Industry

Research

Client

FINN Lab
Hood Museum of Art

ArtLibs
Enhancing Museum Engagement and Research Facilitation

ArtLibs
Enhancing Museum Engagement and Research Facilitation

ArtLibs
Enhancing Museum Engagement and Research Facilitation

A mobile application enhancing museum visits by guiding visitors through selected artworks, prompting interpretations, and supporting Dartmouth psychology research on how people perceive art differently.

A mobile application enhancing museum visits by guiding visitors through selected artworks, prompting interpretations, and supporting Dartmouth psychology research on how people perceive art differently.

A mobile application enhancing museum visits by guiding visitors through selected artworks, prompting interpretations, and supporting Dartmouth psychology research on how people perceive art differently.

Role

Team

Tools

Duration

UI/UX Designer

Four designers

Four developers

One project manager

Tools

Duration

UI/UX Designer

Four designers

Four developers

One project manager

Figma

10 weeks

Mar 2024 - Jun 2024

The average museum visitor spends

less than 8 seconds

looking at a work of art.

The average museum visitor spends

less than 8 seconds

looking at a work of art.

The average museum visitor spends

less than 8 seconds

looking at a work of art.

That's really not a lot of time.

How might we work on improving visitor engagement with artworks in a museum setting?

Researchers from the FINN Lab at Dartmouth College are studying how individuals interpret the same image in vastly different ways.

Researchers from the FINN Lab at Dartmouth College are studying how individuals interpret the same image in vastly different ways.

This research looks into the cognitive mechanisms behind individual interpretations. Their studies have relied on traditional lab-based surveys, limiting scalability and real-world application.

Collecting large-scale research data autonomously outside a controlled lab setting is challenging.

How might we bridge the gap between neuroscience research and real-world experience?

Researchers from the FINN Lab at Dartmouth College are studying how individuals interpret the same image in vastly different ways.

Objectives

Educate the public about subjective interpretation processes

Educate the public about subjective interpretation processes

Educate the public about subjective interpretation processes

Enhance the museum-going experience

Enhance the museum-going experience

Enhance the museum-going experience

Understand what drives people to reach different interpretations of artwork?

Understand what drives people to reach different interpretations of artwork?

Understand what drives people to reach different interpretations of artwork?

Understand how and why do people change their minds?

Understand how and why do people change their minds?

Understand how and why do people change their minds?

Design Principles

  • Digitize the research study for real-world application

  • Ensure seamless integration into museum visits, keeping natural and engaging user experience

  • Encourage open-ended engagement and social reflection

  • Digitize the research study for real-world application

  • Ensure seamless integration into museum visits, keeping natural and engaging user experience

  • Encourage open-ended engagement and social reflection

  • Digitize the research study for real-world application

  • Ensure seamless integration into museum visits, keeping natural and engaging user experience

  • Encourage open-ended engagement and social reflection

Key Challenge

Balance research goals with an engaging user experience that augments art engagement

Balance research goals with an engaging user experience that augments art engagement

Introducing… ArtLibs

ArtLibs

To bridge neuroscience research and real-world perception, we designed an app that transforms the museum experience into an interactive study of ambiguity.

How it works

ArtLibs uses art’s natural ambiguity to explore how we interpret the world around us. Through a Mad Libs-style activity, visitors engage with artwork in a way that’s personal, interactive, and reflective.

ArtLibs uses art’s natural ambiguity to explore how we interpret the world around us. Through a Mad Libs-style activity, visitors engage with artwork in a way that’s personal, interactive, and reflective.

1

Make Meaning

Visitors fill in the blanks to describe key ambiguous aspects of an artwork, forming their own interpretation.

Visitors fill in the blanks to describe key ambiguous aspects of an artwork, forming their own interpretation.

2

See Another Perspective

They’re shown a response from another visitor and asked to reflect—do they agree, and are they still confident in their own interpretation?

They’re shown a response from another visitor and asked to reflect—do they agree, and are they still confident in their own interpretation?

3

Find Patterns

At the end of their visit, they get a personalized Spotify Wrapped-esque summary comparing their interpretations with others, revealing how perception shifts across different backgrounds, personalities, and experiences.

At the end of their visit, they get a personalized Spotify Wrapped-esque summary comparing their interpretations with others, revealing how perception shifts across different backgrounds, personalities, and experiences.

Using natural language processing (NLP), the app analyzes responses in real time, pulling thought-provoking comparisons that challenge visitors to see differently. It’s both an interactive museum experience and a real-world study on how people make sense of ambiguity.

Using natural language processing (NLP), the app analyzes responses in real time, pulling thought-provoking comparisons that challenge visitors to see differently. It’s both an interactive museum experience and a real-world study on how people make sense of ambiguity.

Process

Background

Background

Understanding the problem

To begin, we looked at the current phase of the research study, experiencing what the lab was asking for in a controlled monitor setting. We then went and did a mock field study, where we completed the study questions on paper in the museum. From these experiences, we as the designers had a better grasp of what we needed to design for, and what our partners wanted to achieve.

Industry Research

Industry Research

Understanding the problem

We then conducted user and market research. With data provided from the Hood Museum, we were able to gather information about the common visitor demographics. We then looked at a variety of different museum interaction apps currently available in the market, as this helped us determine successes and pitfalls from similar applications.

Upon collecting some preliminary research information, we went back out to the field to conduct user interviews. During these interviews, we were able to gather insights about the common visitor experience and how typical visitors engage with the museum. We wanted to find a way to effortlessly introduce our app experience as to not take away from the original experience, but rather to enhance it. As such, we needed to find ways to gamify and entice users, as they had to voluntarily participate in the study.

User Research

User Research

Understanding the problem

One key demographic from the Hood Museum data was college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.


Our key design decisions revolved around keeping the app engaging. As we considered the typical user, which was a college student, we considered the various parts of social media platforms that particularly appealed to users. This is how we landed on creating a visit summary that users could share to their social media platforms, similar to how they share their year long spotify trends. 


Our target users were college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.

One key demographic from the Hood Museum data was college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.


Our key design decisions revolved around keeping the app engaging. As we considered the typical user, which was a college student, we considered the various parts of social media platforms that particularly appealed to users. This is how we landed on creating a visit summary that users could share to their social media platforms, similar to how they share their year long spotify trends. 


Our target users were college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.

One key demographic from the Hood Museum data was college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.


Our key design decisions revolved around keeping the app engaging. As we considered the typical user, which was a college student, we considered the various parts of social media platforms that particularly appealed to users. This is how we landed on creating a visit summary that users could share to their social media platforms, similar to how they share their year long spotify trends. 


Our target users were college students, so we analyzed social media engagement trends to inspire features like a visit summary, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that users could share.