Gillman Barracks,
Phygital App Case Study
UI | UX
Project Duration: 2 weeks
@ General Assembly User Experience Design Immersive
Project Overview
Our task as mock agency was to create a product to integrate the physical and digital experience of a selected place. As a collective, we decided on Gillman Barracks. A place that is known to be the centre of contemporary art in Singapore. Through a background research, we found out that Gillman Barracks is going through a facelift to be a lifestyle destination.
The project aim to integrate the physical and digital experience and also help visitors find out about their new lifestyle offerings. We had a week to pitch our ideas to our "client" and a week to create and present a high fidelity prototype.
Role
UI Lead
UX Designer
Teammates
Li Yun, UX Lead
Eve Goh, UI/UX Designer
Jerome See, UI/UX Designer
Discovering
For the pitch and discovery phase, we did a competitor analysis, conducted a couple of user interviews and visited the site.
Site visit
We did a site visit to see if we could emphatise further with our users. While browsing through the gallery. we found out that the galleries are now handling their own marketing as NAC(National Art Centre) has stopped doing so since the announcement of the uplift of the place.
Competitor Analysis
We wanted to know who were Gillman Barracks' competitors and what do they offer digitally. Dempsey Hill, National Gallery and SAM were identified as our key competitors. Through "pulses and deltas", we narrowed down our key findings.
User Interviews
Key Insights
We interviewed a total of 8 users to understand their habits and frustrations with Gillman Barracks. We discovered that most users go there for a purpose. For example, Singapore Art Week for art, HandleBar for food and drinks and music raves.
An affinity map was done and we identified areas of concern among our users.
In summary of our interviews, our users tend to visit Gillman Barracks if they have a specific event to go to. Since it is not a place users visit day to day, some users will use the opportunity to explore the area. However, in the midst of exploring, they mention that is hard to navigate and to know what is happening within the galleries and there isn't a source for them to find such information.
"I look at whether events are aligned with my interests"
"I am open to new discoveries within what i am interested in"
"I would prefer clearer navigation"
"I encounter issues with the transporting/navigating"
Defining
User Persona
Based on the research, we created Gillian Tan before defining our problem statement.
Our user Gillian is a curious city dweller. She likes to go for events within her interest and explores with an open mind.
She checks out events on the internet to find out what would pique her interest. She doesn’t mind travelling as long as the event is interesting and fruitful. While she is at the event, she keeps her eyes peeled for other activities within the compound that might her spark her interest.
Problem Statement
Now that we have defined our user persona, we then defined our problem statements.
User(s) need to better understand whether the events aligns with their interests so that they can make new discoveries about what they are interested in
User(s) need easier way-finding so that they can make the most out of the trip
Journey Map
During the usability test, users mentioned that apart from scrolling, they would also want the liberty to search for activities on their own
Developing
With a clear understanding of our users' needs, we started to come out with solutions that would help our user Gillian. Concurrently, I developed the design system for the prototype
Creating a design system
To ensure consistency throughout our prototype, a design system was created.
To allow users to recall the branding, the icons that were created was inspired by the wayfinding signs in Gillman Barracks.
Solution #1
To align events with users' interest so that they can make new discoveries, we wanted users to be able to get recommendations of events or even restaurants within Gillman Barracks.
How might we
Help users match their interests within what's going on in Gillman Barracks?
Make the users aware of the information about the event
With a customised feed, users will be able to get recommendations based on their interest. They will also be able to get important information such as if the event is ending soon and the opening timings. We also considered how one time events or exclusive events would be shown to users after they have set up their profile.
During our research, a gallery employee mentioned about how NAC has stopped marketing for them. Therefore, this is an opportunity for events and spaces to also get to market themselves.
Key Iteration
During the usability test, users mentioned that the tone of voice was harsh and also, apart from scrolling, they would also want the liberty to search for activities on their own.
Solution #2
To address the issue of users not knowing where to go after attending their event and often getting lost because they are not sure what is going on within Gillman Barracks.
How might we
Help users to add value to their experience?
From this wireframe, it was eventually expanded and integrated this journey planner within the map for the ease of use for the users. To avoid jumping through screens, an "add" simple button was also on the home page so that the users can easily add it while scrolling through the other activities happening in Gillman Barracks.
Apart from that, we wanted users to easily add and delete items in their itinerary at any point in time. Users will also have the ability to rearrange their itinerary once the route was generated for them.
Solution #3
Lastly, to address the issue of navigation, we wanted users to be able to get around Gillman Barracks with ease. To let them know what is nearby the event that they are attending.
How might we
Get users to move around with intention?
With the map being too overly cluttered with icons with the crowd indicator, we decided to add a button so that the users will be able to toggle on and off as they wish. As for the location pins, instead of repeating the names of the places, the title of the activity was renamed as the event name. This is because the events are usually lasting for a short week but the venue names always remain the same.
The map is bounded within the compound of Gillman Barracks. The users will still be able to see the map when they are far away but will be greeted with a message saying they are quite far away.
Key Iteration
During the usability test, users mentioned that on the map, they were not able to locate where they are. The map was then revised to include a radar to indicate where their "live status" is.
Usability Testing Results
The task success rate during the usability test is 96%
Less than 1 min was taken for each task
Final Prototype
Click through to view full prototype
Thoughts and Reflection
Working in a team
Ground rules were set from the beginning of the project. We made it clear that communication is essential and we have to express if we disagree at any point.
We created a timeline and milestones from the start to ensure that we would not burn too much midnight oil.
We also worked on each other's strengths and helped each other weaknesses. I truly enjoyed working with the team!
The process
In the beginning of the project, we had to keep reminding each other not to jump to solutioning and trust the process with our research.
Also because we were in the same environment with our other classmates, it was difficult not to compare features and "cool" factor with the other groups.
However, once we looked through our research and synthesis, we knew that we were on the right track. Overall, it was a pleasant process and it would not have been achievable without my group mates.