🖼️ Case Study: Artle

Partner: National Gallery of Art
Institution: Pratt Institute
Role: UI Designer – Data Analysis, Gamification, Mockups
Team: Jinbo Shen, Michaela, Jiatong, Gerard, Jiten

🎯 Project Overview

Artle is an interactive digital game developed by the National Gallery of Art to promote art appreciation through daily guessing challenges. While the concept engaged frequent users, first-time and mobile users encountered significant usability barriers including unclear navigation, confusing gameplay mechanics, and difficulty accessing artist information.

Our team sought to improve the platform’s accessibility and engagement for first-time users through a research-driven redesign focused on user-centered game interaction and enhanced onboarding.

🔍 My Role

• Analyzed user feedback and usability testing data
• Identified critical friction points in navigation and onboarding
• Ideated new gamification features inspired by Wordle and Hangman
• Designed mockups and task flow enhancements for improved user experience

🛠️ Process Breakdown

1. Kickoff Meeting: Defined project goals with stakeholders from NGA, prioritizing first-time mobile user experience improvements.
2. User Recruitment: Targeted "Fun Seekers," "Mobile Users," "New Users," and "Art Affiliates" through a custom screening survey (11 participants selected).
3. Pilot Testing: Created task flows with logical progressions—e.g., locating “How to Play” followed by deeper gameplay interactions.
4. Moderated Testing: Conducted Think Aloud sessions to capture real-time user behaviors, confusion points, and satisfaction levels.

📊 Key Results

• 92% of users were confused at game start due to unclear instructions
• 67% had difficulty navigating core features (e.g., “Play More Games”)
• Users appreciated the quality of art content but were frustrated by non-intuitive UI

💡 Problem Spotlight

Artle’s original design posed cognitive and navigational challenges for new players, limiting the fun and educational value. Players reported difficulty understanding the game mechanics and accessing contextual artist information.

🧩 Recommendation: New Gamification Mode

• Simplified Gameplay: A new “easy mode” inspired by Hangman and Wordle, where users guess artist names with letter hints
• Enhanced Onboarding: In-game tutorials and progressive hinting to guide new users
• Integrated Education: Fun facts and artist info surfaced seamlessly within gameplay flow

📝 Final Results Delivery

We submitted a full UX report and interactive presentation summarizing key usability findings, design insights, and recommendations. These documents detailed the current pain points and provided prioritized, actionable improvements for the client’s roadmap.

💬 Client Feedback

• Positive: NGA appreciated the depth of insight and thoughtful redesign proposals
• Concerns: Some proposed features exceeded the current platform's technical capacity
• Response: Discussions opened about prioritizing feasible changes and phasing others in later

🔄 Next Steps

• Collaborate with NGA’s technical team to align design with system capabilities
• Refine recommendations to accommodate technical constraints
• Plan follow-up testing to evaluate implemented changes and gather iteration feedback

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Client Collaboration: Early alignment ensures design proposals are viable
• Design for Constraint: Creativity must balance with development realities
• User-Centered Rigor: Systematic testing uncovers pain points that drive informed design decisions

In conclusion, the Artle case study reinforced the power of cross-functional collaboration, user-centric testing, and strategic iteration. Our work set a foundation for future enhancements that better connect audiences with art through play.