The Goal

New York City, and many cities around the world, are hubs and havens for artists. These artists’ best way to get traction and sales is through gallery shows. The trouble is there are so many galleries and so little information about individual shows that they come and go without reaching the audience they deserve. OnView acts as the bridge from galleries to viewers.

The User

The user is anyone that is interested in finding local art. There are always the big museums, but these shows are packed with guests plus ticket prices and memberships can get expensive. However, OnView allows for the die hard and the tourist to find something new and fresh. Whether planning a weekend of gallery hopping or just needing an art fix during your lunch break. OnView can provide a solution.

The Research

Looking into both Google Maps and the Yelp I was able to discover a variety of features that are transferred to the OnView app interface. Benchmarking was vital to create something users are already familiar with as well as providing inspiration for a more refined user experience.

OnView Map

The OnView Map takes cues from these apps and then takes away any unnecessary parts to make a very minimal, easy to read black and white map. Rather than use a color to make the pins pop out the map itself is much more diffused and the pins stand with a stark contrast of black on a light backdrop. The search and filter features are also kept hidden away from the user so that the user has the ability to explore all the art available before making a decision to narrow the scope of their search.

Information & Reservation

OnView features current exhibited and information about the duration of the exhibit as well as if the user needs to book an appointment. Contact information and a link out to Google Maps for directions from your location to the Gallery.

iOS & Android

The iOS version of the application features a bottom navigation with minimal flourishes. Keeping things clean and focused on the art and the exhibits rather than have an overwhelm of information and ratings and reviews and likes to distract the user. A minimal color scheme also ensures the focus remains on the art and the only time color emerges is from the art and when selecting a location on the map. The goal of keeping features can be found in the set up of the app. There are two distinct sections. Exploration and Information. Exploration focuses on the whole. This includes the Map, with its Gallery Previews and the list of Galleries. The information section is focused on the individual shows. Featuring artist statements, show details, discussions, and even making appointment reservations.