The user experience of an exhibition is obviously an extremely important factor for a successful presentation. The impact that technology has in the context of an art exhibition has been explored in recent years as cultural establishments have been putting more emphasis on the notion of “user experience” (Carú et al., 2020).
Widjono (2020) explores the usability of virtual exhibitions as a product of interaction design. Though our exhibition is in person, these still apply. To be usable, the “product” should follow these criteria:
1. Usefulness. To create a successful exhibition, it’s important to consider both the visitor’s goals, such as browsing art information and viewing artworks, and the artist’s desire to have their work appreciated by a wider audience.
2. Efficiency. This refers to the length of time it takes for a user to accomplish and complete their visit, and it can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exhibition organiser’s perspective.
3. Effectiveness. This pertains to the exhibition’s ability to deliver and operate in accordance with the users’ expectations.
4. Learnability. Learnability is associated with identifying the particular skills that users must possess in order to operate all of the features within an exhibition. Designers must take into account the user’s abilities when designing these features.
5. Satisfaction. This pertains to the user’s perception, emotions, and opinions, which are based on their experience when visiting the exhibition.
So, how did our exhibition do in relation to these criteria?
| UX Principles | The Exhibition |
| Useful | User able to freely move around the space and explore multiple pieces of content |
| Efficient | Users took 1-3 minutes per interaction, meanwhile, waiting users could be entertained by the other multimedia pieces surrounding the interaction. |
| Effective | Users were engaged, immersed and be present in the space. Interested in discovering and exploring the space, creating their own unique experience |
| Learnability | Once one user was shown what to do, as the others observed, the primary skill needed to interact was learned |
| Satisfaction | As seen in interviews with users in the audience – very satisfied and moved by the imagery and sounds they were experiencing. Additional material was good to see in addition to the main interaction. |
References
Carù, A. Carbonare, P. Ostillio, M. Piancatelli, C. (2020). The impact of technology on visitor immersion in art exhibitions. In: Massi, M. Vecco, M. Lin, Y. (Ed). Digital Transformation in the Cultural and Creative Industries: Production, Cons. London: Routledge. Pp.13-31.
Widjono, R.A. (2020) ‘Analysis of User Experience in Virtual Art Exhibition During Pandemic’:, in Proceedings of the International Conference of Innovation in Media and Visual Design (IMDES 2020). International Conference of Innovation in Media and Visual Design (IMDES 2020), Tangerang, Indonesia: Atlantis Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201202.059.
Molly Munro
