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated Art auction app.

Phases

Get app

Create account

Review Artworks

Bid Artworks

Receive the artwork

Task list

1.Install the app

2.Waiting for install

1.Submit as a member

2.Setup interest tends

1.Navigate to the gallery

2.Find decoration category

3.See the Product properties

4.Add to the wish-list

1.Navigate to the wish-list page

2.Check the Auction countdown time

3.Bid the price for my favourite works

4.Win the bid

5.Finish the transfer payment

1.Navigate to the Orders page

2.Check the arrival estimate time and status

3.Receive the artwork

Feeling
Adjective

Anticipative
Patient

Casual
Relaxed

Surprised
Hesitate
Thoughtful
Anticipative

Hesitate
Nervous
Relief

Expectantly
Patient
Anxiety
Excited

Important
Opportunities

The application allows multiple devices.

Provide a simple fill out flow.

Provide 360 degrees artwork images.

Optimize app for screen reader technologies and showing the artwork info.

Sort list by Bidding end time.

Only shows necessary information for clear layout.

Provide legal document (guarantee,…etc.,) of the artwork.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Time on task
Conversion rates
User error rates

Participants

Participants are all customers who buy goods from artworks from the digital market once a month. This includes designers, investors, and the general public.
Two males, two females, and one nonbinary individual between the ages of 20 and 75. One participant is a person with a visual impairment.
The study is accessible for use with a screen-reader and switch device.
Incentive: 30$ gallery auction app coupon redeemable until this year.

Methodology

Unmoderated usability study
Location: United Kindom, remote (each participant went through the usability study in their own home)
Date: Sessions will take place on March 12 & 13.
5 participants, each completing the study on their own.
Each session will last 60 minutes and will include an introduction, a list of tasks, and a short questionnaire.

Low - fidelity
prototype

The low-fidelity prototype connected the primary user flow of building auction and bidding a artwork, so the prototype could be used in a usability study with users.

" There are so many options, I wish the home page can be cleaner... "

Wency XuDesigner

" I am quite frustrated and so hard to see the create account function. "

Andy LeeMaster Student

" I think putting things into the basket is crucial, and sometimes I just can't decide quickly. "

Lisa Rueconsultant

" I obsessed with interaction when I swapped the artwork, like choosing the book I liked. "

Michele hwahprofessor College

" I think the bidding process is super quick and easy to understand. "

Minner Doefreelancer

Fixture strategy Database Calibration : Coversation Prosthesis and Target

bidding artworks

We wish users only spend 3 mins to get an ideal item.

The system can search for highly matching artworks according to users’ needs, greatly enhancing purchase intention and user satisfaction.

By integrating galleries and auctions, the application also provides the historical background of the artworks and the other works exhibited during the purchase process.

For the work’s authenticity, the application provides a third-party trusted appraiser to guarantee to eliminate consumers’ doubts about the quality of the work.

UX/UI design

Art gallery Auction

UX case study

The project

context

Competitive Audit

key competitors

type and quality

position in market

Competitors’ strengths

Competitors’ weaknesses

Opportunity

user research

user's pain points

Photos do not ​match reality​

Complicated timetable​

The auction process spends much of time​

Artwork security concerns​

goal statement

Research Questions

Value ​Proposition

Persona 1

Problem statement:​

Story:​

Goals

1. Tight schedule and needs to invest in high-quality artworks.​

2. Discover the potential artists and connect the networks.​

Frustrations​

1. Concerned about buying counterfeit on the online platforms.​

2. The artwork might get damaged or stolen from the auction depository.​

Persona 2

Problem statement:​

Story:​

Goals

1. Purchasing the unique artwork as a decoration.​

2. Browse tons of artworks on a tight schedule.​

Frustrations​

1. No experience with official auctions and feel unfamiliar with these activities.​

2. Dislike the complicated purchasing process.​

cONDUCT usability studies

User ​ journey ​ map​

Phases

Get app​

Create account

Review Artworks​

Bid Artworks​

Receive the artwork​

Task list​

1.Install the app 2.Waiting for install​

1.Submit as a member​​ 2.Setup interest tends

1.Navigate to the gallery​ 2.Find decoration category​ 3.See the Product properties​ 4.Add to the ​wish-list​

1.Navigate to the wish-list page​ 2.Check the Auction countdown time​ 3.Bid the price for my favourite works 4.Win the bid​ 5.Finish the transfer payment​

1.Navigate to the Orders page​ 2.Check the arrival estimate time and status​ 3.Receive the artwork​

Feeling Adjective​

Anticipative​ Patient​

Casual​ Relaxed​

Surprised​ Hesitate​ Thoughtful​ Anticipative

Hesitate ​ Nervous ​ Relief​

Expectantly​ Patient​ Anxiety​ Excited​

Important​ Opportunities

The application allows multiple devices​.

Provide a simple fill out flow​.

Provide 360 degrees artwork images.​ ​​ Optimize app for screen reader technologies and showing the artwork info.​

Sort list by Bidding end time.​ Only shows necessary information for clear layout​.

Provide legal document (guarantee,…etc.,) of the artwork​.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Participants

Methodology

Low - fidelity ​ prototype

high - FIDELITY ​ PROTOTYPE

Fixture strategy Database Calibration : Coversation Prosthesis and Target

bidding artworks

We wish users only spend 3 mins to get an ideal item.

Art
gallery
Auction

Competitive
Audit

user
research

Photos do not match reality

Complicated timetable

The auction process spends much of time

Artwork security concerns

Value Proposition

Problem statement:

Story:

1. Tight schedule and needs to invest in high-quality artworks.

2. Discover the potential artists and connect the networks.

Frustrations

1. Concerned about buying counterfeit on the online platforms.

2. The artwork might get damaged or stolen from the auction depository.

Problem statement:

Story:

1. Purchasing the unique artwork as a decoration.

2. Browse tons of artworks on a tight schedule.

Frustrations

1. No experience with official auctions and feel unfamiliar with these activities.

2. Dislike the complicated purchasing process.

cONDUCT
usability studies

User journey map

Get app

Review Artworks

Bid Artworks

Receive the artwork

Task list

1.Install the app

2.Waiting for install

1.Submit as a member

2.Setup interest tends

1.Navigate to the gallery

2.Find decoration category

3.See the Product properties

4.Add to the wish-list

1.Navigate to the wish-list page

2.Check the Auction countdown time

3.Bid the price for my favourite works

4.Win the bid

5.Finish the transfer payment

1.Navigate to the Orders page

2.Check the arrival estimate time and status

3.Receive the artwork

Feeling
Adjective

Anticipative
Patient

Casual
Relaxed

Surprised
Hesitate
Thoughtful
Anticipative

Hesitate
Nervous
Relief

Expectantly
Patient
Anxiety
Excited

Important
Opportunities

The application allows multiple devices.

Provide a simple fill out flow.

Provide 360 degrees artwork images.

Optimize app for screen reader technologies and showing the artwork info.

Sort list by Bidding end time.

Only shows necessary information for clear layout.

Provide legal document (guarantee,…etc.,) of the artwork.

Low - fidelity
prototype

high - FIDELITY
PROTOTYPE