Project_Arab American National Museum Kiosk

ABOUT THE PROJECT

- The Arab American National Museum is the first and only museum in the United States devoted to documenting and sharing Arab American contributions that shaped the economic, political and cultural landscapes of American life.The museum had been neglecting a $3,000 kiosk, failing to generate any ROI from it. I was commissioned by the museum to design and develop an interactive kiosk screen.

GOAL

- Creating a visually appealing and intuitive interface for existing video and static image content.

CONSTRAINT

- Developing the kiosk while overcoming the high accessibility and learning curve of the BrightAuthor development tool for kiosk development.

OUTCOME

- I improved the digital presentation of the museum.

IMPACT

- The kiosk will provide an opportunity for the 50,000 visitors each year to understand Arab culture, fostering mutual understanding among people of diverse cultural backgrounds, reducing prejudices, and recognizing the value of a multicultural society.

- The kiosk will enhance the museum's reputation by providing an engaging and educational experience for visitors, increasing visitor satisfaction, and encouraging repeat visits, thereby boosting overall museum attendance and revenue.

CLIENT

- Arab American National Museum

MY ROLE WAS

- UX Design
- UI Design
- Programming

TOOL

- Figma
- Adobe After Effects
- BrightAuthor

PLATFORM

- 43 Inch Kiosk

I WORKED WITH

- Curator of Exhibits
- Engineer

YEAR

- February 2024 ~April 2024

Project goal

Enhancing visitor engagement and brand reputation

The museum wanted to convey a comprehensive understanding of Arab geography, history, and religion, as well as modern Arab Americans, through its kiosk content. In other words, the museum's goal was to enable the museum's visitors to learn about Arab culture through a digital and interactive experience, thereby increasing visitor participation and enhancing the museum's brand reputation.

Understanding the context

Kiosk setup and client requirements

1. A 43-inch Display

The display I need to work on is 43 inches. This kiosk is 40 inches above the ground.

2. Seven pre-prepared pieces of content

The museum provided me with 7 pieces of content to be displayed through the kiosk.These contents were intended to provide visitors with a comprehensive understanding of Arab culture.

1. A 43-inch Display

The display I need to work on is 43 inches. This kiosk is 40 inches above the ground.

2. Seven pre-prepared pieces of content

The museum provided me with 7 pieces of content to be displayed through the kiosk.These contents were intended to provide visitors with a comprehensive understanding of Arab culture.

Above all, the museum wanted a visually appealing design

Capturing visitors' attention
with a visually appealing intro page

I decided to make the styling playful by using illustrative elements to capture the attention of students, who were the key visitor groups of the museum.

Intro page background exploration

We decided to go with 'Background A' together with the museum because the playful style resonated better with the main group of museum visitors—students and families.

The content order of the intro page
for effective content delivery

I arranged the content to guide users from a basic geographical understanding to a comprehensive grasp of the Arab world through its history, culture, and social issues.

Focused and flexible: A functional content layout

I placed the main content area at the top to keep visitors focused and added seven buttons at the bottom for easy content switching.

Layout exploration

When working on the layout area, I chose Layout A over Layout B because usability testing results showed that users preferred Layout A for its balance and intuitiveness.

The optimal font, button size, and colors

I conducted usability testing to verify the font size, button size, and colors that ensure the highest readability for users, and as a result, found the optimal settings.

Button style exploration

Out of the three choices, the museum chose 'concept A' because I convinced them that the gradient style not only adds vibrancy but also aligns well with the museum's branding.

Impact to the real world

* Visitor's perspective

1) The kiosk will provide a comprehensive understanding of Arab American culture to 50,000 visitors annually.

2) The kiosk will cover geographic awareness, cultural insights, and social issues, allowing visitors to thoroughly understand Arab culture.

* Museum's perspective

1) The kiosk will enhance the museum's reputation by providing an engaging and educational experience for visitors.

2) The kiosk will increase visitor satisfaction and encourage repeat visits, thereby boosting overall museum attendance and revenue.

What I've learned

The Arab American National Museum kiosk UX design project was a unique experience compared to my previous web and mobile projects.

1. Most of my previous projects were web or mobile interfaces. The Arab American National Museum kiosk screen design was different due to its large size. I needed to pay greater attention to ergonomic factors, accessibility, and font readability.
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2. I learned that it is important not just to convey information, but to present it in a way that tells a compelling story. Because effective storytelling significantly enhances the user experience and improves the efficiency of information delivery.
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3. When I first used the kiosk development tool BrightAuthor, I had to overcome its high accessibility and steep learning curve. There were many challenges in learning and utilizing this new tool, but overcoming them allowed me to grow significantly. This experience improved my ability to learn and apply new technologies.

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