Kala

An Art Gallery that discovers more about artists through their art.

Overview

Kala is an app designed specifically for the “Kala” art gallery, providing a platform for artists to showcase their artwork, describe themselves and their art, and connect with other artists. The app will help remote artists be a part of the gallery community to showcase their work and engage with the gallery exhibitions. It will help nonartists to reserve the artworks available for sale residing remotely.

Kala in Sanskrit means "Art"

Problem

In the growing age of technology, many art galleries and museums own websites but lack an application for people to stay connected with the gallery anytime, anywhere.
An art enthusiast residing in a remote area finds it challenging to stay updated on exhibitions.
Artists face difficulty showcasing their work without a communication platform to maintain and build relationships with the gallery.

Solution

How might we Propose an app for the gallery to provide information about artists and their artworks and connect them with the Art gallery activities?

Goal

The goal was to create an app for An art gallery so artists and non-artists could be a part of the art gallery community and contribute their work to the gallery.

Date

April,2022

Type of work

Research, Interaction design, UI design, App design

Role

Research, UX designer, UI designer.

Tools

Figma , Adobe Illustrator, Millanote

The Research:

A phase of discovery

A little insight from background research

I began my research process by conducting secondary research to obtain information about art galleries and to get enough knowledge about them.
While gathering information, I got to the point that most of the art galleries don't have their app.
The Art galleries, with their websites, often have limited information about the artists and their artwork, leaving people empty-handed to know more about them thoroughly.

Let's understand the user

After gaining a deeper understanding of the existing research, I interviewed 7 people, 5 of whom were artists and the other 2 were art visitors.

User interviews further revealed that many found it difficult to engage with the art gallery, stay informed of upcoming exhibitions, access new artworks, and connect with the art community.

"I would love to use such an app as it will help an artist to publish their artworks in the gallery even working remotely"

- a user from interview

Process desk

"After learning from users, I developed wireframes and visual identities to keep up the heat and display the needs."

The ideation:

Sketch wireframes

To begin ideating, I initiate sketching out my designs onto paper to get a rough view of addressing user pain points and deliver better design solutions or related problems.
During sketching, I kept a consistent user flow throughout the designs, maintaining the user's needs followed by a simple and easy-to-use approach to interact with the app.

Navigating through high-fidelity designs and user flow as an artist

The sketched wireframes have been upgraded into digital wireframes after low-fidelity usability testing. After several iterations and insights obtained through usability testing, I moved forward and upscaled the digital low-fidelity wireframes into visually appealing high-fidelity wireframes for further usability testing.

1. Login and Signup

Flash screens followed the sign-up and login process for the Kala app to give users insights about the app and to be part of the Kala family as an artist.

2. Becoming member as an artist

When artists log in, they are expected to become members of the Kala Art Gallery to display their finest artworks in the app and obtain official membership status with the gallery. Artists are expected to provide comprehensive information about themselves and upload their most impressive artworks.

3. Let's explore the Home screen

The home screen is thoughtfully designed for easy navigation. Essential features are conveniently placed for quick access. Some of the features are further explained in detail:
1. Menu: The ability for artists to navigate to other features of the app by sliding into the menu. For example, artists can access their messages, where they can receive notifications and have conversations with other artists.
2. Artist (self) profile: The artist can easily access their profile by clicking on the profile icon.
3. Exhibition Info: Getting notified about ongoing exhibitions helps artists learn about other artists presenting their art.
4. Art of the Day: This ensures that artists are exposed to different art forms and learn about other artists.
5. New Artworks: Artists are notified of newly available artworks for sale. If an artist is interested in purchasing any artwork, they can access and reserve it before it is sold out.
6. Popular artists of the gallery: Other artists can follow the top artists of the gallery, learn from their expertise, and even stay in contact by messaging them.

4. The Bottom Navigation Bar

The bottom navigation bar consists of essential app screen features and needs to be accessible from any app screen. Some of the screens are listed below.
1. Home screen: The home screen prominently displays key features for easy access to important information related to Art and Artists.
2. Artist's Art screen: The artist screen allows users to view the best work of other artists by accessing and learning from their profiles.
3. QR code scan: Users can scan the QR code in front of displayed artwork to access information about the art and artists.
4. Location and Transport: Keeping accessibility in mind, the app ensures to provide the exact location on the map along with the available modes of transport for convenient travel.
5. Reserve artwork: The app enables artists and users to reserve their favorite artworks to prevent them from being sold out.

The iterative testing and accessibility :

The usability testing was conducted to gauge users' experience when accessing the prototype and to gather valuable insights from the testing.
The testing involved individuals with an art background specifically to obtain meaningful insights and to gain a clear understanding of the user's perspective.
Below are the results of the usability testing for certain screens after iterations.

Usability testing:

After thorough usability testing, the insights obtained focused mainly on changes made to the Home screen and Artist's profile screens.

1. Home screen

The Home screen calls for changes after usability studies to make it more engaging and appealing for users.

1. Heading onto carousels: The heading acts as a balancing item for the image carousels for a simple look and harmony.

2. Round Corners: Round corners act a sense of balance to the entire screen, giving it a rich minimalist look

3. Information with images: Images act as a source of information with a well-written title.

4. Hitting the heart button: Great way to let know the Artists that you like their work.

5. Scan the Art: Users can easily scan the Present Artwork for information related to Art and the Artist.

2. Artists Profile Screen

The profile screen of the Artist emphasizes the importance of minimal design, keeping it simple and intuitive after usability testing.

1. Profile Image: Eliminating any strokes from the image creates a strong sense of minimalism and focused.

2. Edit: The editing icon eases out for fast and easy edit option for profile image.

3. Followers: The number of followers in the box container highlights the artist's engagement.

Accessibility view from user testing :

Contrast check:

The accessibility testing for color contrast is done by a Web AIM Contrast checker.
The color contrast testing is done for the foreground & and background color, having a Contrast ratio of 9.95:1 for optimal visibility and readability.

Exhibition screen

The Exhibition screen highlights the Audio accessibility feature, ensuring that it is easily accessible for all users, particularly those with disabilities, thus making the content enjoyable for everyone.

Hamburger Menu screen:

The Hamburger menu screen is thoughtfully designed to prioritize accessibility for users.
The button indicates the list of items it contains, making it easier for users to navigate.
Furthermore, language options are conveniently listed within the menu, allowing users to customize their experience based on their language preferences.

The visuals identity:

Visual design and Aesthetics:

The visual design of the Kala Art Gallery is a testament to the concept of minimalism, with a keen focus on showcasing art and aesthetics in their purest forms. The deliberate use of the color yellow is intended to evoke feelings of joy and empowerment among users as they engage with the app.

Interactive Prototype:

Here is the final look at the working prototype of the Kala Art Gallery app.

The conclusion

Key learnings :

Good research is all that it takes: The project taught me the importance of good research. The Art gallery research drew me towards the feature to consider the importance of artists featuring their works that gain attention for the users to communicate with the gallery.

Empathy plays a huge role: Interviewing artists and non-artists helped me to get into their shoes, connect with them, and explore their pain points to deliver the desired solutions emphatically.

Iterations and more: Usability testing provided me with the user's insight and practical views and approach to the app. Constant iterations and user feedback can provide me with insights to make the apps work, engage, and meet the user's needs.

Next Steps:

As I progressed further with the usability testing and gaining insights, I focused more on accessibility considerations by keeping the user-centered intact throughout the project.