Easel

EASEL

EXPLORE ART HISTORY

ROLE

Product Designer

TOOLS & SKILLS

Figma

UXR

OBJECTIVES

Design a new mobile product to make learning art history engaging and accessible.

PROBLEM HYPOTHESIS

The world of art history is vast and complex. Designing a mobile tool with accessibility in mind can bridge the gap for new learners and simplify the experience for avid art historians.

PERSONA INVESTIGATION

During the research phase, I wanted to focus more on the users who are just getting into this kind of interest. Catering to the user who is new to learning about art history allowed me to craft an inviting user experience while also keeping out all of the fluff that would bog down more experienced learners.

INITIAL ITERATIONS

As I began whiteboxing, the idea of an "explore page" seemed fitting, as it is what users are used to these days. Minimal onboarding would be required. This lent itself to a scalable initial experience.

EVENTS + EXPLORE

IRL interactions are extremely important in our society today for knowledge sharing and relationship building. This is why the events carousel was to be placed at the very top once the user loads in.

PROTOTYPING: EXPLORE

Playing with size, scale, and type to refine UX.

DETAILS

Going down rabbit holes is one of the most exciting parts of learning something for the first time. I wanted to integrate this type of interaction into Easel in a similar way to Wikipedia's method of embedding links into text blocks.

PROTOTYPING: DISCOVERY MODE

This was going to be a core feature of Easel. A view that allowed users to get up close and personal with the work. This feature is Easel's most powerful experience and gives users a similar sense of freedom as does walking through a real museum.

FINAL DESIGN

DESIGN

The core of Easel's design philosophy is an idea of minimalism and elegance. Letting the artwork stand out, Easel sets the tone for a simple, clean and inviting experience.

DISCOVERY MODE

A core feature of Easel, Discovery Mode lets you get a closer look at the art to broaden your understanding in an intuitive and self-guided, exploratory way.

DISCOVERY MODE: INTRO

A brief introduction is provided to get you started.

DISCOVERY MODE: NODES

Tap on the glowing nodes to get expanded details.

EVENTS

In-person experiences are the best way to connect with fellow art consumers. Easel showcases events near you, lets you rsvp through the app, or share with friends.

SUMMARY

Open an artwork to view the history behind it, as well as background details about the artist.

DETAILS: EMBEDDED INFORMATION

Tapping on links within blocks of text gives the user expanded details and further context.

LACK OF SOCIAL FEATURES

Though it was considered and does share UX patterns of social apps, Easel is not a social platform. This experience is meant to be one that the user takes on at their own pace. Easel is your personal art historian, built just for you.

LEARNINGS

Through the production of this project, I took it as an opportunity to sharpen my typography skills as well as my knowledge in creating scalable design systems.