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Artful - General Assembly UX Project

Artful is a mobile application for artist to connect, buy and sell art, and explore events and artist meetups. The goal of this app is to provide a platform for artist and art enthusiasts to maximize their access to new and different interests in the art community on a large scale.

 

I began the UX Designer course through General assembly in November 2020 and by the beginning of 2021 I had produced my first prototype. I was able to implement my expertise as a graphic designer from the start of the discovery stage to a final prototype.

Artful Connections

The prompt was to launch an app that connects different types of visual artists. The client is a visual artist and a small business owner who runs a tattoo shop. She is interested in starting a virtual artist cooperative, bringing local artists together and exchanging ideas about different forms of visual art.

 

 

 

My main goal was to build something that showcases the artists’ portfolio as well as prioritizing a meaningful engagement through the app. There is an option to search for events and meetups in their area as well. Additionally, I wanted to simulate something similar to a maker’s market where everyone can display and sell art or view and purchase it, and so I designed the Art Market to buy and sell art through the app.

Research

The needs of an artist

After synthesizing the results from 12 interviews, all interviewee’s with creative art backgrounds, it was clear there is a need to connect and sell art without an algorithm that filters the feed with the most popular users to the top.

Learning from the Competitors

I took a poll in the interview process, one question asking which platform they currently use to share and connect with their artwork. The popular answer was Facebook and second was Art Station. I researched the features and functions of both applications to find similarities and pit falls.

Design Challenges

Color

A challenge I faced was color selection. It was important that I selected a color combination that illuminated the images of the artist and I utilized a contrast checker and found an appropriate color combination with a 12:1 contrast ratio.

Icons

Another challenge I came across was choosing icons that were clear and easily recognizable. In my user testing I found that I had to make adjustments by improving the visual hierarchy of icons as well as buttons. After the adjustments, the user flow in the second round of user testing improved.

Sharing Art

By default, the app opens to the artist feed, this is where the user can view new post of art work or poetry and thoughts. In theory, the feed will present the newest post from all users on the app no matter their popularity or clout.

Real Connections

The ability for artist to connect through this app is made possible by joining specialty groups created within the app to have discussion related to their interests. Furthermore, there is an option to search for events and meetup nearby where the user can read details of the event and RSVP to it.

Buy and Sell

Through the app’s Art Market, the user can sell their prints, paintings and pottery. The user may also shop around as well. It is not mandatory for the user to buy or sell on the app.

After I this project I received a User Experience Designer certificate of completion from General Assembly in January 2021. This project was important to me because I learned an enormous amount about human centered design and why it's imperative to design with compassion. This is an app in particular that I would like to see in the real world, one that allows equal visibility and growth for creatives and makers of art. 

Please click here to view my prototype. 

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