Date: 10/2022
Client: ArtsWave
Project Management, Design: Jeni Barton
Mobile App platform: STQRY

Abstract

The ArtsWave 10-stop Guided Tour of BLINK®, a four-day light and projection-based art festival attracting over 2 million visitors to Cincinnati, was designed to transform the traditional guided walking tour into a more accessible, mobile-first experience. Available exclusively to ArtsWave donors, the tour featured a GPS-guided interactive map, along with curated images and video interviews with participating artists. This digital experience provided users with deeper insights into the artworks and creators behind them, enhancing engagement and accessibility while reinforcing ArtsWave’s mission of connecting people with the arts.

The Design Process

The design process began with curating a diverse selection of artists to feature in the app, ensuring a balance of exciting works within a reasonable walking distance. Collaborating closely with BLINK® festival organizers and participating artists, we coordinated the creation of exclusive content, including on-site visits to artist studios to film interviews.

To accommodate the unpredictable entry points of festivalgoers, the mobile app experience was designed to allow users to begin the tour at any stop along the route. The user interface was developed to provide seamless navigation, leveraging a GPS-guided map for accessibility. Additionally, the app’s visual design integrated branding elements from both BLINK and ArtsWave, maintaining a cohesive identity that reinforced the partnership while enhancing user engagement.

User Testing

User testing was conducted with ArtsWave staff and Cincinnati residents through in-person observations while walking the tour route and using the mobile app in real-world conditions. This testing revealed that GPS guidance was less reliable when not connected to Wi-Fi, affecting navigation accuracy. Additionally, a bug was identified at one of the tour stops, causing it to repeat after completion. These insights informed necessary refinements to improve the app’s performance, ensuring a smoother and more reliable user experience.

Product Outcomes and Future Development

Following initial bug fixes, the large-scale attendance of over two million people at BLINK® presented ongoing connectivity challenges for the mobile app. While users valued learning about the artists, they primarily engaged with the content before or after the festival due to network limitations on-site.

Beyond technical constraints, user feedback revealed a fundamental behavioral insight: during the festival, attendees were fully immersed in the visual experience and less inclined to engage with their phones. Some preferred to stay focused on the projections, while others were navigating crowds and did not want to divert their attention. Our initial testing took place before the festival, in a quiet, daytime setting where users found it enjoyable to read or watch videos about the artists while walking the route. However, the festival environment itself shifted user behavior, with attendees prioritizing direct engagement with the art over digital exploration. A huge win for arts engagement and a new opportunity for the future.

These insights led to a strategic pivot for the 2024 festival. Instead of a real-time guided tour, we developed a BLINK® Festival Preview Guide to provide a deep dive into the artists and their works ahead of the event, helping users plan their experience. Additionally, this guide was integrated into the ArtsWave App, a native platform that mitigated connectivity issues and ensured access to content even during the festival. This approach significantly improved the user experience, aligning digital engagement with audience behaviors and enhancing overall participation.