Metro Art
Since 1989, Los Angeles Metro commissions local artists to incorporate their artwork into a wide array of transportation projects throughout the city. Metro Art has been enhancing the commuter experience with innovative, award-winning art projects that encourages ridership and connects people, sites, and neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County.
The Challenge
How might we connect LA Metro riders with the Metro art collection?
My team created a Metro Art mobile app that targets the user’s location and provides information about the artwork nearest them. Similar to an art docent, transit patrons can learn more about the artwork as they ride the metro and engage in discussions online.
Research & Discovery
The team set off to interview transit patrons on the streets of L.A. Taking notes we asked open ended questions seeking stories about their metro experiences. We regrouped after an hour to share our findings and construct empathy maps from the one-hour interviews with Metro riders. After some discussion, we crafted a point of view statement.
Empathy Maps
Luna
Post Grad Psychology Major
A recent post grad psychology student who has to travel long distances on public transportation. Surprisingly, we discovered she is willing to interact others to improve her metro experience even when she needs rest. Luna needs a way to connect with more people on public transit to improve her public transportation experience.
Ideation and Prototype
We brainstormed actionable ideas by breaking down the point of view statement with a "How Might We" exercise. We then built a low fidelity wireframe along with a storyboard of key moments.
How might we create a way for Luna to listen to other commuters without sacrificing her privacy or comfort?
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The Metro Art mobile app enhances the commute by letting transit patrons learn about the artwork nearest them. Snap a picture of the installation to learn more and join the discussion!
Usability Testing
Our first round of testing was with a low-fidelity prototype. We conducted usability tests with five volunteers who were lifelong metro riders. My team setup and gave a brief explanation to set the context before handing them our prototype. We observed, listened, and took notes while periodically engaging the tester with open ended questions.
Conclusion
After the results of the usability test, we quickly iterated and presented our findings to the Los Angeles metro team in downtown LA.
