The Object Explorer
In Spring 2019, I approached the Museum of London and proposed a web application for visitors to use when viewing the London Tauroctony relief in their Roman collection. After designing and developing the web application, I conducted user testing on-site at the Museum of London.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Timeline
January – May 2019
The Project
This project started as an art interpretation assignment. I wrote a short paper detailing the background of the London Tauroctony relief , the meaning of the relief, and who the figures on the relief are depicting. While writing the paper I realized there are four distinct layers of content in the object: Mithras and the Bull, Zodiac Signs, the Gods, and the text.
The Process
The learning goal of the app was to teach users about the Cult of Mithras using the relief as a reference and breaking it up into sections. This app was meant for museum visitors to use while in the museum. The user would learn the content in a way that they preferred through visual or textual delivery.
First Iteration
The original design for the app included three sections. The Layer section break the object down into the four layers mentioned about and users learn about each layer individually. The Compare section would include similar artwork that could be compared to the relief. The Discussion section would allow users to comment in a forum.
Feedback from Museum of London
The museum approved the object, the design, and the learning goals. They recommended making it a web app, changing the audience to 7-11 year olds, and switching the discussion to a quiz. I redesigned and developed the web application and received approval from the museum.
User Testing
The goal of user-testing was to see if museum visitors would use the app and if they were able to learn from the app. I tested the app with over 100 visitors and gathered data through interviews and the results from the quiz at the end of the app. Visitors responded positively to the mobile application with 91% of visitors saying that the app helped them learn and 92% saying that they would use technology in a museum setting again.
Conclusion
User testing showed that the app was capable of engaging and teaching museum visitors. A key takeaway from this project is that visitors enjoy having help in interpreting objects in museums. There are many potential features that could be added to the app in later versions including adding additional objects & using Augmented Reality.