Digital Design for a new exhibition in a museum
Platform: Mobile App, Big screen
Operation system: iOS, Android
Duration: 6 months, 2020.10~2021.04
My Role: UX/UI designer
Client: The Rubin Museum of Art
Key words: UX design, User test
https://www.mediacombo.net/case-study/mandala-lab-touch-screen-interactives
BACKGROUND
Introduction
The Rubin Museum of Art fosters a dynamic environment that stimulates learning, promotes understanding, and inspires personal connections to the ideas, cultures, and art of the Himalayan regions.
This fall, the museum will unveil a new exhibition space on the third floor—The Mandala Lab. Designed as an immersive experience, the space is divided into four quadrants, each representing a cardinal direction (north, south, east, and west). These sections guide visitors through an exploration of complex emotions such as pride, attachment, envy, anger, and ignorance, offering insights into Buddhist wisdom that helps navigate these emotions in daily life.
The team is responsible for designing the digital screens for the south and west quadrants. On the south side, interactive touchscreens will engage visitors by allowing them to select emotions explored throughout the exhibition. Based on their choices, the screens will present relevant teachings, providing guidance and insight. Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to contribute their own reflections, fostering a shared learning experience within the museum. The goal is to encourage self-reflection, emotional understanding, and communal learning, deepening the connection between visitors and the exhibition.
Role & Contributions
Served as a partner and UX/UI designer, I contributed to the project’s development through the following key responsibilities:
• Provided creative ideas for the project bid.
• Developed user flow, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes to establish the design structure.
• Designed the high-fidelity prototype to enhance user interaction and visual appeal.
• Led user testing, ensuring usability and optimizing the overall experience.
design process
Feedback collection
Feedback was gathered from two key stakeholders: the client—Rubin Museum and the visitors who will experience the Mandala Lab.
During discussions with the Rubin Museum, a strong emphasis was placed on maintaining a connection with visitors and encouraging them to contribute their own teachings. This required a design that allowed visitors to submit their insights to the museum while also collecting their email information to foster ongoing engagement.
From a user perspective, conducting in-person interviews at the museum was not ideal at this stage. To keep the design streamlined, a single user flow was prioritized. The initial design scheme was evaluated internally, followed by an online user test using a low-fidelity prototype to gather early feedback and refine the experience.
Design Insights
This project presented two key differences compared to previous designs developed in a corporate setting:
1. Interaction on a Large Screen
• Unlike standard digital interfaces, this design is optimized for a large public screen, requiring adjustments to UI layout, readability, and accessibility to enhance the user experience.
2. Public Device & Information Display
• The screen serves as a shared public device, where multiple visitors can view the content simultaneously. A key challenge was designing how information is presented to newly arrived visitors while maintaining a seamless flow of interaction.
Both aspects required careful consideration of visitor privacy, ensuring that personal data is not exposed while maintaining an engaging and interactive experience for all users.
Dual-Device User Journey
The user journey takes place across two devices:
• A large public screen displays information visible to the entire community.
• Visitors submit their own information privately via their phones.
Using personal phones as a second screen was chosen not only to protect visitor privacy but also to accommodate health concerns during COVID-19, as many people prefer to avoid touching public screens.
QR code technology was implemented to seamlessly connect the museum’s public screen with visitors’ personal devices, ensuring a smooth and intuitive transition between the two.
User Flow:
1. On the public screen, visitors can:
• Explore the journey, including selecting emotions to view teachings.
• Enter an email to receive and save teachings.
• Scan a QR code to contribute their own teachings via phone.
• If they prefer not to enter an email, they can still scan the QR code to proceed.
2. Once transferred to a personal device, visitors can:
• Continue receiving teachings.
• Contribute their own teachings.
• Fully engage in the experience, even outside the museum, maintaining continuity beyond the physical space.
USER FLOW
LOW-FI PROTOTYPE
Wireframe Testing & User Feedback
During the wireframe design stage, 13 participants were invited to test an interactive low-fidelity prototype through four predefined tasks.
The primary focus was to evaluate whether the user flow was intuitive and comfortable. Special attention was given to assessing how easily users could transition from the large public screen to their own mobile devices, ensuring a seamless and natural interaction.
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The prototype received valuable feedback from participants. However, many expressed hesitation about entering their email on a public screen.
To address this concern, the wireframe was updated to provide an option for users to enter their email directly on their own phone, ensuring greater privacy and a more comfortable experience.
Final UI Design
Two design versions were created for this project. The first version adhered strictly to the museum’s design guidelines, resulting in a conservative approach that maintained consistency with the existing visual and interactive style.
1. On the big screen
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2. On the phone​
In addition to the conservative version, an alternative design was created for the big screen, incorporating artistic elements suitable for an art museum setting. Inspired by the Bauhaus style, this version features a clean, minimalist, and artistic aesthetic, aligning with the museum’s creative environment while maintaining clarity and functionality.
After we present those two versions to our client-The Rubin Museum of Art, they choose the last one.
And this project is still developing...