The Project aim is to make the museum more accessible and engaging by providing interactive exhibits and learning opportunities, using Augmented and Virtual reality technology.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum has experienced a significant decrease in footfall, resulting in a loss of its former glory.
I played a multifaceted role, contributing to both the Website
and Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality exhibit experience.
In our project, we followed the Agile Scrum methodology, dividing the design & development process into sprints of 15 days each.
Interviews and surveys proved to be useful tools in evaluating the proposed solution to the problem statement. Through these methods, we were able to identify the challenges and the areas that require prioritization in the design process.
To initiate the ideation process for the website, I started creating user flow diagrams to gain a comprehensive understanding of the path’s users will take. The aim was to map out the user's journey from start to finish and identify essential features and functionalities required to create an optimal user experience.
After gaining a clear understanding of the user journey with the help of user flow. I created a site map to effectively organize website pages based on the user journey and ensure logical and user-friendly content structure.
I initiated my design process in a traditional manner by sketching various User Interface (UI) options for the website. The website comprises five key pages, namely the landing page, in-person exhibit page, virtual exhibit page, videos page, and an about page. Based on user research, I anticipated that visitors would primarily access the in-person and virtual exhibit pages to view the maritime museum exhibits.
To ensure consistency and accessibility in the design of the website, I created a design system based on the museum existing style guide. The design system includes guidelines for layouts, color, font sizes, shapes, icons, and navigations, meeting the WCAG guidelines for web accessibility. This ensured that the website and exhibits were accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, and provided an engaging and inclusive user experience.
Developing low-fidelity prototypes and a design system proved highly beneficial in my efforts to deliver a visually captivating and aesthetically pleasing experience to visitors exploring the Maritime AR museum. Additionally, high-fidelity prototypes enabled me to evaluate and refine the website's user experience in the VR environment, ensuring seamless navigation and optimal interactivity.
I conducted a comprehensive usability testing experiment to evaluate users' ability to navigate a virtual reality maritime museum and access exhibits using information provided on the website. The experiment involved setting up the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, opening the museum website, accessing VR exhibits listed on the site, completing the tasks in the VR environment, and measuring overall user satisfaction.
of the users were able to navigate to the VR environment successfully without requiring any assistance or guidance.
of the users are unable to complete the tasks in the VR environment with help of written instruction
of the users felt dizziness interacting in the Virtual environment for more than 15 minutes.
of the users felt that they could have completed the tasks much faster if they had more visual clues in the VR environment.
Overall, the usability testing experiment was a crucial step in ensuring that the virtual reality maritime museum provides an optimal user experience, where users can effortlessly explore the exhibits, learn about historical artifacts and events, and enjoy an immersive and engaging museum experience. The refined User Experience helped to make the virtual reality museum more interactive, informative, and enjoyable for visitors, ultimately enhancing their overall experience.
