Alexandria
Art discovery marketplace
Empathizing and visualizing the creation of Alexandria’s Art Discovery Marketplace and re-designing their AI Art Quiz experience.
The challenge
Bringing artists and users together digitally
Our mission was to solve a critical problem faced by the art industry - create a transparent web-based artist platform and an intuitive buyer discovery process to build exposure for emerging artists just graduating from University.
My role
Orchestrating user-centric design solutions
As the UX Designer on a team of 4, I played a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing the user experience of our product. My responsibilities included conducting thorough research, ideating creative solutions, and working closely with stake owners to ensure seamless implementation of user-centric designs.
Project goals
Enhancing discoverability
Develop an Art Marketplace platform designed primarily for desktop and secondarily for mobile (browsing, search, discovery)
Build Buyer profile and Discovery process based on existing MVP
Build Artist profile and onboarding process
Research methods
Informed design decisions
During the design process, we employed various research methods to ensure a thorough understanding of user needs and preferences, as well as technical and business requirements. These steps guided our feature implementation, resulting in a user-centric product that addresses key pain points and optimizes the overall experience.
User interviews
Prototype testing
Affinity mapping
Market research analysis
Information architecture
Survey administration
Following the execution of our comprehensive testing plan and multiple rounds of user interviews, we utilized design sprints and Figjam sessions to create user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes for testing.
By collaborating closely with stakeholders and the engineering team, we ensured our final product was both technically feasible and aligned with business objectives. Our design process enabled us to create a user-friendly marketplace tailored to meet our users' needs and preferences.
Impact
Making a difference
Based on our findings, I identified key areas for improvement, resulting in a 72% increase in usability and enjoyment.
These updates included an updated design system, pre-art quiz process, reduced quiz images, animated transitions, and an upgraded loading screen. These changes directly led to increased user conversion
Development handoff using Figma
Final features
Product workflow feature mapping
Artist profile
Artist onboarding
Search & discovery
Buyer profile & AI quiz
Revamped
Alexandria’s re-designed art quiz
We updated the pre-quiz process with more relevant search fields and reduced the number of quiz images from 36 to 15.
The addition of animated transitions and a thumbs up/down voting feature creates an engaging interactive experience.
Our re-designed loading screen with a gradient animation adds a touch of sophistication. These updates improve the art quiz user experience and encourage greater engagement.
Search & discover
Discover art with ease through multiple entry points and curated search results using key filters. Purchase or save your favorite artworks and/or artists with the convenient feature provided.
Landing page
Alexandria's platform has three distinct calls to action targeting buyers, artists, and businesses. The Art Quiz serves as an entry point for each CTA, doubling as an interaction tool. A visual screen showcasing benefits and how to join is provided for potential clients.
Complete prototype
Prototyping using Figma
Final thoughts
Learnings
#1 On the iterative design process
Through iterative design, we gained valuable insights by continuously testing and gathering feedback from users. Our data-based approach allowed us to create a human-centered product that effectively addressed their needs and achieved our goals.
#2 On the power of big-picture thinking
My strength as a product designer lies in big-picture thinking, enabling me to focus on outcome over output, prioritize features, and make effective design choices that solve our users' problems while addressing business goals. Working with a dedicated team and forward-thinking client on Alexandria's platform was an incredible experience, and I look forward to future opportunities for collaboration.
Next steps:
Use AI technology to render staged living space mockups to give virtual buyers a sense of the scale of a piece and how it might look in their own spaces
A Notifications Center so users can stay current with new artwork
User Support/Help Center
Further develop app interface