Interface and user design for an app that allows artists, curators, and art buyers to participate in a free market trade, investment, and selling of art.
Variety of users. I wanted this app to be useful and accessible. The demographics for the app included independent or novice artists, hobbyists or art lovers, and even art gallerists or curators from prominent institutions.
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Controlled Settings. Since this project was part of a certificate program, I had few opportunities to test if my design would be a viable product that would effectively address real issues.
Buying or investing in art has been predominantly associated with an older demographics, millennials and GenZ have slowly started to change that perception. They make up about 40% of the art market, making most purchases online.
My goal was to welcome a new wave of younger investors and to make buying art more inclusive for all, regardless of age or socio-economic status. wanted to create an app not just art lovers, but also for professionals in the industry—artists, gallerists, and auctioneers.
Despite the wide range of users, they all shared key pain points:
I broke down the design into three main user flows: buying, selling, and investing. However, I also wanted to include features that would expose users to more art via exhibitions, auctions, and art fairs.
The Home Screen functioned as an entry point. From home, users could choose how they wanted to use the app—to sell, buy, or invest.
Home also provided users with the opportunity to check out latest exhibitions or auctions (in person or online).
Early iterations of the design began with a sign-up screen. However, a sign up screen made the app seem exclusive and unapproachable. In some ways, it was already dictating to users how they should approach and use the app.
Yet, removing the signup screen could make it difficult to store user input, so I gave users the option of creating an account, where they could create profiles and interact with others, or explore the app as guests.
Throughout the research process, I noticed how little educational material was available for people buying art for the first time.
How and where do you buy art? How do you know what to buy? Who do you speak to? What are benefits of buying at auction?
First time art buyers often face doubt and apprehension before buying, but providing them with a learning tools and options some of the anxiety would be lessened.
Another key aspect of the design was to bridge the gap between buyers and sellers. While most apps allow users to sell art, there is no assurance for buyers. There is no credibility in what is being sold and if it is priced correctly.
I wanted to provide buyers with security in what they were purchasing while helping sellers get a fair price for their art work.
To do this, I included features that allowed users to connect with curators, appraisers, and other professionals in the field that would guide them in their transactions.
Additional features for this app included a community section which allowed novice or unknown artists to sell their work.
Many new artists fail to sell at auctions because their work is not well known. Sadly, many paintings sit in storage until they are sold along with another painting. Allowing new artists with no affiliation to sell their paintings on their own terms would boost their careers by getting their work out to public and increasing their range .
Additionally, it would give them control over their artwork's value while allowing them to receive a higher percent of income from each sale. This feature would level out the playing field in the art industry.
The community feature on the app would help artists connect with other professionals in the industry that could be a valuable resource and ally during any point in their career.
Creating this project really made me think about how we experience art— it’s mostly visual. In fact, it’s the only sense we use to experience art. However, to make the experience of viewing, buying, and investing in art, I needed to go beyond the traditional mental model.
It was a challenge to think of what other ways can people experience art. During the research process, I read about how some museums are creating 3D maps of the paintings. These maps offer a tactile experience for users because they can touch and feel the map of the painting and therefore know what it is.
However, desktop and mobile platforms cannot offer this experience. So, I turned to writing and sound. To solve this, I made painting descriptions not just boring dry cut explanations. Instead, I described the materiality of each painting, beyond the size of canvas and color.
Additionally, I wanted to make sure that this app was accessible to everyone and that includes individuals with motor skills. This was something I really wanted to push for with the design after reading about artists with motor disabilities breaking barriers in the art making practices.
