Projects

Problem Overview

Art galleries serve as vital hubs for fostering creativity, inspiration, and therapeutic exploration. Nonetheless, they often present challenges for individuals with an interest in art, especially those lacking extensive knowledge, particularly in the context of South African art.My primary objective with Cube Space is to transform this landscape into an inclusive platform, ensuring accessibility for all users. I strive to curate a cohesive and immersive gallery experience, offering comprehensive insights into the rich tapestry of South African artworks showcased within the space.

Discovery: Research & Analysis

• Key findings during the initial stages of my research were that there is a lack of documentation and information about South African artists.
• For some, art galleries are gatekeeping and exclusionary spaces that impact experience in a negative way.
• English as the only medium of instruction in a country with 11 official languages is problematic because it excludes a large demographic that wishes to enter the space.
• Participants expressed that they would go to gallariess more often if there was more information about what they were looking at.
• Most participants go to galleries to socialize and would feel more confident conversing with others if they had accessible information of the artwork they were viewing.

Design: Concepts & Sketching

• To address issues raised in the key findings,, the application has comprehensive information about local artworks and artists exhibited in Cube Space Gallery by scanning the image they want to know more about.
• For accessibility, users had the option of choosing a language they preferred.
• For accessibility purposes the users have an option receive information in preferred format, text or audio.
• To encourage social engagement and discourse, users where provided with an “Art Corner” where they can share thoughts and leave reviews about the artworks they have seen with the rest of the art community in the Cube Space application.

Development: Prototyping, Testing & Usability Feedback

• 80% of users did not want to sign up, which compromised the retention rate.
• 20% of users clicked on the artwork to scroll.
• Most users were curious about purchase button.
• Most users selected the text format option.
• Users completed tasks successfully with minor errors and were able to traceback their steps

Solution & Impact Overview

• Created a strong call to action button to convert a user into taking the intended action.
• Users need to sign up if they want to access information they saved during the gallery visit. Users linked to sign up page.
• Users need to sign up when they want to access or interact on the art corner. Link to sign up page.
• The non signup method will only be limited to scanning and accessing information about art/artists.

The Cube Space prototype is available on Figma.