Brief and Background
The Design for Social Impact project centered on the principles of human - centered design, specifically empathic design, as applied to the museum experience. Drawing inspiration from research on museums, the challenge was to design a customised museum experience for a specific user. The combination of ethnographic research methods, auto-ethnographic writing tasks, and consideration of personal interests led to the creation of a customised app aimed at enhancing my users experience within the museum environment.
Project Year - 2023
Project Type - University Project
My Role - UX/ UI Designer
Tools Used - Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Scope and Design Rationale
The goal of the project was to create a customised museum experience for my selected user by utilising empathetic design concepts. The design rationale involved understanding the user's individual preferences, exploring different types of experiences (digital, physical, sensory), and identifying unique ways to engage with museum objects and narratives. The key solution was the development of a mobile app which would provide a tailored journey that aligns with the user's interests and engagement preferences.
User Research
For this project, ethnographic techniques and auto-ethnographic perspectives were explored through user research. The research attempted to connect individual viewpoints with more general facts within the setting of the museum by looking into the experiences of my user and taking into account personal interests. Developing an understanding of the user's interactions with museum objects—both digitally and physically—became essential to customising the features of the app to improve her experience.
Final Thoughts and Learnings
This project demonstrates how empathic design has the power to redefine cultural experiences in an innovative way. The project's goal was to make museum storytelling more accessible to a wider audience by creating an app that can recognise and adjust to the user's preferences. This project not only improved my understanding of the complex interplay between individual narratives and collective cultural experiences, but it also built my belief in the efficacy of human - centered design.
