Case Study · UX/UI Design
Designing a Better Museum Visit Experience
A mobile app designed to simplify museum visit planning, reducing friction in ticket booking and improving clarity for first-time visitors.
Overview
This project focuses on improving how people plan their visit to a photography museum.
Many visitors struggle with unclear booking flows and scattered information, which makes the experience frustrating before it even begins. The goal was to design a simple, intuitive mobile experience that helps users quickly find relevant information, book tickets and feel confident about their visit.
Problem & Goal
Understanding key challenges in the booking experience and defining a clear design direction.
Problem
- Hard to plan visit
- Confusing booking
- Information overload
Goal
- Simplify booking
- Improve clarity
- Reduce decision time
Research
Understanding user behavior, needs, and key pain points
Goals
Defining what needs to be learned to guide design decisions
Understand how users discover and plan visits
Identify key pain points in information and booking
Explore differences between user groups
Define opportunities for a simpler, accessible experience
Secondary research
Reviewing existing solutions and industry patterns
I analyzed existing museum apps, booking platforms, and publicly available reports to understand how users plan visits and interact with cultural institutions. The research focused on identifying common patterns, usability issues, and gaps in the current experience.
Age
Museum visitors represent a wide age range, with the largest group between 18–34. Younger users expect intuitive and mobile-first experiences.
- 18–23 yo35%
- 35–54 yo25%
- under 18 yo20%
- 55+ yo20%
Based on demographic data from GUS, NIMOZ, and Eurostat, combined with general visitor trends observed in the cultural sector.
Visitor types
Museum audiences include diverse groups with different needs, from tourists to educators and families.
- tourists35%
- families25%
- art enthusiast25%
- educators & school groups15%
Based on secondary data (GUS, NIMOZ, Eurostat) and synthesized behavioral patterns from publicly available research on museum visitors.
Behaviors
Museum visits are usually planned in advance and focused on practical details. The process feels more like a task than an experience.
in advance
exhibitions, tickets, hours
Primary source of info
These insights were complemented by a short screening survey, which helped validate user behaviors and highlight key pain points.
Research Highlights
Key findings that shaped the design decisions.
Key insights
- Information is scattered and hard to navigate
- Users rely on websites rather than apps
- Planning requires effort and multiple steps
- Needs vary depending on the visitor type
Key user types
Representing key user groups with different needs and motivations
Four personas were created to represent diverse user groups, including art enthusiasts, tourists, educators, and families. Each group has different expectations, but all require a clear, intuitive booking experience and easy access to essential information.
Art enthusiast
Frequent museum visitor seeking inspiration
Regularly visits museums to stay inspired and up to date with cultural events.
Needs easy access to exhibitions and a centralized source of curated content.
Tourist
Short-term visitor planning on the go
Visits the city for a short time and relies on his phone to quickly plan activities.
Needs fast, clear access to essential information in English and a simple booking process.
Educator
Organizing structured group visits for students
Plans museum visits for students and requires a structured and predictable process.
Needs clear information and dedicated tools for group bookings.
Family
Planning simple and engaging experiences for children
Visit museums with their child and look for engaging, family-friendly experiences.
Need simple planning and clear information to avoid unnecessary effort.
Users yourney
This journey illustrates how users currently plan and book a museum visit, highlighting key friction points in the process.
Key Pain Points
- Information is scattered across platforms
- Lack of pricing clarity
- No seamless invoice option
- Manual post-purchase process
Solution
Simplifying the booking process and enabling a seamless invoice request experience
Addressing Key Pain Points
Based on the identified pain points, the solution focuses on simplifying the booking process and improving invoice handling. The following features directly address the key user needs uncovered during research.
User Flow
The flow below illustrates how users can easily book a ticket and request an invoice within a simplified process.
Wireframes
Early structure of the booking flow focusing on clarity and key user actions.
These wireframes explore the core ticket booking flow, focusing on structure, hierarchy, and key user decisions such as selecting date, time, and providing booking details. Special attention was given to integrating the invoice request seamlessly into the checkout process.
Final Design
A cohesive museum experience combining a streamlined booking flow with a clear and engaging interface.
Booking Flow — Ticket Booking Flow
The final interface focuses on simplifying the ticket booking process by making each step clear and easy to follow. Users can select tickets, choose a date and time, and complete the checkout with an optional invoice request integrated directly into the flow.
Selected screens from the booking process are shown below to highlight key interactions.
Visual Design — Additional Screens
The visual language extends beyond the booking flow to other key sections of the museum website, including exhibitions, events, and educational content. The design emphasizes clarity, strong visual hierarchy, and a consistent aesthetic across the platform.
Design System
A lightweight UI system supporting consistency and scalability
#2EC4B6#facae4#0A0A0A#fafafaA lightweight design system created to ensure visual consistency across the app and streamline the development of key features such as ticket booking and content browsing.
The visual language combines a minimal neutral base with a vibrant accent palette, allowing content to remain the focal point while guiding user attention through key interactions.
The system was designed as a scalable foundation rather than a full component library.
Design decisions
• Teal was used as a primary action color to create clear interaction cues
• Pink accents introduce contrast and highlight temporary or dynamic content
• A geometric typeface was chosen for headlines to reflect a contemporary, gallery-like aesthetic
Key Features
Key functionalities designed to improve user experience and simplify the museum visit
Clear navigation structure
Users can easily move between exhibitions, tickets, and events with a simplified bottom navigation and consistent hierarchy.
Seamless ticket purchase
The booking flow is reduced to a few steps, minimizing friction and making the process intuitive.
Personalized experience
Users can access their events and tickets in one place, improving usability and clarity.
Visual storytelling
The UI highlights photography through large imagery and minimal distractions.
Prototype
An interactive prototype was created to simulate the booking experience and key user flows — link
Accessibility
The interface was designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring sufficient color contrast, clear typography hierarchy, and readable spacing across all screens. Interactive elements were designed to be easily distinguishable and consistent, supporting intuitive navigation for a wide range of users.
Testing & Iteration
Improving clarity and reducing friction in the booking experience
Usability testing sessions were conducted to observe how users interact with the booking flow and identify areas of confusion and friction. Usability testing revealed several points of confusion in the booking process, particularly around navigation, ticket selection, and checkout progression. The following iterations were introduced to improve clarity, reduce cognitive load, and make the experience more intuitive.
Stepper
Users were unsure about their progress during the booking process. A step indicator was introduced to clearly communicate the current stage and remaining steps, improving orientation and reducing uncertainty.
Exhibition Preview Before Selection
Users needed more context before choosing an exhibition. An additional info option was introduced, allowing them to quickly access a short description and better understand what they are selecting without leaving the flow.
Navigation simplification
The initial navigation structure was unclear and overloaded with options. It was simplified to three primary sections, making it easier for users to explore exhibitions, events, and tickets.
Microcopy & UX Writing
The initial flow relied on repetitive and generic labels such as "Next," which provided little guidance to users. These were replaced with clear, action-oriented labels that reflect each step of the process, improving clarity and user confidence.
Final Outcome
From concept to a clear booking experience
The final design delivers a clear and intuitive experience for exploring exhibitions and booking tickets. By simplifying the flow, it reduces friction and makes key actions easier to complete. A refined visual language highlights the artistic nature of the content, balancing usability with aesthetics.
Learnings
What this project taught me about product design
- Simplyfying navigation significantly improves user experience
- Clear visual hierarchy is essential in content-heavy interfaces
- Small changes, like progress indicators, can greatly reduce user uncertainty
- Iteration is key to refining even simple user flows